nysrpa nra board Tom King
Tom King. Image via nysenate.gov
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Last week we ran a post noting a quote in Newsday attributed to New York State Rifle & Pistol Association president Tom King regarding home-built firearms and 80% lowers. Mr. King has issued the following statement . . .

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53 COMMENTS

    • A-yup. Leftists excel at twisting language.

      In a few months, the ones laughing will be us…

    • It’s weird with the kid that was making all the stuff. Made the news for illegal sales but the part of him making them was largely absent unless you really looked. Guessing they don’t want most of the population to figure out how easy it is before they can try banning.

    • In the original quote he was opposing self-made firearms and they should be serialized and registered.

      In his letter above he supports ‘ownership’. Which is not ‘making’. Not the same thing.

      He gingerbread-boyed his way around his first statement.

      • Spot on.

        On one hand, I do think TTAG should at least have asked King for comment before running the original article. It’s not just common courtesy, it’s common sense.

        On the other, as Nigel points out, King’s statement doesn’t deny that he is, as quoted by Newsday, in favor of requiring serialization and registration of guns made from 80% receivers.

        So, my questions for Mr. King:

        (1) Did Newsday accurately quote you as saying, “Such weapons should have serial numbers and be registered — and any new legislation should consider such a provision”?

        (2) Do you believe that 80% weapons should have serial numbers and/or be registered?

        If the answer to either of these is yes, then his most recent statement is utter BS, and he deserves all the flak he’s taking.

        If the answer to both is no, and Newsday just made this up, then bad on Newsday, and TTAG owes Mr. King an apology.

        • Well said LKB. This is where TTAG needs to work over time and get the record straight. If for no other reason to protect there integrity.

          Your move TTAG…

  1. Internet media has surpassed traditional media finally giving right of center views a voice. Too bad the crazies control that as well, and are actively suppressing the viewpoints they don’t like. Presidential candidates are brazenly asking tech to silence their political opponents, and the tolerant, accepting, open-minded, freedom loving left doesn’t bat an eye.

    “The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”

  2. Sure would be nice if TAG would post a link to the original interview so we could read/listen for ourselves.
    Frankly, I don’t believe anyone any more and this SNAFU by TAG confirms my position.
    So, TAG, post the link to original interview.

  3. The quotes in that Newsday story did not seem one bit ambiguous. Nor was it a single off-the-cuff statement that could be disputed in terms of meaning.

    Once again, from the original story:

    These ’80 percent’ guns are providing a way for prohibited people to buy a firearm,” Tom King of the NYSRPA said, referring to people who don’t have a gun permit or are otherwise prohibited from possessing a gun.

    Statement #1.

    He said self-assembled guns provide a way for competition shooters to make a custom-fitted firearm.


    Seems pretty fuddish.


    Such weapons should have serial numbers and be registered — and any new legislation should consider such a provision, he said.

    What?

    But it appears increasingly, King said, people trying to evade the law are the ones buying and selling self-assembled weapons.


    Another statement supporting his reported claims.

    “It appears what was meant to be something for competitive shooters and serious shooters to build their own unique firearm may be turning into a criminal enterprise,” King said.

    Thank you Mr. Fudd.

    Earlier this year, state legislators and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo approved a law to ban “3D-printed guns.” Manufactured with high-tech plastic, 3D guns can evade metal detectors and also have been called ghost guns. But those have been far less of problem than the “80 percent” guns, King said.


    Yet another statement that does not support gun rights.

    I’d like to hear the recording of that interview. Because someone is lying. And I’m pretty sure who that person is.

    • Notice that several of those statements are Newsday’s summary of what King supposedly said. But given the obviously bigoted slant of the article that begins with the very first sentence, I don’t trust any claims in that article.

      Given the cloud surrounding the NRA and its board (not to mention the FUDDish “sporting purposes” view of the 2nd Amendment exhibited by the NRA), I’m not so certain that I believe him, either.

        • Nowhere did King ever say that he was misquoted, only that his statements were taken out of context. You can ignore the Newsweek comments that supposedly summarize what he said and just look at ONLY the specific quoted statements. Those specific quotes, which he does not deny, are all anti-RKBA.

        • While I concur that King’s rejoinder seems to have been carefully crafted (and critically does not deny that he made the statements in question), was there some reason you did not ask him for comment *before* running the original article?

          C’mon, it’s not hard to just send an e-mail saying, “I’m doing a post about the Newsday article that quoted you. Did it accurately quote you, or do you have any other comment about that article?” If he didn’t respond, you’d have covered your bases. If he did respond, you could have asked the follow up questions.

          Instead, by not asking for comment first, you’ve weakened your argument by making it look like a hit piece, and given ammo to critics who dismiss TTAG articles as being reflexively anti-NRA. (Mind you, I am a huge critic of LaPierre and his fartcatchers on the NRA board.)

          As shown by your good work in bringing Springfield’s treachery to light, you can do better.

    • I have no idea who it is but NO ONE involved in gun rights should give an interview with the press unless they agree to let the subject record the entire interview themselves. Sure would be great if King could pull out that recording and show how he was taken out of context… if he was.

    • King is a liar now trying to walk back his support of serializing every firearm and his support for registration by playing the “Fake News” card.

      Maybe he should explain why as CEO of NYSRPA he takes a salary close to $100,000 and year and spends less than $5,000 on promoting shooting sports. Sounds like the Clinton Foundation scam where Clinton sucked off all the donations in salaries and spent nothing on actual charity.

      In 2017, King spent nearly $100,000 of NYSRPA funds on his salary, $70,837 on fundraising, and $66,604 for printing done a no-bid contract with a company his daughter manages. Juniors got only $2,314 and the High Power Team only $2,634!

      Then there is the office building he bought with NYSRPA member dues for close to $200,000. It’s for the use of he and his secretary and an occasional Board meeting and cost much more than the prior space they rented which was close to the State Capital. It benefits no members of NYSRPA like a range or hunting land would. The real reason he bought it is because it’s 2 minutes from his house. He did not even disclose this fact in his e-mail to the Board asking for approval which is an obvious sign he knew someone would see it for what it is: more of his typical self dealing.

      King is corrupt and dishonest. He has been there for 20 years. Under his watch, NYS has steadily lost gun rights. Since he became a paid CEO in 2015, he’s sucked out over $500,000 from an organization that has total revenue in 2017 of only $385,938. King is likely to BANKRUPT NYSRPA with his salary.

    • “News” orgs don’t publish interviews. They publish snippets. Those interviewed find out what they said once they read the story.

    • Not saying he’s a good guy or a bad guy. But a couple of sentences out of context from a much longer interview? I don’t care what news service is doing that, I need more.

      Newday should publish the entire text or recording without edits. Let the public decide based upon the full evidence, not cherry picked quotes dropped into a reporter’s personal narrative.

  4. Just covering his ass. Still an N R A board member, I don’t believe a word he says.Clean house in the NRA and someone might listen to you.

  5. So, to sum this up:
    1. Suspect news website/source drafts up an article, clearly designed to push an agenda, and conveniently includes quotes from Tom King.
    2. TTAG readers and commenters on various forums/blogs, many of whom decry “fake news”, eat the story up as scripture. The condemnations are swift and severe. Cooler heads suspect something is up, and wait for clarification.
    3. Tom King issues a clarification. Not good enough for most of the mob. Minds have been made up. The liberal media outlet is to be believed. Tom’s statement is nitpicked down to single words to keep the confirmation bias rolling. Cooler heads are eased but remain cautious.

    This isn’t to say that Tom King or the NYSRPA aren’t without their faults. That said, he’s in a no-win situation with a lot of gun owners here and elsewhere. Who to believe? My money is on Tom. News outlets obfuscate and fabricate details all the time. Why should I believe this particular news source, which was clearly biased from the outset?

  6. You would think that by now every conservative would know never to give an interview which is either not live, or not fully taped by the interviewee. If he had done the intelligent thing and taped it himself, he could simply release the tape, we could listen to it, and then know exactly what was said. Now we are in the “he said, she said” situation. The news media should always be viewed as hostile, protect yourself accordingly. He should be cashiered simply for being an idiot.

  7. Remember the Katie Couric selective editing story?

    That being said, people are used to being sold out by the folks in charge, so not sure who to believe here. We need the source material. Don’t go into lefty interviews without recording it for yourself.

  8. I may be older than most of you but I remember when there were many news magazines available plus a number of magazines devoted to business and all were accurate and thorough in their investigative work and well respected. Since there are so few remaining they should make every effort to be precise and accurate. I still say there should be something like the ABA run by non-journalists for journalists to reprimand them when they are not accurate.

  9. Well, so now we have a contradictory statement to a report of alleged gun control support. As someone noted earlier, there isn’t a direct statement supporting the right to build your own firearm, which remains troubling. For now, we’ll just have to watch the chips fall where they may.

  10. If you ever do an interview with media, make sure you record it yourself as protection. There are some honest, hardworking journalists but there are MANY more who have an agenda.

    Remember what katie couric did to the Virginia gun group by editing the video to insert a long delay before they answered the question?

    Do not trust media, record it yourself.

  11. The NRA is not actively lobbying for the legalization of hand grenades right this very moment. I’m leaving it to join an obscure gun rights organization that wants to give convicted felons their gun rights back! (Except people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, no guns for them!) If you support the NRA you are a bot! I don’t feel safe until I can own an M2 at home and a crate of hand grenades. Hunters aren’t *real* gun owners.

    ^ basically everyone on the TTAG comment section

    • “^ basically everyone on the TTAG comment section”

      That’s a rather broad brush to paint with.
      Are you just being frustratingly sarcastic?

    • For reporting what Newsday said?
      “Such weapons should have serial numbers and be registered — and any new legislation should consider such a provision, he said.” -Newsday

      Produce the evidence that he said otherwise or sue Newsday.

      • Notice that that statement is not a direct quote. The author of article demonstrates a flaming anti-gun bias. It would not surprise me a bit if he “misunderstood” (willfully and deliberately) what was actually said in the interview.

        • And TTAG used it to advance its anti-NRA narrative.

          THINK! People! Does a stronger NRA help us or hurt us? The writers for TTAG have admitted taking money from a foreign government (Israel). What is going on here?

          Just because Wayne bought nice suits doesn’t mean we have to break up the NRA. Stop calling me a bot and stop making ad hominem attacks against me.

          #supportwayne
          #supportnra

        • True. I noticed that.

          I like to check the source material when I’m skeptical of the reporting, like actually reading the Ukrainian call transcript instead of buying the narrative. They don’t like us to have access to the source material so they can craft the narrative. That’s cable news in a nutshell.

        • Truthman,
          Then stop changing your username. Contribute to the conversation outside of pushing for Wayne. Then people might not think you’re what you are: an NRA troll.

  12. I noticed you placed supportwayne ahead of supportnra. Wayne thinks he is the NRA. If he had an once of respect for the members that have funded / are funding his lavish lifestyle, he would step down. You would think with all that money, they could afford better trolls.

  13. His crime, at least the one he admits to, is giving a half hour interview to known enemies without recording the conversation himself.

  14. This is another prime example of how the MSM works:

    “Matt Lauer’s Ex-Wife Annette Roque Breaks Her Silence on Rape Allegation”

    Hold the presses!

    What did she say?

    ““In response to your inquiry, our client has asked us to tell you that now that the parties are officially divorced, her priority and only concern is for their wonderful children,” Roque’s lawyer John M. Teitler said. “Our client will make no further statements.”

    So she “broke her silence” by issuing a “no comment” through her lawyers.

    No wonder intelligent people despise the MSM.

  15. With the quotes listed and the interview linked its hard for the guy to tap dance around what he said as being out of context. The NRA is being rotted out from the inside. Time for a new BoD and a reorganization of upper management. Yeah, I’m looking at you Wayne.

    • I know! We need to replace these old white men with Dana Loesch and Colion Noir.

      Just kidding

      TTAG is racist against gentile white men. They admit to taking money from the Israeli government. What is going here? Why are demonizing gentile white men?

  16. Nowhere in his statement does King claim to have been misquoted. He only claims that the quotes were taken out of context. Sorry, Tom, but if you said the sentences quoted by Newsweek, you are a complete traitor to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

    But then again, being opposed to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is entirely fitting for anyone at the NRA which has ALWAYS been opposed to the rights of people. King is just following in the footsteps of Karl Frederick the NRA President who lobbied for the National Firearms Act.

  17. King is a liar now trying to walk back his support of serializing every firearm and his support for registration by playing the “Fake News” card.

    Maybe he should explain why as CEO of NYSRPA he takes a salary close to $100,000 and year and spends less than $5,000 on promoting shooting sports. Sounds like the Clinton Foundation scam where Clinton sucked off all the donations in salaries and spent nothing on actual charity.

    In 2017, King spent nearly $100,000 of NYSRPA funds on his salary, $70,837 on fundraising, and $66,604 for printing done a no-bid contract with a company his daughter manages. Juniors got only $2,314 and the High Power Team only $2,634!

    Then there is the office building he bought with NYSRPA member dues for close to $200,000. It’s for the use of he and his secretary and an occasional Board meeting and cost much more than the prior space they rented which was close to the State Capital. It benefits no members of NYSRPA like a range or hunting land would. The real reason he bought it is because it’s 2 minutes from his house. He did not even disclose this fact in his e-mail to the Board asking for approval which is an obvious sign he knew someone would see it for what it is: more of his typical self dealing.

    King is corrupt and dishonest. He has been there for 20 years. Under his watch, NYS has steadily lost gun rights. Since he became a paid CEO in 2015, he’s sucked out over $500,000 from an organization that has total revenue in 2017 of only $385,938. King is likely to BANKRUPT NYSRPA with his salary.

  18. Why didn’t Tom King tell newsday to retract what they published. Maybe because it’s true, after all it’s been a month later and he is only backpedaling now because of the uproar. This is not the first time Tom King threw gunowners under the bus

  19. Having posted my original comment AFTER I read the Newsday story and AFTER I read his Facebook post response, I have not changed my mind. Mr. King is an “old White Guy” who is out of touch with the modern firearms world.

    In his mind criminals make guns at home. But a law abiding citizen goes to a gun store to buy a gun. Not that criminals get their guns ANY WAY they can!

    It seems to be a threat to some people when a law abiding citizen can build their own gun at home with just simple hand tools. The AR15 is the “Lego gun” of today. Some assembly required, in your own home.

    Now the next question is will they go after people who “assemble” their own ammunition at home?

  20. Unless I have completely lost my ability to read and comprehend the english language ANY and ALL legislation restricting the keeping and bearing of arms is unconstitutional. The word arms is not defined in the constitution. Nor is there any directive to where a definition could be found. The most common usage is in writings of war, so going out on a limb here, I’m thinking 2a was meant to enable the citizens to rebel against a bad government and the forces they would use to maintain power, thereby making it imperative that we have access to the same arms as the police forces, national guard, and military if we can afford them. No I’m not a lawyer, but I think I can read.

  21. We now have two conflicting statements. We need to see the actual tapes in full context to evaluate what position was actually presented by King.

  22. King has put his foot in his mouth more than a few times. For my $0.02 he is more interested in having a public profile and being “da man” than he is about upholding his supposed faithful loyalty to us.
    He is too willing, too often to compromise with the other side “on our behalf”.

  23. NYSRPA.org is back in Supreme Court AGAIN this fall, challenging NY’s draconian may issue laws. The charge is being led by Tom King once again nysrpa enjoys the staunch support of the NRA. Our case will be decided in the spring, at which time many of you will rejoice and claim victory w/o having lifted a finger to help nysrpa.org or nra.org, and that’s a shame!

    Feel free to say thank you any time now as many of you belong front of the class to say “I am sorry for all the nasty insults to Tom King and his integrity”.

    Tom is one of the most active and effective of all civil rights leaders on this issue, protecting our precious second Amendment rights for over twenty years, I know, because I work at NYSRPA too.
    Carl Gottstein
    Bullet Magazine

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