Pai was about to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland when he received the award. The award was a handmade long gun which was illegal to be brought on stage, so it will be housed in the NRA museum until Pai can receive it.

American Conservative Union (ACU) which hosted the conference's Executive Director Dan Schneider told the assorted throngs that Pai had saved the internet.

Schneider made a few more remarks praising Pai before handing the award presentation over to NRA board member Carolyn Meadows. Pai "fought to preserve your free speech rights" as a member of the FCC's Republican minority during the Obama administration, Schneider said.

Pai "fought and won against all the odds, but the Obama administration had some curveballs, and they implemented these regulations to take over the internet.

"As soon as President Trump came into office, President Trump asked Ajit Pai to liberate the Internet and give it back to you. Ajit Pai is the most courageous, heroic person that I know."

The signature achievement that helped Pai win the NRA courage award came in December when the FCC voted to eliminate net neutrality rules.

The rules, which are technically still on the books for a while longer, prohibited internet service providers from blocking and throttling lawful Internet traffic and from charging online services for prioritisation.

Schneider did not explain how eliminating net neutrality rules preserved anyone's "free speech rights" but as far as the rest of the world is concerned American logic is pretty much out to lunch at the moment.

Pai has said that he received death threats after repealing net neutrality rules put in place by President Barack Obama. Now he will have a gun to pick off those pesky liberals who disagree with him.

The question might be why would the NRA care about net neutrality. With its considerable financial clout and ability to pay for the “fast lanes” allowable under the net neutrality repeal, the NRA and its television channel could conceivably benefit from Pai’s decision.

Recent reports suggest the NRA devotes extensive resources — $35.5 million in recent years — to “membership support” programs like NRAtv. The channel can potentially reach millions of homes via distribution on digital platforms including Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV, as well as online.