American Rifleman: Difference between revisions
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'''''American Rifleman''''' is a [[United States]]-based monthly shooting and firearms interest publication, first printed as ''The Rifle'' in 1885, under editor [[Arthur Corbin Gould]]. It is the 60th most-widely distributed consumer magazine<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/entertainment/magazines/top-100-consumer-2008.html Top 100 Consumer Magazines]</ref> and an official publication of the [[National Rifle Association]] (NRA). |
'''''American Rifleman''''' is a [[United States]]-based monthly shooting and firearms interest publication, first printed as ''The Rifle'' in 1885, under editor [[Arthur Corbin Gould]]. It is the 60th most-widely distributed consumer magazine<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/entertainment/magazines/top-100-consumer-2008.html Top 100 Consumer Magazines]</ref> and an official publication of the [[National Rifle Association]] (NRA). |
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Revision as of 19:16, 25 August 2009
American Rifleman is a United States-based monthly shooting and firearms interest publication, first printed as The Rifle in 1885, under editor Arthur Corbin Gould. It is the 60th most-widely distributed consumer magazine[1] and an official publication of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
History
Arthur Corbin Gould, an avid shooter and member of the Massachusetts Rifle Association, published The Rifle in 1885 as an effort to focus discussion on the sport of rifle shooting.[2] The Rifle later changed its title to Shooting & Fishing in 1888, branching out into other outdoor sports. In 1894, while the magazine was titled Shooting and Fishing, Gould attended the National Rifle Association matches held at Sea Girt and was impressed with the level of competition, leading him to write several editorials urging the public to join.[3] This call eventually led to the revitalization of the National Rifle Association and established a Board of Directors to help manage the nation-wide organization.
Following Gould's death in 1903, Shooting and Fishing deteriorated. There had been no official connection between the NRA and the magazine, but Gould's prominence in the shooting world had helped established and lend credibility to the organization as it tried to gain national footing. In 1906, James A. Drain, then Secretary of the NRA, purchased the magazine and renamed it Arms and the Man, becoming its editor and publisher.[4] Two years later, as President of the NRA, Drain moved both the magazine and the NRA--officially two distinct entities--back to Washington D.C. in order to establish closer ties with the political aspects of rifle shooting.[5] Though there was still no explicit tie between the magazine and the NRA, their relationship was extremely close.
In 1916, seven years after the end of his NRA presidency, James A. Drain decided to part with the magazine in order to fully devote himself to his law practice, though Arms and the Man had become the top magazine of its kind. At first, Drain tried unsuccessfully to sell the magazine to his former staff writer, Frank J. Kahrs, who had since moved on to Remington Arms, but Kahrs suggested instead that Drain offer the magazine to the NRA, since Arms and the Man had been an unofficial NRA journal. On July 1st, 1916, James A. Drain sold Arms and the Man to the NRA for $1. Fred H. Phillips took over as editor, and Kendrick Scofield as associate editor, and, due to Drain's close ties to the organization, though there was a transition in leadership, there was no disruption of publication.[6]
Following its move into NRA control, Arms and the Man, which had primarily focused on shooting competition results and discussion of rifles, began to expand into hunting stories, ballistics, handgunning, shotgunning and new shooting products[7] In June of 1923, the publication changed its name for the fourth and final time to the current title, The American Rifleman. In the aftermath of the name change, the scale of the magazine widened and four influential writers that would help shape the future of both The American Rifleman and shooting sports in general joined: Julian S. Hatcher, Charles Askins, Townsend Whelen and C.B. Lister. Also during this time, Hatcher began his column "The Dope Bag," a write-in question and answer column, which still continues today. By 1928, "The Dope Bag" had grown to 3 staff members, answering over 5000 letters that year. The prominence of rifle shooting, as well as the decision to include all NRA members with free copies of the magazine, helped boost the circulation to over 30,000, making the publication self-sustainable for the first time in its history.[8]
Despite the harsh economic climate caused the the Great Depression in the 1930's, American Rifleman only continued to gain readers, eventually reaching a circulation of 56,000 and carrying its first full-color advertisement from the Packard Car Company[9].
Trivia
Lee Harvey Oswald killed US President John F. Kennedy with a rifle purchased from a Klein's Sporting Goods ad in the February 1963 issue of American Rifleman.[10]
Notes
- ^ Top 100 Consumer Magazines
- ^ May 1885, The Rifle
- ^ James E. Serven, ed. Americans and Their Guns, (Harrisburg, PA: 1967), p. 114.
- ^ James E. Serven, ed. Americans and Their Guns, (Harrisburg, PA: 1967), p. 138.
- ^ James E. Serven, ed. Americans and Their Guns, (Harrisburg, PA: 1967), p. 141.
- ^ James E. Serven, ed. Americans and Their Guns, (Harrisburg, PA: 1967), p.180.
- ^ James E. Serven, ed. Americans and Their Guns, (Harrisburg, PA: 1967), p. 201.
- ^ James E. Serven, ed. Americans and Their Guns, (Harrisburg, PA: 1967), p.223.
- ^ James E. Serven, ed. Americans and Their Guns, (Harrisburg, PA: 1967), p.234.
- ^ Alexander DeConde, Gun Violence in America: The Struggle for Control, Northeastern University Press, 2001, page 170
External links
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