Lee Zeldin:
Extreme on Guns
Gun violence is a scourge Americans face on a daily basis — with countless lives lost and affected. The vast majority of New Yorkers support common-sense gun safety measures that will help mitigate the epidemic of gun violence. New York has stepped up and led the nation on gun safety by enacting meaningful laws to help prevent further crises.
If elected governor, Lee Zeldin will undo the progress New York has made to combat gun violence. While the state has worked to create safer communities by cracking down on illegal guns and keeping firearms out of the wrong hands, Zeldin has actively fought to put more guns back in our neighborhoods.
Zeldin has a long record of extreme, pro-gun positions: he opposed “Red Flag” laws, advocated for repealing the SAFE Act, supported striking down New York’s concealed carry laws, and recommended implementing “stand your ground” laws in the state.
Zeldin is dangerously out of step with New York on gun safety, and he can’t be trusted to keep us safe. His backward, far-right positions on guns would put New Yorkers and our communities at risk.
Proof Points:
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Zeldin said New York “should not have red flag laws” because it could create a “very slippery slope that could be targeting…law-abiding gun owners.”
[NY1, 5/18/22]
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Zeldin called the SAFE Act unconstitutional and said that it should be repealed. The SAFE Act prevents criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from buying guns, cracks down on illegal guns, and bans the most dangerous assault weapons.
[Lee Zeldin (Twitter), 6/4/22; Larry Kudlow Show (05:36), 5/21/22; New York State — SAFE Act, accessed 6/23/22]
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Zeldin supported the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn New York’s concealed carry law (having previously called the law “too strict”), and in response to the ruling said he was “proud” to have signed an amicus brief in support of striking down the law. As a member of Congress, he was named a “leader” in the movement to enact a 50-state reciprocal concealed-carry law, calling the measure “common sense.”
[Lee Zeldin (Twitter), 6/23/22; WUTQ 100.7 FM, 5/17/22; Newsday, 10/28/18; Riverhead Local, 12/7/17]
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Zeldin pledged not to vote for the bipartisan agreement on gun control, the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades, which expands criminal background checks, tightens the “boyfriend loophole,” and directs millions to increase mental health services and school security measures.
[Newsmax, 6/23/22; Washington Post, 6/24/22]]
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Zeldin supported implementing a “stand your ground” law in New York.
[New York Post, 5/19/22]
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On the campaign trail, Zeldin touted his A-rating from the NRA and the group’s endorsement for governor in 2022. During his career, he accepted nearly $30,000 in campaign donations from the NRA.
[Rally for Unity, 5/1/22; NRA-PVF, accessed 6/13/22; NYSBOE, accessed 6/23/22; FEC, accessed 6/23/22]