Poorly written and interesting only to those of us who have been inside this fight. Feldman (a likeable enough guy in person) makes the ridiculous case that the NRA is TOO tough, when in fact, the NRA has folded and sold out gun owners time after time after time. The book is mostly a series of excuses for Feldman's role in some of those sell outs and comes across as whiney and childish. Much of it is just not believable, like when Feldman "recreates" conversations he had with people 20 years ago in amazing detail. Don't waste your time unless you are a working pro in the gun rights movement. It's almost unreadable.

Title pretty much says it all. It has been clear to me for years as an NRA member that there were many fat cats running a supposedly non-profit organization solely to provide themselves w/ a good living, to the detriment of the rank and file membership and the avowed objective of preserving our constitutional rights [all of them, not just one as the media likes to portray.] This very entertaining read, in the form of the "I was there & this is the real story behind the events" should be required reading by everyone who cares about the future of the shooting sports worldwide. The truth hurts, but it also will set you free.

Title pretty much says it all. It has been clear to me for years as an NRA member that there were many fat cats running a supposedly non-profit organization solely to provide themselves w/ a good living, to the detriment of the rank and file membership and the avowed objective of preserving our constitutional rights [all of them, not just one as the media likes to portray.] This very entertaining read, in the form of the "I was there & this is the real story behind the events" should be required reading by everyone who cares about the future of the shooting sports worldwide. The truth hurts, but it also will set you free.

I heard an interview with Mr. Feldman on the radio and this piqued my interest in reading the book. I am the owner of 2 Glocks, possess a concealed carry permit and am not an NRA member nor do I have any interest in joining the organization. I think reading the book confirmed my disdain with the lobbying organization as well as pointing out the weakness in the case made by many on the gun control side of the debate.

If I am disappointed in any way with the book it is in the fact that Mr. Feldman should have, in my opinion, offered some insight into what he thinks would be tangible ways to bridge the gap between gun control advocates and gun enthusiasts. He spends a fair amount of time criticizing both sides but does not really touch on what he thinks would be more effective ways of squelching the conflict and doing more to keep guns out of the hands of those who are more likely to use them to commit acts of violence.

For example: In my opinion, anyone who has been committed for a psychiatric evaluation or who takes prescription drugs for depression, bipolar disorder, etc. ought to be flagged by the Instacheck system and be required to pass a higher standard before being allowed to buy a firearm. It would not be an absolute barrier but a requirement to get more information. This might have prevented the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University (and others) which were carried out with legally bought weapons by disturbed young men with known psychiatric issues. I think a career gun industry advocate and lobbyist as Mr. Feldman ought to have offered his constructive opinion on issues such as this. It would have made Ricochet a more powerful work.

I found Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist a quick and interesting read. Richard Feldman provides a snapshot of a piece of history in the push and pull in the development of public policy in our pluralistic society. I gave this as a Christmas gift to my sons Lt. Scott Mayberry, USMC and Tim Mayberry so they could reflect on the excitment of life in the nation's capital.

-- Richard Mayberry, McLean Virginia

Sorta like old home week for me...

I'd quite agree you can't judge this book by its press or blog reviews. The press naturally picked up on Richard's criticism of NRA fundraising and expenditures, and the bloggers (except me, who refused to blog without reading it) reacted to that. Both made the book seem antigun, when it's very far from that. As I would have guessed, because I last saw the author at the private ceremony to dedicate the bronze of Harlon Carter: Harlon's family would not have singled him out for invitation unless he was respected by them.

The book is exceptionally clearly written, and definitely a page turner. I think I took one break from reading its 300+ pages. If anyone wants to see what it's like to be a lobbyist, this is the book for them. Just one episode: at one point NY Gov. Mario Cuomo holds a tense meeting with the author and others, and tries to break the ice by deliberately sitting on a whoopee cushion. It didn't go over very well...

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.

This book was great. I am a Lifetime Benefactor member of the NRA and I found the insider characterizations to be most enlightening. It's critics call the NRA "extreme" but it does speak for me.

I love the examples that it made of gun grabbing politicians in 1994, reminding the arrogant elitists in Washington that they serve at the pleasure and voting consent of their contituents back home and if they try to take a man's gun away they'll get what's coming to them at the polls as a large number of gun grabbing Democrats found out the hard way.

Any Member that doubts fundraising is Job #1 for NRA operations is not paying attention to their mail.

NRA staffs at the local and state level are hard working advocates for individual rights. Too many volunteers and some of the State affiliates don't quite get the big picture and resort to partisan bias to guide their mission but the NRA "pros" that lobby the state legislatures know results come from a bipartisan approach and efforts are guided by results in the real world of local politics. The old part of the Association still does excellent work in training and certifying matches. They do a good job on firearm safety, but they could do more.

It's obvious that long-range success protecting our rights cannot rely on a one-party strategy. The fight for individual rights must be made in both major political parties. But that strategy at the national level can't be made visible because the fight is the thing that raises money. Trust Richard Feldman on this point.

Besides, I'm from Vegas and I can tell you that fight promotion is all about binging in the revenue. A fight can't just be a good contest, there must be personalities involved and it needs a good guy vs. bad guy angle to bring in the bets. Promotion is not about who wins and who loses, it's about the money. Who cares about who wins the fight - how did the cable buy go? How much was bet at the sports book?

I was once confused by NRA-ILA daily emails that dished out needless partisan bashing and asked a Federal Lobbyist how he can approach Democrats on a vote when they have trashed them or their colleges with email blast and links to obvious right-wing blogs and bulletin boards. He smiled and said that they know it is just part of the game and the NRA will be there for them if they vote right. So the trash talk is just part of the game, the promotion, keeping the fight in the fundraising. The NRA will always, always fight for you. Just don't expect them to win for you.

Feldman's book is a must read for anyone who follows the gun control issue. Certainly there will be disagreements with his account of things. That's inevitable. His recollection on passing the important Gun Liability bill left out an important piece of the process. There was one Senator who could have killed it and that one Senator allowed it to pass by releasing Democrats to vote their conscious and their constituency. That was Senator Harry Reid who had been a sponsor of the earliest drafts of the legislation. He and many other Democrats supported the effort and it was Senator Robert Byrd, he who so often drives Republicans to distraction, that became the 60th co-sponsor making the legislation filibuster-proof and shutting down the liberals who had threatened that maneuver.

Kennedy, Kerry, Schumer, and Boxer have not put any serious gun control legislation in play since Reid became Majority Leader. But you saw them on your last NRA fundraising letter and you may see them on the next one.

Bill Richardson should clearly be the NRA's top pick among Democrats and top over many front-running Republicans. But the NRA brass have fingers crossed that it will be Hillary or Obama. Either one will be a top money raiser and top recruiter for the NRA. The fund raising letters are already in draft. Mailing dates are set. Through 2016. With just a little Democratic Party luck it's going to be eight great years for NRA coffers.

I have been wondering whatever happened to the organisation that told me never to store guns and ammunition together when I took my hunter safety course n the 1960s. Add in to be careful where I was shooting my gun as a bullet could travel 1 mile (now 2 miles).

Isn't it incredibly reckless to shoot a firearm in a city? Who might you hit?

Why do I need a concealed handgun to protect myself on a city street? A handgun isn't my best choice for self-defence.

Anyway, it seems to me that any organisation which purports to represent the "law abiding" would have no problems with making sure that disqualified persons (criminals, drug addicts, the insane, etcetera) are kept from owning guns. Also, where am I going to shoot or hunt if the land is full of subdivisions?

I am interested in shooting sports and I am not going to need an assault weapon. I also collect firearms. Will I be able to if the only alternative is a gun ban?

Gun rights come with responsibilities.

Not to mention continuous talk of only banning guns will lead to a self fulfilling prophecy.

As an NRA Life Member and Republican Member of the New York State Assembly (1975-1992), I served in one of the most anti-gun legislative bodies in the country. When Richie Feldman was representing the NRA in NY, I saw first hand how extremely effective and resourceful he is. We did some good work together!

I've followed his career and read his book. This is the story of arguably the country's most politically effective lobbying organization losing its way and getting diverted from the primary objective.

Whether you love the NRA or you hate it, if you're at all interested in the issue of 'guns' this book is a must read.

Richard Feldman's book, Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist, is excellent. I sat down with it and eight hours later I closed it with a smile on my face. It's a clear, cleanly written description of life at the National Rifle Association during its most interesting years.

I smiled because he described in great detail exactly what I lived through during that time. Then I was charged with keeping the nuts and bolts tight and well oiled on the NRA ever-running membership operations. I remember the first time I saw Richard Feldman. He was bright-eyed and filled with wonder at how every phase of NRA ran. He learned his lessons well as evidenced by what he relays in his book. It's a great read. George Albert Petersen (NRA Life Member)

Bloggers who never read the book but hold ideological biases against "liberal" mainstream media reviews would do themselves a favor by purchasing a copy and reading for themselves what Feldman has to say. He's not anti-NRA or anti-Second Amendment. Quite the contrary. He's one of the most skillful lobbyists gun owners ever had and his detailed explanation of how he operated in defense of gun ownership is worth the price of the book itself. His criticism of NRA is not that of a disgruntled anything. It's on the money. Want proof of his credibility? Harlon B. Carter was the epitome of NRA's steadfast defense of the Second Amendment. Standing shoulder to shoulder with him was his wife, Maryann. Mrs. Carter was an honored guest at his book debut. No one is as staunchly pro-NRA as she and she's proud to call Richard Feldman a friend. So am I. Read the book. - John Aquilino, former Director NRA Public Education Division.

In 1986 I was fortunate to have had a front row seat watching Richie Feldman fight against the forces of darkness in the person of the anti-gun Sheriff of Suffolk County (NY), who was refusing to allow civilians to own the then new Glock pistols.

NRA-ILA sent Feldman who had two conversations with the Sheriff, the first explaining that his decision was based on demonstrably erroneous information. When the official did nothing, several months later Feldman told him very directly: stop the foolishness about Glocks, or we're going to take you to court and pull your pants down.

The Sheriff folded within the month!

I've followed Feldman's career ever since, the savvy (dare I say "pushy?") self-described Jewish-kid-from-the-Five-Towns. I think the "pushy" is what I like the most in his defense of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. That, and one of his credos: "You fight fire with napalm!"

"Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist" is an insider's view from the trenches, and if anyone is concerned that it's an "NRA puff piece," that organization (of which I am a Life Member) will undoubtedly be more antagonistic toward the book than say the anti-gun "Brady Bunch." Feldman chronicles the evolution of the venerable organization from a collection of shooting sports enthusiasts into, under the formidible leadership of Harlon Carter, a dedicated group of Second Amendment stalwarts, and then after Carter's death, the NRA's transformation into a cynical fund-raising machine with Wayne LaPierre and the PR firm of Ackerman-McQueen running things irrespective of Members' wishes.

Along the way Feldman discusses the machinations involved in gaining passage of the McClure-Volkmer bill in 1986, the behind-the-scenes wrangling on the Bernie Goetz "subway vigilante" event, and how the newest threat to firearms ownership rose with the filing of municipal lawsuits against the gun industry.

"Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist" is a fascinating and well-told chronicle of the past quarter of a century of the conflict between gun rights activists and firearms prohibitionists. (See http://www.thegunzone.com/software/ricochet.html for a fuller discission.)