Kirby Wilbur

Celebrating his tenth year in broadcasting, Seattle, WA radio talk host Kirby Wilbur is no stranger to defending the Second Amendment, a commitment that has earned him the CCRKBA Defender of the Month award.
 The 49-year-old Wilbur was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Seattle, graduating from Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington. He has a Bachelor’s degree in history, and currently teaches history at three home school cooperatives in the Seattle area. He also teaches American government, and Wilbur told CCRKBA Communications Director Dave Workman, “We spend a lot of time on the Second Amendment.”
 A member of the Washington Arms Collectors Board of Directors, he is also a Life Member of the National Rifle Association and a board member of the American Conservative Union. Along with another well-established conservative, Floyd Brown, Wilbur co-authored Say the Right Thing, a book that contains hundreds of quotations from national political leaders and historical figures. He met his wife, Trina, when the two were volunteers for the Ronald Reagan campaign in 1980. At the time, Kirby was chairman of the Washington State Young Republicans.
 Before Wilbur became a talk host, he operated his own real estate appraisal business, and also worked for the King County, WA Assessor’s office. He entered broadcasting as the host of a nighttime talk show, but then moved to mornings and became a powerhouse during the morning drive time. His inaugural program was during the summer of 1993, and when the tenth anniversary of that event rolls around later this year, no doubt he’ll have some choice words to say about gun ownership being one of the guarantees that protects free speech and freedom of the press.
 The couple has two sons, Nathan, 21 (named after Nathan Hale) and Adam, 16, (named after Adam Smith). The younger Wilbur sibling, says Kirby, “is a better shot than I am.”
 That does not mean Kirby is only a mediocre fellow on the trigger. The owner of several firearms, he is licensed to carry concealed and openly discusses that on his radio broadcast when the topic turns to firearms and self defense. He noted that the first credit card purchase he ever made was to buy a Ruger Mini-14, “And I have never looked back.”
 He has taken his entire family to the shooting range on many an occasion, and, though he personally does not hunt, Kirby has also become a staunch defender of sportsmen and women who occasionally come under fire from animal rights zealots. He is a frequent public speaker.�
 When it comes to defending the right of private citizens to keep and bear arms, Wilbur has been a consistent standout on the airwaves of Seattle talk station KVI. His morning drive-time show is a ratings leader, and he never misses an opportunity to promote responsible firearms ownership, especially for personal protection. On the air, he has crossed horns with the most ardent anti-gunners, typically deflating their arguments, and allowing listeners to do likewise.
 “I believe the Founders intended for the people to be armed to protect their liberty,” Wilbur said, “and I greatly resent the liberals’ attempt to distort that and take it away. I think the ultimate foundation of liberty is an armed populace, to resist an oppressive government, to protect themselves against criminals and to defend liberty.
 “Responsible people,” he continued, “have a right to own firearms to protect themselves. It’s a God-given right, not granted by the Constitution. The Constitution just ‘codifies’ it.”