THE KEEFE REPORT
J
im Norell, whose face you likely would recognize from “American Rifleman Television,” was an important voice, not only on the show, but in this and the other NRA Official Journals. Jim, who died in September at age 74, was in on the ground floor of the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) as its first director of communications. Before that, he worked for a champion of gun rights, Idaho Sen. John McClure. Jim’s love of freedom and firearms were impassioned and genuine. He was a gun collector (or accumulator), a shooter, a hunter and one of the most stalwart advocates for your freedom that has ever been a part of the NRA. His meaningful words first appeared in the magazine in the 1970s—they were also in virtually every issue during the past 20 or so years—although seldom under his own byline. Most of what he wrote were columns and speeches for NRA’s leadership. He had one of the brightest minds when it came to protecting the Second Amendment and advocating for our rights. But it wasn’t just an issue for him, it was part of who he was. Jim Norell had guns in his heart. The thing about Jim, even before the era of talking points and sound bites, was that he knew what NRA members needed to know. He could digest the import of events, the impact of proposed legislation and cultural trends, and then identify them for NRA members so they could defend their freedom either in the local barbershop or on the national stage. It was his job to wake up every day and find the right words to make sure that the freedom he inherited as a young boy would be passed on to another generation of Americans. He never forgot who he really worked for—NRA members. Because he was a genuine gun guy, Jim’s byline did occasionally appear in these pages and in other NRA publications. His article “A Century Of USMC Sniper Rifles: Hands On History” (americanrifleman.org/sniperhistory) reported on shooting the collection of Marine sniper rifles belonging to former NRA Secretary Edward J. Land
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alongside young Marines at Quantico. It was one of the finest articles that has ever appeared in American Rifleman. Jim also wrote the definitive article on Remington Model 720 Secretary of the Navy Trophy rifles. And they were not an esoteric area of knowledge to him—he actually owned one, having horse-traded for it decades ago with the winner of a match. Over the past few seasons, I asked Jim to become one of our commentators for “American Rifleman Television.” Even though he had a Primetime Emmy Award for television writing, we put him in front of the camera. As might be expected, he came across well, because he really was one of the most knowledgeable people on firearms that I’ve ever known. And he was hysterically funny. Innumerable times, Jim would end our conversations with these words, “Mr. Keefe, you’re a good man.” And there were times that I wondered whether I really was. But there was no doubt, no hesitation on my part in knowing that Jim Norell was a good man. I would argue, perhaps, even a great one. The last conversation I had with him was by phone in my truck on the way to a clays shoot. At the end of it, I was feeling grateful for his friendship and we were both laughing so hard that the tears running down my cheeks caused me to pull over. Little did I know that, a week later, they would be running down my cheeks again—this time because I would never again be able to talk to my friend Jim Norell. Sincerely,
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
