Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist', Richard Feldman on NPR

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willbrink

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Author of 'Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist', Richard Feldman, was on NPR’s Talk of the Nation today. As a rule, as far the “liberal” media is concerned, I have generally been happy with how NPR has approached the “gun issue” and they generally do a good job of (attempting) to cover both sides of the debate, and have had many pro gun guests to balance of their anti gun guests. This show however featured no balanced guest and had only the author and another hyper hysterical anti gun type (you will recognize the name/group right away and roll your eyes…) who fabricated “facts” about the evils of guns, etc. You can see the show here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16324652

I believe popdcast is available if you want to listen to it. Based on the interview, my view of the author is much less favorable than it was before, and I will not be reading it. Regardless, listen to the show and see what you think. As important, there is a blog there where you can leave comments to counter the expected anti gun whining, etc, though a few of the comments at least make some attempt at rational discourse….
 
It's not available from NPR until 1800 EST, so I haven't listened to it...

...but I'm confused. Are you insinuating that the author isn't balanced? It seems to me he has a serious beef with the NRA, not with guns.

I'll look forward to listening to the spot. I read the excerpt, and I can tell you I won't be reading this book either, but that's because it's less of a book and more his freaking diary. I just don't care.
 
Wow...that excerpt from his book was completely pointless and it had a definite anti-gun spin. I hate to pass judgment without reading his book, but I'll rant anyway. :evil:

It sounds like he's trying to paint the NRA leadership as elitist and then he makes his own snide remarks about the "Bubbas" and "shifty-eyed militia types" he sees at the convention.

It's interesting that he never addresses what exactly he did to estrange himself from the NRA leadership. I'm sure he explains it somewhere in the book, but it may be revealing that he doesn't explain himself in the excerpt. I'll bet he did something that would label him a "traitor" in the eyes of most of us.

Also, I think the part where he talks about .50 cal "military-style" rifles and concealment holsters has a negative spin to it.

My guess is that he's a staunch anti-gunner who's trying to paint himself as a victim of the big, bad NRA. :barf:
If anybody's actually read the book, feel free to correct me.
 
"Are you insinuating that the author isn't balanced? It seems to me he has a serious beef with the NRA, not with guns."

Which was my impression also from the reviews and comments I have read, but his objectivity is suspect and his comments about the NRA are 90% worthless and 10% useful and combining his comments with SHV turned me off, but that's not his fault but NPRs. See what you think. It's up now BTW.
 
Texas Rifleman,

No offense intended but I hope you did not pay money to buy that book. For a second I thought I was reading something by Richard Marcinko or Keith Ball. I also thought it was ironic that this man, who made money working for the NRA, took the time to bash the rank and file. He didn't seem to be any different than the elitists that he was grouching about. I thought the article about the Texas cat killer was the worst piece of journalism that I had read in a while but I think Mr. Feldman just won that prize.
 
I listened to the NPR interview and he appears to have more of a "beef" with the NRA than with gun-ownership. I kinda have to agree with him since I haven't seen the NRA do much combatting legislation with the money it is constantly soliciting.

And why does Wayne LaPierre have a $1million/year salary?
 
o offense intended but I hope you did not pay money to buy that book. For a second I thought I was reading something by Richard Marcinko or Keith Ball. I also thought it was ironic that this man, who made money working for the NRA, took the time to bash the rank and file.
Click to expand...

I did pay to buy it, and I would buy it again. It is rare you get to read the inside details. If you take with a grain of salt that he has an axe to grind there is still info about the inside workings of the NRA to be gleaned.

NRA has not refuted a single word in the book by the way.

I'm an endowment member and have been for many years so I won't listen to any of the "you are an NRA hater anyway" BS.

I read this book with an open mind. Read the review I posted for more.
 
I only caught the tail end of the radio interview, and I couldn't tell who was who, but I did hear one of the speakers drop the name of the Hunters and Shooters association, and for some reason that raised a red flag with me.

jm
 
According to John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence in this program:

“there are 33 states a convicted felon can purchase as many firearms as they wish without showing any ID what’s so ever”
 
there are 33 states a convicted felon can purchase as many firearms as they wish without showing any ID what’s so ever”
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I've heard this before. The morons are usually including black powder things, which are not technically "firearms" on a Federal level but may be on the state level and almost always become firearms once they are loaded.

It's a BS way to spin the story being told.
 
"It's a BS way to spin the story being told."

Of which he then accuses the NRA of spin. Both side of the issue can be accused of some intellectual dishonesty at times, but the anti gun groups are far far worse in that respect than the NRA or any other pro gun group, thus why the NRA continues to exist, not because they simply milk the members: they have people like the above, the Brady Bunch, etc to use as examples as to why they need to exist.
 
I kinda have to agree with him since I haven't seen the NRA do much combatting legislation with the money it is constantly soliciting.
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This is not what Feldman said in his interview with Tom Gresham on "Guntalk". He said that everyone caring about the 2 Amendment should belong to the NRA, and if it was not for the NRA we would not enjoy the rights we enjoy today (in other words we would have been worse off). While he might have an axe to grind with the leadership he is not denying the good the NRA has brought.


NRA has not refuted a single word in the book by the way.
Click to expand...
This is not automatically a verdict that what Feldman says is true. Very often big organizations or politicians do not bother to respond to every petty charge one makes even though the allegations might be completely false. Unless it gets a lot of publicity, it is not worth time and effort to respond to every basher out there. NRA has a bigger fish to fry!
 
This is not automatically a verdict that what Feldman says is true.
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Feldman is a former high ranking official of the NRA, he's not some random basher. I'm quite sure there were non disclousure agreements etc as part of his employment. If there was anything in the book he was taking liberties with I'm sure the NRA would be on him.

Having actually read the book which, from what I can tell, I'm the only one here so far to have done, there is nothing in there that's particularly awful towards the NRA so I see no reason to doubt anything that's printed in the book.
 
"This is not automatically a verdict that what Feldman says is true. "

The NRA responded to NPR for a comment by saying "we do not comment on works of fiction."
 
"NRA has not refuted a single word in the book by the way."

Refute no, comment, yes. Listen to show.
 
Texasrifleman, thanks for the link to your review of the book.
Based on your reading, does the author seem to be a real supporter of gun rights? I still think the part in the excerpt where he described "military style" guns and concealment holsters sounded like it had a negative spin. "Military-style weapons" and "hidden handguns" sounded a little too much like anti- lingo to me.
Maybe I'm not being fair. I certainly don't intend to bash the guy based on one line of an excerpt from his book.
 
The NRA responded to NPR for a comment by saying "we do not comment on works of fiction."
Click to expand...

Ahhhh... any wonder why I love the NRA? That organization even matches my sarcasm!
 
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Based on your reading, does the author seem to be a real supporter of gun rights? I still think the part in the excerpt where he described "military style" guns and concealment holsters sounded like it had a negative s
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They have intentionally taken bits and pieces from the book that sound controversial to sell books, pretty standard I suppose.

He does make a couple of comments about "camoflaged bubbas" etc, but later in the book, after the Clinton "assault weapons ban" it is Feldman and the group he ran at the time that helped the gun industry work around the legislation and continue to sell these types of weapons without flash hiders, bayonet lugs, etc. You know the whole pre-ban vs post ban thing.

I have to think that if he were anti he would not have been the director of one of the 2 largest gun manufacturers organizations (the other being SAAMI) and helping companies like Colt and Bushmaster figure out how to stay in business in the shadow of the Clinton Crime Bill.

I found absolutely nothing in the book to point to Feldman as an anti. He comes across as a very pro gun person who just happens to disagree with the way the NRA does business.

A quote from the book:

We at the ASSC initially saw the semiauto ban as a serious challenge. The revenue streams of several of our members, Colt Industries, Heckler and Koch, Intratec, and Liberty Arms rested on guns that were banned in the new law. But on closer examination, the omnibus crime bill provided us with ample room to maneuver....
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cont.... In discussions with our members, I recommended a strategy of adaptation rather than the rigid opposition to the law that the NRA favored. That take-no-prisoners approach had only intensified with Tanya Metaska in charge of the Institute for Legislative Action. But the ASSC had other ways to operate. Manufacturers could rename their firearms and they could modify their guns to reduce the offending attributes".
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cont....Because of the grandfather clause, I gave the ASSCs manufacturers some unequivocal advice. "Make as many guns and high-capacity magazines as you possibly can..... You won't get stuck with unsold product.
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Does not sound like an anti to me, sounds like a guy trying to help his organizations members stay in business and be profitable.

He disagrees with the NRAs approach to many things and in parts of the gun world that is a hanging offense.

Regardless of which side you come down on, this is a damn good book and worth reading. Wonder if the New York Times will quote me there in the book review section :)
 
Is it me or isn't it odd that people are touting Feldman who has a problem with the NRA's "All or Nothing" approach...

While other are claiming the NRA is too prone to compromise and we need to rely on organizations like the GOA to defend our rights because they refuse to compromise?...
 
Is it me or isn't it odd that people are touting Feldman who has a problem with the NRA's "All or Nothing" approach...
Click to expand...

I noted that in my review of the book. Everyone bitches that the NRA compromises too much, but they hate this guy here because he compromised.

Interesting isn't it?
 
There are some real problems with the NRA, so hopefully this will help snap them out of it. Anytime any organization feels it has an unqualified monopoly to speak for a group and faces little real competition, you will have corruption and flab at the top. It's almost a universal human truth.
 
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