I've known Ryan for almost 15 years. He is a good friend. He and I talk/text regularly. I enjoy discussions with him, as our politics and perspectives have a lot of differences. He is smart, passionate, and adult enough the we can disagree and still be friends. He feels free to tell me where the "Bear chits in the woods" without worry I'm gonna block his number on my phone. And I do the same with him.
I know Ryan has struggled with how to change the image of gun ownership for many years. We've had a lot of talks about the concerns he addresses in the book. If you haven't read the book, I would suggest not relying on the quotes from either side. The book is his life experiences, which are substantial, owning/selling/loving firearms. He has been an influential voice in hunting and public land issues, both regionally and nationally. Ryan's passion for wild places, wild things, and hunting are as strong as any person I know.
Ryan knows I have different opinions of the gun issue, in terms of its political leverage and ways to protect gun ownership. I feel the gun control advocates adhere to a same litmus test of absolutism and is used the same way, just a mirror, as how the NRA has jacked much of Republican politics. I enjoy jousting with him about the different ways we view the topics.
I knew Ryan was frustrated with how much pressure is placed to "toe the line" in the gun industry. I wasn't in his position, so I got to see it mostly as an observer and with some good friends who previously worked with the NRA. I was given more latitude to ignore politics and lobby for issues based on what I think are best. In the firearm industry he was in, operating how I operate came with a lot of blowback and pressure.
We were both astounded with the Jim Zumbo termination and the need to Jim to align with the likes of Ted Nugent as some sort of repentance. That was the NRA flexing its muscle and making it known that they could do the same to anyone who spoke slightly out of the lines drawn by the NRA. That is a problem that is unhealthy for gun ownership, hunting, and conservation.
In my opinion, the event that put him over the edge happened when some guy at a Kalispell event, toting his Armalite Rifle, verbally undressed and intimidated Ryan's 12 year-old son who was participating in a march. That seemed to be a watershed event. I can say that if my 12 year-old son had been intimidated in that way, there is a good chance the dude with the AR would get a chance to prove if he actually intended to use his AR to keep from getting his ass kicked.
If you are interested in how Ryan's story evolved, I would suggest you read or listen to the book. What he writes of his personal experience with firearms, from his life growing up on a Kansas farm, to his borderline infatuation with firearms as an adult is interesting. He had a unique window in the industry that most others didn't have. His NRA partnership at Kimber was making the NRA millions in fund raising. He was a necessary antagonist the NRA had to deal with, due to the financial realities he brought to them.
He talks about how he felt he could make changes to how the NRA had hijacked gun ownership to become a corrupt circle of insiders. I think current facts support his claim that the NRA was a corrupt circle likely to do more long-term damage to 2A than benefit. He and I would talk about that regularly, as the NRA would often intervene in hunting and conservation politics to the detriments of hunters and public land users. I can affirm Ryan's strong optimism that he could change that dynamic. His desire and work to change that was not something he came up with merely as a good story to sell a book.
Ryan knows I disagree with his ideas on how to change some of the things we all worry about. I've said many times that I think the gun control folks who claim to represent the impoverished segments of our population, those who are far more likely to be victims of violent crime, is the same as the political hijacking he sees on the pro-gun side. I see two parties leveraging opposite sides of the same issue, mostly to their own benefit and mostly to the detriment of the American public. Both claim to represent their constituents, yet are often acting against our interest on other issues that are equally important.
Ryan knows my family story and why I'm pretty much an absolutist on the Second Amendment. He respects that and understands why I have the position I do.
Folks who don't know Ryan and his life story will likely make quick judgements. That comes with the territory and with the behavior of our society. He knows that. He knows his partisan stripes make him an easy target. As he has told me for years, he doesn't really give a damn if he is a target. I can attest that Ryan's "give a chit" meter broke a long time ago.
I don't live in fear that Ryan is trying to take my guns. I do think he strongly feels his efforts will change the political dynamic where gun issues/positions are leveraged to the detriment of our society. Ryan feels he is making a case for gun owners to not be defined by the fringe elements, the kind who accosted his 12 year-old son and hid behind the intimidating open carry of an AR when doing so.
Ryan and I disagree on many aspects of the gun/politics discussion. I have respect for his commitment to the making the difference he feels will be helpful. Time will tell if the risks he has taken are worth the rewards/results.
. Wanna bet if Busse was?
