The Seattle Weekly apparently doesn’t care much for Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation and chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Several days ago, the Weekly’s Nina Shapiro took a shot at Gottlieb in her “Daily Weekly” blog about a press release Gottlieb had issued revealing the plan by an anti-gun lobbyist to use the recent murder of a Seattle police officer to push a legislative agenda seeking a ban on so-called “assault rifles” when it had not yet been established what kind of gun had been used in the crime. (It turned out that the suspected murder weapon was a .223-caliber semiautomatic Kel-Tec rifle, which is hardly an “assault rifle” but Nina doesn’t know the difference and neither, apparently, did the Seattle police when somebody apparently used the term. I wrote about that here.) She identified Gottlieb as a “gun rights zealot.”
Last week, veteran Seattle Weekly reporter Rick Anderson published a lengthy article about Gottlieb that, at least according to a letter Gottlieb quickly wrote to Seattle Weekly Editor Mark Fefer (see entire text below), Shapiro and Anderson, was filled with “inaccuracies and false impressions.” The most egregious of these errors, according to Gottlieb, is that he had referred to anti-gun New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg as a “Zionist…gun hater.”
That label had been added by someone who re-ran an internet alert sent out by Gottlieb, and he provided the Weekly with the original copy to prove it. In reaction, the Weekly ran a rather tepid correction in its on-line edition of the story noting that “This story has been changed since it was first posted. It originally gave an innacurate (sic) description of how Gottlieb “refers to” Lautenberg, and Fefer assured Gottlieb a correction would be run in the following week’s print edition. He offered an apology in a note included in the “Comments” section below the on-line version of the story, and promised it would appear in this week’s print edition.
While there are many inaccuracies and false impressions contained in reporter Rick Anderson's Seattle Weekly cover story about me (Barack and Load, Nov. 10), there is one that stands out, for which I must demand an immediate correction.
Anderson writes that, "One of Gottlieb's recent targets is Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who has proposed a ban on gun possession by anyone on the FBI's terrorist watch list. (Gottlieb refers to the Jewish Lautenberg as a "Zionist...gun hater.")"
In fact, I have never referred to anyone in my life, including Sen.
Lautenberg, as a "Zionist." Having been raised in a Jewish family, with Jewish traditions and upbringing, I find the term "Zionist" to be personally and professionally offensive. This term is used by many people who are anti-Semitic, and in no way would I or any organization with which I am involved ever consider using such a vile slur.
It appears Anderson did much of his sloppy research by merely cruising the Internet, where he found - as I did after reading Anderson's article - a website (www.rense.com) that reprinted a June 2009 e-mail alert from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, signed by me but with a headline labeling Sen. Lautenberg as a Zionist that was not part of the original document.
Anderson should know that much of which is on the Internet is far from accurate. His article is obviously designed to impugn my character and reputation, and subject me to public scorn and ridicule, which amounts to willful disregard for the truth.
A simple telephone call from Anderson or an editor at Seattle Weekly to fact check this article would have quickly revealed this egregious error. I would have been delighted to immediately provide an original copy of the alert, which would have clearly shown that this disgusting headline, which I am now discussing with my attorney, was not ours.
I demand an immediate retraction and correction, as well as an apology to both myself and Sen. Frank Lautenberg. -- Alan Gottlieb letter to the Seattle Weekly.
Then on Tuesday, Anderson discusses Gottlieb again with remarks on his Daily Weekly blog. In an otherwise straight report, Anderson has to remind his readers that Gottlieb is a “self-professed gun nut.” Why throw that in?
Anderson and the Weekly briefly raised some eyebrows because an image of a young girl holding an AR-15 type rifle, according to Oleg Volk, is his property and the Weekly used it without his permission. He has apparently already spoken with his attorney about this, and Anderson now comments in his own "Comments" section below the latest Gottlieb bit that he has spoken with Volk and added a photo credit, which is apparently what Volk wanted.
My colleague, David Codrea, has mentioned this situation in his “War On Guns” blog, and Anderson has traded some e-mail with Gottlieb that suggests he doesn’t think too highly of how much money Gottlieb makes, how much money is made by SAF, or that he understands what Gottlieb does with it.
Seattle News used my photo without permission. They did not return my phone call. My attorney is on this matter already.—Oleg Volk
Indeed, it's Oleg Volk's photo, glad to attribute as he asks in a phone call. I like the photo in great deal because it sparks lively discussion, despite the name calling (again, gun nut is what Gottlieb calls himself). You can see Oleg's other work at http://olegvolk.net and http://olegvolk.livejournal.com. – Rick Anderson
Here’s a hint: SAF is currently engaged in several different lawsuits, including the Chicago gun ban challenge, a lawsuit against the District of Columbia, the one against Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels’ gun ban, another in California and one naming Attorney General Eric Holder as a defendant that involves gun rights of non-resident citizens. He also lays out a lot of cash for the annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (it’s in San Francisco next year), and more money in attorneys’ fees for amicus briefs on other cases in which SAF is not a plaintiff.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Gottlieb’s SAF owns Gun Week, where I am senior editor. Gottlieb is the publisher. He has no control over what I write as an Examiner.
I’ve admired Rick Anderson’s reporting for years, andhave told him so several times via e-mail when he cranked out something that really grabbed my attention. He’s kind of an institution to Seattle journalism, a native son who grew up in Grays Harbor County, and on rare occasion we have written about the same story. The reaction to his Gottlieb profile is pretty negative.
Anderson’s piece on Gottlieb seemed rather "over the top," and I honestly don't understand that. Others will say what they think, but as a kind of fan of Anderson, this one left me, well, disappointed.
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Comments
Guns only have two enemies... rust and liberals.
Guns only have two enemies... rust and politicians.
Fixed it for you.
Guns only have two enemies... rust and politicians.
Fixed it for you.
Dave, I simply do not understand how you can be a fan of someone who is actively working against America. I am no fan of Anderson or any other Statist who thinks they have the right to dictate how I live and what I can own. Maybe he has written a good article or two on subjects unrelated to guns and freedom, but so what? At his core, he is still a Statist control freak and I have absolutely NO respect for him whatsoever.
God hates Pussies and Liberals!!
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