A legislator from Warren and Barrington said he doesn’t take money from the National Rifle Association, after his challenger for the House of Representatives Dist. 67 seat challenged him this week to return all the money he’s received from the NRA.

“I haven’t taken money (from the NRA) since 2010,” Rep. Jan Malik, a 20-year member of the House of Representatives from Warren, responded.

“I don’t have any NRA money,” he said. “You can go in my campaign account.”

Rep. Malik’s rebuttal comes in response to a press release issued this week by Jason Knight, a 46-year-old criminal defense attorney from Barrington. He announced last month that he’ll challenge Rep. Malik for his seat in the General Assembly, though the deadline for declaring a candidacy for public office isn’t until later this month.

“The news coming out of Orlando is beyond heartbreaking,” Mr. Knight wrote. “It’s the duty of our legislators to work to ensure that we have done everything possible to prevent a tragedy like this. That’s why I’m calling on my opponent to do the right thing.”

In addition to returning any NRA donations, Mr. Knight called on Rep. Malik to “turn down the NRA’s endorsement.”

Rep. Malik said however that he is not affiliated with the organization, and that if the gun lobby approached him with contributions he would turn them down.

“Right now, I wouldn’t take anything,” he said. “If I was taking (donations) I would understand” Mr. Knight’s press release.

“But it’s been six years. The NRA used to have two lobbyists (at the state house). I don’t even know who’s there now. I believe in the second amendment, but I haven’t taken money from them.”

Mr. Knight served in the United States Navy for eight years and later graduated magna cum laude from Suffolk Law School. A prosecutor for former Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, he now runs his own law practice in Providence.