Alaska Gun Rights, a Mat-Su based group that works to defend the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms, has released the results of a survey sent to a select group of Mat-Su Borough Assembly candidates.
Five candidates, all running for Borough Assembly, were sent a single question: “Will you oppose an anti-gun range proposals?”
Endorsements were given to Borough Assembly candidates Michael Bowles and Dana Raffaniello.
Bowles, who describes himself as an unapologetic conservative, is running against Michelle Heun for the seat in Assembly District 1. While Heun answered the survey, saying she would oppose “any anti-gun range proposals,” she failed to secure Alaska Gun Rights’ endorsement because the group discovered she “has a history of donating to gun-hating leftists.” This includes Democrats Ethan Berkowitz, Forrest Dunbar, Mark Begich and Les Gara.
“This calls her sincerity into question,” the group stated. “Alaska Gun Rights urges you to vote against her November 4th.”
In Assembly District 2, Raffaniello is running against incumbent Stephanie Nowers.
Raffaniello, a retired U.S. Marine, is running on one of the most conservative platforms in recent history. He describes himself as a “principled conservative,” and claims the Republican Party in Alaska has abandoned conservative values, empowered Democrats in the State Legislature and failed to defend girls’ sports, common sense bathroom policies and parental rights in education. He is seeking to unseat Nowers, a left-of-center candidate who is backed by the Mat-Su Democrats. Nowers declined to answer the gun survey question.
In Assembly District 4, Maxwell Sumner is running unopposed. He is a Republican who has the backing of the Mat-Su Republican Women’s Club and Pro-Life Alaska, but he declined to answer the survey question and, therefore, did not receive an endorsement from Alaska Gun Rights.
Mat-Su School Board candidates were not included in the survey, as they have no say over gun range policy in the borough.
LEARN MORE
For more detailed information on all the candidates running for Assembly or the School Board in the Nov. 4 Mat-Su Borough election, check out the links below.
— Mat-Su election could add conservatives to Assembly and School Board
— ‘Constitutional conservative’ aims to unseat Democrat-backed incumbent on Mat-Su Assembly
— Mat-Su voter guide covers free speech, DEI, parent rights, taxes, weed, abortion, LGBT policy
— Pro-Life Alaska endorses Mat-Su Assembly and School Board candidates
5 Comments
This is good to know! Thank you!
Good to know except not accurate and much inference made. I like to believe that as conservatives, truth is strongly upheld yet I see so called fellow conservatives behaving as if truth is secondary to the end goal which is a strong characteristic of the left, often referred to as gas-lighting. I think of this as neo-conservative, Godless, behavior. Situational conservatism. I would add also that while property rights and gun rights are extremely important, if those rights infringe on the rights of your neigbor, than the Biblical principals regarding the preciousness of others, see Matthew 22:37-39 should be a guiding principal. We have three small private shooting ranges in our neighborhood. They are responsibly and respectfully used and have never been an issue. If my memory serves me right the situation regarding the gun range resolution involved far more than a gun range as it was in the same community council district I reside in. There were a number of issues, having to do with neighboring properties, property density and hours of operation and the owners had begun using commercially and operating at hours that were disrupting. The concern was not anti-gun rights. The posted statement above is vague and erroneous and very questionable. As for Michelle Heun, mom of a West Point grad and wife to a former police chief, owner of a hunting lodge – I am pretty sure she is pro gun rights. All of this troubles me as I see misrepresentation of facts which are not characteristic of true conservatism. Come on, please behave in a truly upright conservative manner.
So are you saying the article is mistaken or deliberately deceptive when it states she has donated to anti-Second Amendment politicians Forrest Dunbar, Ethan Burkowitz, Mark Begich and Les Gara? I find your argument disingenuous and a bit silly. Accusing a conservative group of acting like the Left for standing up for conservative values is just ridiculous.
The question should be, Should the MatSu Borough fund another gun range? Is there a need for another shooting range in less than 40 miles from each other? Are your tax dollars at work lining some property owner’s pocket?
I HELPED BUILD A BEAUTIFUL INDOOR FACILITY/ OUTDOOR GUN RANGE AT THE PALMER CORRECTIONS GROUNDS. THE STATE OWNS ABOUT 100 ACRES THERE. THIS GUN RANGE HAS A SEPARATE ACCESS THAN THE PRISON, AND IS MORE THAN A MILE FROM THE PRISON ITSELF. WHY DOESN’T THE PUBLIC THAT PAID FOR IT GET TO USE IT? FOR NOW IT SITS AND ROTS! GOVERNMENT OWNED ROT! DO YOU MISS YOUR PFD?