John L. Byrne of Cape Vincent has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association in his bid to take the Assembly’s 116th “River District” seat now held by Democrat Addie Russell of Theresa.

Byrne, who will appear on the Republican and Independence party ballot lines, is a veteran who received the nod from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund and given the highest possible rating of a non-incumbent, according to a press release from Byrne.

“It is an honor to be endorsed by the NRA. As many northern New Yorkers know, our right to bear arms is under increasing attack in this state. When I enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1986 I swore an oath to defend and uphold the constitution. I have, and will always fight to protect our way of life and defend the rights of law abiding gun owners,” said Byrne.

ccording to Byrne’s release, retired New York State Police Environmental Conservation Lieutenant Larry Kring of Hammond said, “John’s working hard every day to educate voters on the importance of standing up to Albany politicians. I’m so pleased to see the NRA’s ‘A’ rating recognizing what a great representative John Byrne will be.”

The NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is NRA's political action committee. The NRA-PVF ranks political candidates, irrespective of party affiliation, based on voting records, public statements and their responses to an NRA-PVF questionnaire.

For more information about the NRA-PVF, visit www.nrapvf.org

John Byrne is also endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business.

The 116th Assembly District includes the St. Lawrence County towns Canton, DePeyster, Hammond, Lisbon, Louisville, Macomb, Massena, Morristown, Oswegatchie, Potsdam, Rossie and Waddington; the cities of Watertown and Ogdensburg; and other parts of Jefferson County.