Former National Rifle Association (NRA) lobbyist, Richard Feldman, will speak at Roanoke College on Wednesday, February 23, at 7:30 PM in the Colket Center’s Wortmann Ballroom. Feldman’s topic is “Behind Enemy Lines: Guns, Politics and Public Policy.” The event is open to the public and admission is free.

Feldman will present a lecture on the contemporary gun rights movement that advocates for a reasoned national agenda for the control of firearms that does not ignore the importance of a strong gun rights component. He will make his case through vignettes of his personal experiences in the front lines of the gun debate— summarizing some of the key themes in his well-reviewed book Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist.

Feldman was a regional political director for the NRA in the 1980s, and in the 1990s was the chief lobbyist and spokesman for the firearm industry’s national trade association. He is both the founder of MLS Communications, an internet public relations and political consulting business, and a practicing attorney specializing in public policy and government relations.

After graduating from Vermont Law School (1982) and a stint as a White House appointee in the Reagan administration, he defended the rights of America’s gun owners as the NRA’s regional political director in the Northeast. In his term, he forced Gov. Mario Cuomo to once beg “Uncle” and lead a secret tax revolt in NJ that was successful in defeating Gov Jim Florio. Later as CEO of a firearm industry association, American Shooting Sports Association, he worked with President Bill Clinton and helped promote needed changes to the National Rifle Association.

Co-sponsored by Roanoke College’s Student Firearms Association and the Colket Center

Submitted by Mark Petersen, Roanoke College