Gun Control Protesters Accuse Rep. Lee Zeldin Of Taking NRA ‘Blood Money’

Rep. Lee Zeldin Image by Wikimedia Commons

By Nathan Guttman February 22, 2018

Accusing him of accepting “blood money” from the National Rifle Association, some 400 activists protested Tuesday outside New York Rep. Lee Zeldin’s office in Patchogue.

The protesters argued that the Long Island Republican, one of only two Jewish Republicans in Congress, is “selling our lives to the NRA.”

Zeldin received nearly $29,000 last year from gun rights groups and has been a staunch supporter of the NRA. He is the co-author of a bill that would allow citizens with concealed carry licenses from one state to carry their arms in every other state.

Following the Parkland, Florida school shooting last week, Zeldin issued a statement pointing to the failure of the FBI in identifying the threat posed by shooter Nikolas Cruz.

“I support law abiding citizens having the ability to possess firearms to protect themselves, their families, their loved ones and property,” Zeldin said. “However, we must ensure lunatics manifesting violent criminal intentions to murder with firearms have access to none.”

Democrats have targeted Zeldin’s seat as one they are hoping to flip in 2018, and the question of gun control is likely to come up in the campaign.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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