Dick Metcalf is an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

best known for having written for '' Guns & Ammo'', where he also served as a technical

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

, as well as having been in TV programs such as the

Sportsman Channel Sportsman Channel is an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network owned by the Outdoor Sportsman Group subsidiary of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. The channel is dedicated to programming about outdoor sports, incl ...

's "Modern Rifle Adventures TV". Having "devoted nearly his entire adult life" to discussing the arms industry, he also is a U.S. Army veteran that has served as a faculty member of the history departments at the

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

Universities.

Background and career

Metcalf was born and raised in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

on a family farm, property dating back generations. From childhood on, he grew more and more interested in shooting and

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, particularly hunting with

handguns A handgun is a short-gun barrel, barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also ...

. He has served in the U.S. Army and as a teacher of history at both

and

. He has written about firearms for decades. He's a former columnist for '' Guns & Ammo'' and has served as a technical editor of the magazine. He's additionally been a

TV personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, appearing in the

's show "Modern Rifle Adventures TV". He was seen as a hunting and self-defense enthusiast.

Controversial dismissal from ''Guns & Ammo''

In November 2013, Metcalf was fired from ''Guns & Ammo'' after a column he wrote on what he thought were appropriate limits to Second Amendment rights became controversial and sponsors of the magazine threatened to withdraw funding. Before Metcalf's dismissal, the article had been praised by the

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence Brady: United Against Gun Violence (formerly “Handgun Control, Inc”., the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and against ...

. The firing was criticized by a variety of publications, including conservative and pro-gun-rights periodicals such as '' National Review''. Metcalf's column had been approved for publication by his editors at ''Guns & Ammo''; subsequent to publication editor Jim Bequette issued an apology to the publication's enraged readership. A TV colleague remarked to ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

'' that Metcalf had "provided a great service to the firearms community as a reviewer of guns" but that the controversy "could be awfully hard to recover from."

Viewpoints

He has stated that "way too many gun owners still seem to believe that any regulation of the right to keep and bear arms is an infringement" and that "all constitutional rights are regulated, always have been, and need to be". In terms of specific policies, he supports the requirement of adults getting a

concealed carry license Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (such as a handgun) in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in close proximity. CCW is often practiced as a means of self-defense. Every ...

to take gun safety and handling classes. In his opinion, the fact that U.S. culture and law doesn't treat the First Amendment's protections of

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

as absolute shows that other protections shouldn't be treated as such either.

References

External links

Target: Me
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalf, Dick American columnists American television personalities Living people Yale University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)

Background and career

Controversial dismissal from ''Guns & Ammo''

Viewpoints

See also

References

External links