Armed and in the Middle
Moderation, said Oscar Wilde, is a fatal thing. That was certainly true for the career of Richard Feldman. In his upcoming book, Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist, Feldman discusses a careening life that transformed him from gun control supporter to lobbyist for the National Rifle Association and at least part of the way back again. Eight years following his ouster as head of the American Shooting Sports Council after compromising with President Clinton on child safety locks, Feldman says the public is being poorly served by the activists on both sides of the gun debate.
How long have you been a gun owner?
Ever since my very first year in law school. That would make it 1979. I bought my first gun, a .38 special, which I still own.
Why so late?
I'm originally from Long Island, and if you had asked me prior to 1979 [if I] was for gun control, I would probably have answered, "Of course, every reasonable person is for gun control." Because I made the mistake that millions of Americans make. I equated gun control to crime control.
When did you start working for the NRA?
In the summer of '84. In '91, in fact the day Wayne LaPierre was named executive vice president of NRA, I was named executive director of the American Shooting Sports Council, which was then the firearm industry's trade association for government relations. I did that until '99, when I was ousted, by the NRA in large measure.
How did you run afoul of the NRA?
I could see the [gun] lawsuits coming, and I knew that in the industry I represented there were a lot of things we could do that were easy. Installing child safety locks was not only easy, but it was a step whose time had come. Rather than having legislation mandating how we had to do it, it made more sense for us to just do it on our own.
The NRA was just eager for a fight over child safety locks and it didn't make any sense to me from a PR position or from an industry position. After all, the industry made money selling product, the NRA makes money selling the issue. The NRA needs the Brady Campaign [a gun control group] just as badly as the Brady Campaign needs the NRA.
But the NRA has continued to gain ground. Doesn't that speak well of its refusal to compromise?
It's been a combination of tactics and timing. There's a certain element of luck in all this. I think in large measure the war has been won, but the NRA refused to accept congratulations. They would much prefer to fight pitched battles.
Do you think the Virginia Tech shootings will lead to stricter gun measures?
No. As the story fades from the front page and as the presidential primary really heats up, I think this issue is going to fade. But the next issue is going to be the gun show issue. Look, if [Seung Hui] Cho hadn't been able to buy the guns from gun shops, and he was determined to cause the mayhem that he did, he would have gone to a gun show.
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