The NRA would prefer you to re-elect Henry McMaster and Alan Wilson in 2018, please

The National Rifle Association's political group announced^[1] Thursday that it was "proud to endorse Gov. Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson for re-election in South Carolina." Both Wilson and McMaster face Republican opposition in the June 12 primary.

McMaster is in a five-way primary to be elected governor for the first time, a position he assumed when Nikki Haley was appointed U.N. Ambassador. Wilson faces two Republican challengers. In a press release Thursday^[2], Gov. Henry McMaster said, "The NRA is a highly-respected organization, and I am proud to receive their endorsement."

In recent years, instead of advocating for legislative change, the NRA has marked repeated incidents of mass gun violence with campaign donations, endorsements to friendly politicians, and "clinched fist"^[3] calls to action for dues-paying members. The NRA enjoys significant influence^[4] over politicians both through financial support and mobilizing single-issue voters^[5] to support their preferred politicians by floating the threat^[6] of gun reform as a secret plot to ban guns.

The NRA notes that McMaster and Wilson both have "A" ratings from the group.

South Carolina had the tenth-highest rate of firearm deaths in the nation in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the highest rate of any Atlantic coast state. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said the number of guns on the streets in 2017 was "astronomical" as the city