RSWC #213 Doug Hamlin

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #213 Doug Hamlin  NRA, Executive Vice President   It's not everyday you get to interview the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, let alone take him for a drive around Fairfax. But when the chance comes up, you take it. I owe a huge Thank You to Amanda Suffecool for making the connection. It's pretty cool when Mark Keefe, who I've seen on TV and in magazines, comes out to make sure everything is ready for the interview.    Like many folks, firearms were a family tradition for Doug. He learned to hunt from his grandfather and they had a "healthy collection" of firearms, many which were military surplus. When he was old enough, Doug joined the Marines. The years in service were very beneficial in forming the self confidence that people need. It also taught him that life is competitive and that you need to step up or step out.    After the Marines, he had a friend who was working with Petersen Publishing Company in Detroit. His friend was doing well. He asked his friend to put in a good word at the Petersen headquarters in LA. He got to meet with Mr. Robert Petersen and was offered a job at Guns & Ammo magazine in the late 1980's. Mr. Petersen, of course, is the largest donor to the National Firearm Museum at NRA HQ.Petersen was a big role model and mentor to Doug. He moved from ad sales to publisher in 4 years.    Eventually Petersen moved Doug over to publish MotorTrend Magazine, which was a very important property to Petersen Publishing. Being a bit of a car guy, this was a good fit. The day after getting the new job, Petersen jetted him off to the New York auto show. Doug got to travel the world with Petersen, including trips to London. Often, they'd stop at Purdy and Holland & Holland to "make an investment". Many of these investments happen to be in the NRA Museum. His NRA roots run deep!   Having lunch with Ken Elliot, his former boss at Petersen, it came up that Joe Graham was retiring from NRA Publications. Ken asked if some NRA folks, including Wayne LaPierre, could join them for lunch. Having Doug as the executive director of publications came up in the conversation. He started the position in early 2014, and spent 10 years working as publisher.    When LaPierre stepped down in February, there were going to be changes on the Board. There were the "old guard" and the "reformers". It came down to Doug and Ronnie Barrett. Doug speaks extensively on what happened at the meetings and election. Getting back to NRA HQ after the election and with almost no sleep, Doug got right to work.   Doug has ignited a spark to the staff. Everyone at NRA has a much brighter outlook on the future of NRA. They're working to rebuild the trust with membership, as well as grow it to what it was just a few years ago. There's only a small percentage of gun owners who are members. With around 100 million gun owners and only 4 million NRA members, there's a lot of room for expansion.   The NRA has several publications and over 40 programs. Things from helping ranges get started, Eddie Eagle, lobbying in every state, several websites,and training. Their publications have been rebranded as NRA Media, and Mark Keefe is the leader there. (And the interview with Mark will be dropping soon!) With all their media, they're reaching 20 million people a month!   We do need a strong and stable NRA. I've said this several times, the NRA is taking the arrows from the antis while the other groups are doing work. The antis don't know about the other groups since they are smaller than the NRA. I did get a chance to interview a few others at NRA while I was there. Everyone loves their jobs at NRA and enjoy working there. It's good to see and hear this. Like I said, we need a strong NRA.  Favorite quotes: "You better step up or step out." "They also understand the significance of a strong NRA. It benefits the entire industry when you have a strong NRA." "You can count on us. You can trust us." "NRA is a tremendous institution and we're doing a lot to get us back on track and rebuild our membership." 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