Rated A by N.R.A.

In the aftermath of the horrifying gun deaths and hundreds of injuries in an attack at a Nevada music festival on Sunday, one question for those of us in New York’s First Congressional District is what to make of the $9,900 Representative Lee Zeldin took from the National Rifle Association last year. In receiving that sum, just short of the $10,000 limit on aggregate contributions, Mr. Zeldin was tied with an upstate Republican as the member of the New York delegation receiving the most from the group. 

In all, Mr. Zeldin has accepted $14,850 from the N.R.A. since his first congressional run, the most of any sitting New York representative, and he has earned its A rating as a solidly pro-gun candidate who has reliably supported N.R.A. positions on key votes. New York State’s senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have not been among those receiving its largess and have gotten its lowest marks in recent election cycles. 

As to the matter of whether the money and ratings matter, it appears that they do, at least in Mr. Zeldin’s case. In one example, he was among those in Congress who blocked a bill that would have made it easier for law enforcers to block individuals on terror-watch or no-fly lists from legally buying guns. When he was a member of the New York State Senate, he opposed a bill that would have expanded the limits on assault weapons and created higher hurdles for the mentally ill who sought firearms. 

Such is the record across the roster of Republicans in Congress, who have consistently blocked meaningful gun control. It is doubtful that their views will change even now, after the attack in Las Vegas, and gun buyers will still be able to amass arsenals far beyond any legitimate use for hunting or target practice. 

  As voters in New York’s First Congressional District look to 2018, Mr. Zeldin’s record of opposing sensible gun rules should and undoubtedly will be an important factor in making their choices.