Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist

by Richard Feldman

Ricochet
Confessions Of A Gun Lobbyist ""Ricochet tells the truth. With each page I can hear the echo of footsteps down the Rayburn Building's marbled halls as Feldman tells the intimate story few know and even fewer survive.""
—Jack Brooks (D-Tex.), former Chairman, U.S. House Judiciary Committee ""Ricochet casts an eye-opening spotlight on the shadowy world of behind-the-scenes gun politics. Is it accurate? Absolutely! I was there.""
—John Aquilino, former Director, NRA Public Education ""Ricochet is right on target. Feldman's behind-the-scenes memoir vividly describes America's firearms debate and struggle to win in extraordinary detail. I thoroughly enjoyed it.""
—John W. Magaw, former Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is ostensibly about two things that interest me a lot and about which I know a fair amount (politics) and almost nothing (guns in America), respectively. It would seem to be a good combination, but instead of being a gripping, or at least darkly funny, memoir of power politics and legislative tricks, it's essentially a very boring laundry list account of Feldman's career. What little effort he makes to impose a real narrative on things fails miserably, and his writing style has no bite to it. I expected to learn a lot from this book, but learned almost nothing.

[Joseph Ribera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became aware of Richard Feldman and this book while reading Glock: America's Gun. It was an interesting read and, like Glock, provided a balanced view of the gun control issue and battles in the years 1978-2000.

Its narration includes a scathing expose of the internal workings of the National Rifle Association and its executive leadership. Feldman had a first hand view of the inner workings as an employee and consultant. I came away with the impression that the NRA is every bit as corrupt and venal as the Teamsters were under Hoffa. Feldman makes a good case that rather than represent its 3,000,000 members legitimate interests, the NRA prefers to make issues fester and remain unresolved so that they can beat the bushes for "contributions" to fight the battles (many of which are created by the NRA) and use those funds to line the pockets for the Executives.

Equally interesting was his description of his work on behalf of the firearms manufacturers (which incidently led to his excommunication by the NRA). Taking a more pragmatic and rational approach to concerns regarding firearm safety did not sit well with the NRA, which looked for controversy and its continuation as a cashflow guarantee.

Recommended reading for anyone who has never owned a gun as well as for veterans, especially open-minded members of the NRA.

[Marcus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sour grapes. Hundreds of pages of sour grapes. One can only stomach so many pages of a guy crying about how he's not like "those lobbyists" when he was happy to pull a fat paycheck from the NRA for, you guessed it, lobbying for them for over a decade. Sorry, pal. You sound like a douche. Apart from his obvious hypocrisy, the writing is poor. Seriously, misspelling proper nouns is a major no-no, especially with obviously recognizable names. Really, Rahm Emanuel isn't exactly Swahili, and spelling it 2 different ways within 3 mentions on one page, yeesh. You were a lawyer, and all lawyers live with the delusion that they can write. I get that, but you need an editor. Please. Apart from those glaring weaknesses, the book never really delivers any real bang. No juicy insider knowledge of lobbying, no grand "AH HA!" moment. From a book about the firearms lobby I'd expect a bang, not a whimper.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good look into the inner workings of the NRA and it's leadership.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to research the NRA, but I'll have to cross-reference it with other sources. Author Richard Feldman may be fudging facts both to boost his status as an insider and to stick it to his enemies. Not only is his credibility dubious, but he comes off as personally noxious. At first you think his Master of the Universe swagger is a put-on, with a secret wink to the reader. But that would imply a sense of humor. Feldman's idea of a laugh is relating when he once punched a female protester 'with unshaved legs', or when he calls working-class gun enthusiasts 'bubbas' or 'camo-guys'. In fact, he betrays such a serene lack of self-awareness that I suspect that he dictated this book to a ghost-writer. The two stars go to that unnamed person for sending a powerful message. The NRA used to worry me. Now that I know what unprincipled, soulless careerists they hire as lobbyists, I'm terrified.

[Cathy0584]

Not my cup of tea. Could not get through it.