Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist

matt

matt

Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Messages
5,872
Likes
221
Location
North Central MA
Feedback: 19 / 0 / 0
"Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist"

From the Gardner News:

Gun lobbyist Richard Feldman will speak on his bood "Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist" from 12:30PM to 1:30PM on April 25th at Marcucella Hall at Franklin Pierce College. For more information, email Frank Cohen at [email protected]
Click to expand...

From: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471679283.html
In 1997, Bill Clinton held a press conference in the Rose Garden to honor the work of police officers around the country. He also announced that gun manufacturers would begin voluntarily including child safety locks with their products. Richard Feldman brokered the deal for the American Shooting Sports Council—the industry-back group—and he was proud of it as he stood between Janet Reno and Bill Clinton during the ceremony. The announcement headed off a bill on congress that might have made the locks the law, and it protected children. Who could be against that? Only the NRA. Through backroom power brokering, they forced Feldman—a lifetime NRA member and former top lobbyist—out of the gun world for good. After years of lobbying, politicking, and representing the pro-gun movement in interviews with everyone from Peter Jennings to The New Yorker, the NRA successfully eliminated the only pro-gun moderate around. Gun makers were bullied back in line, and press accounts ranged from indignant to astonished. The nation’s most notorious lobbying group has increasingly found itself opposed to law enforcement, gun makers, and moderate Republicans. But since their top priorities are fundraising, scare-mongering, and flexing political muscle, that’s just good business. This book charts the rise of the NRA from sportsman’s club to feared political behemoth from an insider’s view, giving a glimpse in the political campaigns, the Bernie Goetz phenomenon, gun shows, gun control bills, the LIRR shootings, and more.
Click to expand...

darn... I have to poke myself in the eye with a stick at that time, so I can't go...
 
Sounds a lot like Robert Ricker...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ricker

Even part of the Wiki entry is almost an identical a synopsis of Feldmans book...

In 1997, Ricker angered his former employer, the National Rifle Association when he negotiated an agreement between the Clinton administration and major gun manufacturers to develop the nation’s first voluntary child safety lock program.
Click to expand...

FWIW... Ricker is also a co-founder (along with Jone Rosenthal), of the American Hunters and Shooters Association.
 
Ricochet Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist is on the book shelves. Anyone read it? I'm suprised there are no ongoing threads on this, at least I found none on doing a serach for the title. The inside cover states it's not a pro gun control book and the author is pro 2A, but says the NRA is doing gun owners no favors and is bad for 2A guns rights. Inside cover I read at the store:

http://www.mlscommunication.com/

So, lets hear it, anyone read it? Crap? Good? Makes some legit points but comes off as having an agenda?
 
Jim said:
He sounds like an a**h*** with an axe to grind against the NRA. And it sounds like he's out to make some bucks off his book by sensationalizing his relationship with the NRA.

Not that I think the NRA is some angelic organization all of the time either but this book seems dubious to me. [thinking]
Click to expand...

I’m willing to hear what he has to say and give the benefit of the doubt, at least until I can read it or hear from someone/read a review from an author I trust, saying otherwise.
 
Jim said:
I'm not willing to pay him to find out. If I got the book for free, I'd give it a read. But I suspect he is someone with an agenda and I'd rather not subsidize it.
Click to expand...

A fair point, but neither of us are in the position to pass judgement one way or another. I will be interested to see if the anti gun lobby uses it as "proof of the evils of the NRA" to use against gun owners. Even much of what is said in inside cover I posted the URL I was like "so what?"
 
Recently I heard someone state that Wayne LaPierre let some NRA lobbyists go a few years back and that these guys are the ones causing us all this trouble with the anti-gun organizations and "revelations" about the NRA/Pro-gun move. Supposedly they were not real gun-guys, just lobbyists and, being good debators are able to argue the opposite side out of anger or whatever motivation is moving them now.

FWIW.
 
IIRC, this is by that asshat who worked for a while for NSSF or maybe NRA, then after he was dumped started going around describing himself as former chief lobbyist for the NRA. The Bradys and other anti-gun groups trot him out every chance they get to talk about how evil and out-of-touch with sensible gun owners the NRA is.

Ken
 
This book is good! I am half way through and absolutely enjoying it. The author is not anti-NRA. He seems to have really liked his job and the NRA during the H. Carter (former NRA v. President) era and for some time after that. His major gripes are with the absolute hard liners such as Knox, and with the evolution of NRA into an organization primarily concerned with its own existence (I assume the post 1985 NRA) rather than the with the interests of its members and supporters.

my 2c.

AIG1
 
Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist: review . . .


I found this review on Amazon (one of only two at the time) and thought I’d post it. I have not read it but it does peak my interest now that I’ve seen this review.
div255.gif


51AzdO2lN-L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg



Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist
by Richard Feldman (Author) ​



A fascinating behind the scenes view of the life in the gun lobby, December 11, 2007

By Kyle Cassidy (philadelphia, pa USA)


I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I picked up "Ricochet" but it turned out to be a page turner.

Richard Feldman is a skillful writer and an engaging story teller. His prose is easily approachable, passionate, and at the same time, avoids emotional extremes and bumper sticker slogans -- it's easy to see how he has been such a successful lobbiest.

The "confessions" aren't ideological regrets, but rather the kiss-and-tell story of internecine warfare at one of America's largest and most powerful lobbying groups. Feldman presents the National Rifle Association to be not exactly the 800 lb gorilla many people had always assumed -- but rather a pack of 80 lb chimpanzees that sometimes work together towards a common goal but also spend a lot of time poking one another in the eyes.

At the book's core, divergent factions in the NRA (one spearheaded by Feldman) disagree fundamentally on the best way to bring their cause forward -- the reader can decide which (if either) seems more practical. A fascinating read, whatever your position on guns. "Ricochet" seems to tell a universal tale -- one assumes that the very same types of arguments are going on in the back rooms of Greenpeace or any other lobbying group staffed by passionate and dedicated idealists.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471679283/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/105-9185210-3177204
 
Last edited:
The slippery slope

when you look/listen to him, most sounds reasonable. However, remember the LIFETIME FIDs in MA? What happened to them? How about handguns that you kept only at home, what do you need now in MA to even own a handgun? Remember how a simple "reasonable" law turned many people into instant felons. Think of some older folks or people who weren't hunters or dedicated shooters (an old heirloom from a father or grandfather) who got an FID when they were lifetime FIDs and wonder what happened and why their FID card is no longer valid even tough it says lifetime on it. Sorry, but sometimes when you comprise you give up freedoms, the reasonableness may only be the first step to that slide.
 
Keep in mind that Fieldman does not say NRA is bad. He argues that NRA could (should) have done more for the buck of the member. I.e that way NRA handles certain issues turned counter productive and resolved nothing. I think the "cop-killing" bullets and "plastic undetectable guns (read Glock)" were two of the examples of controversies that could have been handled better but were in stead handled in a manner that scared more people into donating money to the NRA. That is the big issue. IF there is no fear of loosing your guns, you will not donate to the NRA. That is not entirely true, but membership numbers of the NRA partly support that assumption. So YOU MUST STAY SCARED.


Of course that is only part of the story because there are some truly scary organizations out there lead by Gun Control, Inc, so having the NRA and GOA around is not a bad deal.

what is nice is the added bonus of the firearms industry discussion and how NRA fits (or doesn't) there.

It was interesting to see how the Brady bunch and NRA play off each other to bolster their membership and cash-flow. The Gun control, Inc. learned few tricks form the NRA.

AIG1
 
I almost hit the order button on Amazon for the book, but then figured I'd send the money to NRA instead.

Would it surprize me that they suffer from political in-fighting, have people on board who have excessive egos, botch it now and again and spend as much time scraping for money as meeting their mission? I guess not - we didn't get all the perfect people together to do the job the rest of us couldn't do.

Have a look at http://www.davekopel.com/2a/LawRev/SlipperySlope.htm, starting at section X. D., to see how well the UK's various national gun organiztions managed. We all know the answer, but how they botched it is quite an interesting story. Then you might have a look at the rest of the article "All the Way Down the Slippery Slope: Gun Prohibition in England and Some Lessons for Civil Liberties in America". I didn't know just how many rights those poor Brits have lost, in addition to the RKBA.
 
New Book: Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist

I borrowed the book from my local library and finished it in two days. It's written by Richard Feldman, a long time NRA attorney and and gun industry lobbyist.

The author had a great run with NRA but parted their ways years later. He still has beef with the organization but nonetheless strongly pro-2A.

For me, it's a great read because even though I consider myself a politics junkie, I haven't paid much attention to gun politics until recently. The book shed much light to the intricacies and differences between factions of the NRA and other gun rights groups.

I enjoyed reading it and my guess is that you will too.
 
I read it some months ago and posted a review of it on the forums I was active on at that time. If I remember to look for it and find it, I'll repost here.

A little side-story allegedly attributed to Richard Feldman . . .

He was allegedly the head of ASSC during the time that the MA AG Regs were being challenged in the courts. Apparently ASSC was dieing out at that time and allegedly dropped the ball on the appeal of our loss in court. When they missed the deadline to file an appeal, the AG Regs were "carved in stone for eternity". [All the above info is 2nd-hand info to me from a very trusted source.]

I fully agree . . . it was a very interesting read and crystallized a lot for me as I was also actively watching (and testifying at the state level) what was going on back then.
 
Len, nothing like hearing stories from a veteran! Hope to meet you again and chat some more...
 
OK, I found it.

"Ricochet, Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist” by Richard Feldman

ISBN 9780471679288

After you read this book, you’ll probably never look at the NRA in the same way again. It gives an insider view of how the NRA really operates, what their goals really are (hint: crises brings in more money and members, so “winning” takes a back seat to cash inflow) and convinces you that the NRA goals are not really in sync with the goals of law abiding gun owners.

Richard Feldman held a high level position in the NRA for a number of years and then fell into disfavor, so he isn’t an unbiased source. There is a significant amount of ego and self-promotion that comes thru in the book, but for those of us who were gun activists during the period of time covered in the book, we can recognize that some of what Richard points out has a very loud “ring of truth” to it. The book is a real eye-opener, regardless of who you support.

Richard makes the point over and over again about the huge salary that Wayne LaPierre is paid as well as the astronomical amounts of money paid to consultants, ties to interests that can lead one to suspect that everything isn’t on the up and up, etc. Explanations of why NRA members get bombarded by requests for money continually, why every battle is “do or die”, why NRA supported certain legislation that a purist 2A supporter finds distasteful, the symbiotic relationship between the Brady Bunch and NRA, revelations over the NRA’s financial condition and membership ups and downs, dirty politics within the NRA as well as trying to deal with gov’t agents/groups, etc. are described in detail in this book.

Key anti-gun legislation, how it passed, how the NRA supported some and modified others, etc. are described in detail. Issues around the demise of “table-top dealers” is likewise described (Richard also worked as Executive Director of an industry group). The positions of the NRA and industry groups on these various laws is very interesting.

Having worked with my state association for almost 30 years, I always suspected that NRA had written off MA as a lost cause. It’s laid out in black and white for me in this book, a confirmation of what I had always thought. Information on the spawning of the city lawsuits against the gun industry and who was involved (Greta Van Sustern’s Husband in particular) was interesting.

Well worth the time to pick this book up at your local Public Library and read it.

I also suggest that you read the comments by readers on Amazon’s website!
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist[/
Click to expand...

I'm a NRA Life Member since 1980, but some of what is reported in this book tracks what I've seen/perceived from being involved with the pro-gun movement on the state level for 30 years.
 
Coincidence... I went to Barnes and Noble in Burlington on Thursday, and on the remainder cart outside the door the title stood out as I was pulling on the door handle. I bought it for $3.99.

I haven't put much time into it yet, but browsing around he sure seems bitter about the NRA. I do know that his part in "solving the problem", i.e. compromising with the Clinton White House, solved nothing except for handing them a huge PR coup. I'll reserve judgment on the NRA in their treatment of him until I know more.
 
Last edited:
Opinions are like bellybuttons,everyone has them.My bellybutton says that if the NRA didn't exist,my guns would be gone now.
 
pbearperry said:
Opinions are like bellybuttons,everyone has them.My bellybutton says that if the NRA didn't exist,my guns would be gone now.
Click to expand...

I fully agree.

However it does shed some light on what the NRA does, how they do it.

You have to get over the self-aggrandizing by the author and his personal vendetta against the NRA to pull out the morsels of valid info.

It's an interesting read.
 
Feldman and AHSA - Kopel

Dear Friends,

I am presently at the annual convention of the Outdoor Writers
Association of America, my first one. Bismarck is a very nice town.
Below is a report from a press conference that AHSA held today.

David B. Kopel
Research Director
Independence Institute
13952 Denver West Parkway
Suite 400
Golden, Colorado 80401
www.davekopel.org


Saturday, June 20, was opening day for the Convention. On the Exhibit
floor, AHSA had a booth, which was selling Feldman's book. In the
afternoon I saw Feldman, and later, Ray Schoenke at the booth.

The indoor courtyard at the Best Western Ramkota (the convention hotel)
is set up for press conferences. AHSA held its press conference from
4:45-5:15 today.

I arrived early. Richard Feldman came over and said hello. I asked him
about his relationship to AHSA. He said that AHSA had paid for him to
attend various events, and had been very helpful to him. He said there
was not "yet" a formal relationship.I asked if he believes that AHSA is
a "false flag" group. He said no, and said that AHSA is good for gun
owners because it's good to have Democrats seeking pro-gun support,
rather than (in his view), the gun groups only supporting Republicans.

Bob Ricker joined us, and we talked about his amicus brief in Heller.
His purported justification was that a good lawyer has to make every
possible winning argument.

Feldman brought me over to Ray Schoenke, and introduced us. He said that
Schoenke owns a 300 acre hunting preserve in eastern Maryland. We
chatted, and he said he likes to hunt waterfowl, and that an old
Mossberg is his favorite shotgun. He asked about my shooting, and I said
mainly handguns, but I said I do hunt prairie dogs; we chatted a little
about the .19 Calhoon which Ricker (who was nearby) said he was familiar
with; he noted its high muzzle velocity.

I asked Schoenke about his pre-AHSA involvement in the gun issue. He
explained that his wife had been on the Brady board; the group rejected
his suggestion to run an ad picturing Jim Brady with two guys in
camoflauge, along with the caption: "These guys are not the problem."
Mrs. Schoenke had left the Board in disgust with the Brady group's
refusal to acknowledge that it couldn't win the issue just with the
support of people who don't own guns.

I asked Ricker what parts of the current Brady agenda AHSA opposes? He
started off saying that AHSA opposes most of the Brady agenda, but does
agree with Brady on gun shows. I pressed for something AHSA opposed, and
he mentioned smart guns; in response to my follow-up he said that AHSA
had lobbied against the proposed smart gun mandate in California. He
also said that AHSA opposed microstamping outside of California; AHSA
had pushed for microstamping in California because it could be
integrated into California's current "junk gun" law which requires
pre-sale testing of handguns. The program then began, so Ricker's answer
shouldn't be construed as meaning that smart guns and non-California
microstamping are the only issues on which AHSA would claim to disagree
with Brady.

The press conference began with Ray Schoenke. He stated taht Feldman is
"a consultant" with AHSA.

Schoenke bragged about AHSA's successful support for Claire McCaskill in
the Missouri Senate race. AHSA promoted her in SW Mo. because she
opposed a Bush proposal for selling off some federal lands there.

Schoenke said that AHSA had "aligned" with Bloomberg's Mayors Coalition
Against Illegal Guns. He said he told the group at a Bloomburg mayors
that "we may disagree with you" on how to solve the problem. He said
that AHSA had "joined" the Bloomberg coalition.

He bragged about AHSA's amicus brief, which he characterized as
supporting the lower court decision in DC.

He declared that Obama's commitment to the Second Amendment "is strong."

Bob Ricker spoke next. He (falsely) claimed that his brief in Heller
presented a unified theory of the Second Amendment. (In truth, the brief
urged the Court not to decide the meaning of the Second Amendment, and
to declare that the DC handgun ban was implicitly pre-empted by the
former Civilian Marksmanship Program.)

He discussed AHSA's Obama endorsement, pointing to Bill Richardson and
John Tester as pro-gun supporters of Obama.

Ricker claimed that Obama understands importance of hunting.

Regarding the Vitter amendment, Ricker said that Obama "split with many
in his party, and voted to protect the rights of individuals." (The
claim is, at best, misleading. There were only 12 Senators who voted
against the Vitter amendment, so Obama was actually just following his
party's majority, rather than "splitting" from the party.)

Richard Feldman was the final speaker. He introduced his book. The NRA
leadership has "morphed and changed" and "become part of the problem."
NRA leadership is first and foremost about "protecting their perks and
their incredible salaries."

NRA leadership "would rather fight" than accept the congratulations on
their tremendous victory in that now even Hillary Clinton claiming to
support the individual right to own a gun. NRA money goes to pay
"absolutely outrageous salaries" for senior leadership and consultants.

"NRA is not crazy. They are very very rational." All their actions makes
sense for fundraising.

At this stage the AHSA three took questions from the approximately one
dozen OWAA members at the press conference.

Q: Which states will you be active in this election year?

A (by Schoenke: We are still analyzing. As much as a dozen to 20,
including state and state legislature races. We've been contacted by
several people out there.

Q: What goes into your strategy?

A: We will have game plan within 60 days. We need money.

Ricker added some more information: Missouri is the model. There was a
close race there. NRA will talk strictly about gun issue; we will talk
about conservation, and talk about the NRA record in the particular
state. New states may be in play this, such Montana, where Schweitzer
and Tester, "solidly pro-gun," and solidly pro-sports.

Q: (from Kopel): How many members do you have who have paid dues in last
year? Could you please tells the names of your three largest donors?

A: Schoenke refused to answer, said he would not disclose his top
donors, said that NRA wouldn't disclose its top donors, and claimed to
have "thousands of supporters."

Q: (from Kopel): Do you have a thouand dues-paying members?

A (Schoenke): Yes.

Q (Kopel): Why are you supporting Obama over McCain in the general election?

A (Ricker): "McCain has been all over the board since 1999 on the gun
issue."

He was anti-NRA in 2001-2002.

He can't be trusted. "Will say and do anything to get elected."

In Illinois, Obama's floor statements "consistently preached his
message, which is our message": guns have different meaning in rural vs.
urban areas. [per Schoenke's earlier statement that in Bismarck, people
use and carry guns, and have benign view of them, but in areas like
Chicago, guns represent fear and crime.] "Obama's message fits us much
better than John McCain's flip-flopping."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2ampd/message/46213
 
My theory on politicians is that that steal a pre-agreed amount, and git'er done. Same for NRA. Skim whatever off the top, and git'er done.

I get up in the morning, think about the commute, the gym, the job, the family and the hobbies. Then I check this forum and the RKBA news/blogs. Send a few bucks here and there. I'll admit, I pay others to do the heavy lifting and dirtywork. And am thankful they are on the job (GOAL, NRA, GOA, etc.)

I don't begrudge them human foibles and some decent hotels/meals when on the road, and a comforable life for the family. As long as the git'er done.
 

Similar threads

The 10 Commandments of Gun Safety
Replies
2
Views
259
deerdad
deerdad
Biden Vows 2nd Term Gun Control, Criticizes Jefferson’s ‘Tree of Liberty’ as ‘A Bunch of Crap’
2
Replies
42
Views
1K
45Badger
45Badger
Need a lawyer for a will... would prefer a gun guy/2a friendly...
Replies
8
Views
199
Amputee Marksman
Amputee Marksman
Crooks Crash Forklift Through Front Doors Of NC Gun Shop
Replies
12
Views
303
Garys
Garys
Video! Man pulls gun on pastor giving a sermon at church - Gun jams
Replies
11
Views
308
MadatMarek
M
Back
Top Bottom