Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai was awarded a handmade rifle from the National Rifle Association Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, according to a report.
The NRA awarded him the rifle alongside the association’s “Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award” for his hand in the FCC’s repeal of the Obama-era net neutrality regulations last year, CNN reported Friday.
Carolyn Meadows, second vice president of the NRA, reportedly surprised the chairman with the award and said it is given out “when someone has stood up under pressure with grace and dignity and principled discipline.”
Meadows said that she wasn’t able to present Pai with the physical gun, due to conference rules, according to the cable news network.
Pai came under fire last year for his support of the FCC’s controversial decision to repeal net neutrality regulations.
Before he was awarded the rifle, the American Conservative Union’s Executive Director Dan Schneider also praised Pai, calling him “the most courageous, heroic person I know.”
