There is a Republican gubernatorial primary next Tuesday. Two of the candidates have public records on 2A, two do not. This is how they break down on the issues:
- Rob Astorino. As Westchester County Executive he brought gun shows back to the County Center in White Plains and streamlined the pistol licensing process. He called for repealing of the SAFE Act from the start and said before the SCOTUS decision was announced that New York should become right-to-carry.
- Lee Zeldin. As a Army Reservist he was on active duty at the time and was not present when the SAFE Act was voted on. He did speak at a rally opposing it in 2013. As a State Senator he did vote for Governor Cuomo’s budget bills, but the SAFE Act cannot be defunded this way so while fiscal criticism is valid here, 2A criticism is not. As a member of Congress he co-sponsored H.R. 38: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act and signed on to the Congressional amicus brief in support of concealed carry.
- Harry Wilson. No known public record on the issue. There is no mention of gun control on his campaign website. He did visit the Pine Tree Rifle Club recently. His campaign appears to be based upon fiscal policy and not social issues.
- Andrew Giuliani. There is no mention of gun control on his campaign website. He has voiced opposition to “red flag” laws (here and here) and publicly supported the SCOTUS decision, but does not otherwise seem to make guns an issue in his campaign.
Based upon their record, both Astorino and Zeldin can be labeled as pro-gun. However, Astorino demonstrated a willingness to stand up for gun rights when it was not necessarily politically advantageous for him to do so. That makes him the best choice for 2A activists. Republicans should vote for Astorino in the June 28 primary.