Once upon a time, Kirsten Gillibrand was a regular Annie Oakley when it came to guns. The NRA loved her.

That would have been just last month, when she was barely into her second term in the House, representing a largely rural upstate district.

Then lightning struck: Gov. Paterson announced her appointment to the US Senate, to fill the seat being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

This broadened her electoral horizons, to put it mildly. So when she noted this week that she and her husband keep rifles under their bed for “protection,” the disapprobation was as palpable as her reaction was predictable.

She quickly said that the guns would be moved elsewhere for “security” reasons. No doubt her 100 percent NRA voting rating will be headed for cold storage, too, as next year’s primary nears.

After all, haven’t Gillibrand’s House positions on bank bailouts, immigration and gun control undergone virtual 180-degree revisions since her ascension to the Senate?

Why, yes they have!

Kirsten Gillibrand may like guns, but she’s no straight shooter.