BELLEVUE, WA – Rick Patterson, formerly executive director of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute and past recipient of “Defender of Liberty” and “Global Leadership” awards from the Second Amendment Foundation, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Patterson, who is also a past recipient of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Environmental Excellence” award, and was director of the Facility Development Division of the National Association of Shooting Ranges brings a wealth of experience within the firearms industry.
“Rick’s addition to the board of directors comes at a critical time,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “I’ve known Rick for several years and worked with him on national and international issues, so I am well aware of his qualifications and abilities, which will help guide the Committee’s direction in the months and years ahead. He’s a guy who ‘walks the walk.” He’s an avid outdoorsman, hunter and a former state champion in the AAA Division of the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association.
“It’s no secret that gun control, and the weaponization of government agencies during the previous administration, created massive problems for American gun owners,” Gottlieb continued. “While the Trump administration is moving to correct those abuses, Rick’s experience and know-how will be crucial in setting our course. You just don’t find someone like him every day of the week.
“On the international scale,” he noted, “Rick has been an NGO delegate, fighting for our gun rights at the United Nations. He’s literally been on the front lines watching the global gun control effort, and he knows the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ when it comes to protecting our Second Amendment rights from anti-gunners who consider the right to keep and bear arms to be an inconvenient anachronism in their crusade to end civilian arms ownership.
“I’m personally delighted to have Rick on board,” Gottlieb concluded. “The challenges we’re facing just over the horizon will require people with skill and experience to face and overcome, and Rick has both.”