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GOP Gov. Larry Hogan doesn't want an NRA endorsement this time around
Gov. Larry Hogan said he doesn't expect or want an endorsement from the National Rifle Association. ( SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

GOP Gov. Larry Hogan doesn't want an NRA endorsement this time around

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan was endorsed by the National Rifle Association when he was first elected governor in 2014. Now, he says the organization can keep its endorsement, The Hill reported.

Hogan, speaking to students at Great Mill High School on Thursday, said he doesn't expect the gun rights advocacy organization to offer its support.

"He told them he wasn't expecting it and didn't want it," said Amelia Chasse, Hogan's spokesperson. "He doesn't think the NRA are big fans of his at the moment."

A 16-year-old student was killed at Great Mills High School by a gunman earlier this year.

What's Hogan's record on guns?

During Hogan's initial gubernatorial campaign and his early years in office, Hogan was considered a gun rights-friendly governor, although he did express some lukewarm support for different gun control issues at times. From the Baltimore Sun:

Gov. Larry Hogan has never been what you would call a champion of gun control. As a candidate, he opposed Maryland’s landmark 2013 gun control legislation, which included a ban on assault weapons. He won the endorsement of the NRA and an A- rating from the group based on his responses to a questionnaire he filled out during the Republican primary — a document he refused to release despite significant pressure. ... True to his word, he hasn't tried to repeal Maryland's gun laws, but he hasn't been terribly enthusiastic about them either, saying they did nothing to prevent last year's record bloodshed in Baltimore.

The NRA gave him a strong endorsement over his opponent, then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who had an F-rating with the NRA.

"The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund is proud to endorse Larry Hogan for Governor of Maryland," a press release read. "This endorsement is based on Hogan's support for and commitment to the Second Amendment. Larry Hogan respects the rule of law and the Second Amendment rights of Maryland's law-abiding citizens."

After the March shooting at Great Mills, however, Hogan signed bills banning bump stocks and enacting a "red flag law" that would make it easier for guns to be seized from dangerous individuals.

Hogan is facing a challenge from Democrat and former NAACP president Ben Jealous in November.

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