EXCLUSIVE: NSSF gives Sen. Tom Cotton A+ rating on Second Amendment record
Sen. Tom Cotton earned an A+ rating from the firearm industry’s leading trade association, adding to a growing contrast on Second Amendment issues in Arkansas’s U.S. Senate race.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry trade association, released its 2026 Congressional Report Card this week grading lawmakers on their records on Second Amendment and firearm industry issues.
Cotton received an A+ and was also named to NSSF’s “Dean’s List,” a distinction reserved for lawmakers with a 100 percent voting and co-sponsorship record on the measures included in the group’s scorecard.
NSSF evaluates lawmakers based on key votes, sponsorship and co-sponsorship of legislation, committee activity, public statements and other work involving Second Amendment and firearm industry priorities. The group said its grades assess lawmakers’ records and do not constitute candidate endorsements.
The rating comes just a week after the National Rifle Association endorsed Cotton for reelection and gave him an “A” rating, citing his “consistent and proven record” on Second Amendment issues.
Cotton’s Democratic opponent, Hallie Shoffner, received an “F” rating from the NRA, its lowest grade.
As the Washington Reporter previously reported, the NRA specifically cited Cotton’s support for national concealed-carry reciprocity, legislation protecting veterans’ gun rights and his vote to eliminate the federal excise tax on suppressors and certain firearms.
“I’m a proud member of the National Rifle Association, and I’m pleased to have their endorsement,” Cotton said following the NRA announcement. “The Second Amendment is a God-given right enshrined in the Constitution by our Founders.”
NSSF’s new scorecard gives Cotton another top rating from a major national organization focused on firearms and Second Amendment policy as he seeks a third term in November.
