Martin Birnbach KLIF 570 AM

[slowpoke]

Howdy Folks,
The wife & I were traveling from Lubbock, back home to Brenham, & were scanning the AM stations Sunday evening ( Aug 11.) We stumbled across KLIF & the host, Martin, seemed very pro'gun. The more we listened, the more we heard him give out false and not-so factual into concerning places one could legally pack a firearm. No mention of 51% or 30.06 signs & statements claiming that even with a CHL, it is illegal to carry a pistol in one's car across a state line, such as into Oklahoma. So, my wife wrote down the station info and sent an email to the host. Here it is! His reply follows. PLEASE get your FACTS on gun laws BEFORE you go on air!!! We are always glad to here pro 2nd Amendment talk, however, not when it's mis-information going out to the general public!!! The TSRA (Texas State Rifle Assoc.) is an excellent source to contact or to have their website (tsra.com) as a resource. First of all, the right to posses a handgun in a vehicle has nothing to do with the Castle Doctrine law. And second, Concealed Handgun Permit holders can take their handguns into other states-LEGALLY- under certain conditions with states that RECIPROCATE with the State of Texas . You mentioned today on the air that CHL holders cannot just legally drive into another state, like Oklahoma , with a concealed pistol in their vehicle. I just checked the TSRA website to verify my suspicion, and yeah, you were wrong. Oklahoma reciprocates with Texas . Also, there are conditions within the state in which a permit holder cannot legally carry a concealed handgun, which include locations with the 51% and 30.06 signs legally posted. And workplaces are PRIVATE PROPERTY, which means business owners make their own rules, and are somewhat unique to other public places. FYI, the BIG debate @ workplaces is their PARKING LOTS....workers want to be able to protect themselves to and from work and have no other way to do so other than to have their weapons concealed and kept LOCKED in their vehicles. There is always a need to properly inform the public-especially in media- of the correct facts. Even CHL holders, who attended a class and are handed an official CHL handbook by the State of Texas , often forget specifics, or just get confused by all the info thrown at them. And the last thing "the cause" needs is for pro-gun speakers to sound like they are "talking out of the sides of their mouths." Please take this to heart, as I beleive your intentions are good. Thanks a bunch!

His reply
I find your comments offensive in the extreme- If it is your intention to create an angry talk show host who will oppose all your 2nd amendment rights then you are headed in the right direction- Martin

We had never heard this guy before. Just wanted to hear your thoughts on this.

Slowpoke

[seamusTX]

Ya did what ya could. Sounds like the guy has an anger management problem.

http://www.klif.com/host-birnbach.html

- Jim

[Rokyudai]

Let the A.M. adonis bathe in his own ignorance. Your intentions were good but he clearly does not attempt to conduct basic research and cannot handle criticism.

[Excaliber]

I find your comments offensive in the extreme- If it is your intention to create an angry talk show host who will oppose all your 2nd amendment rights then you are headed in the right direction-Martin

His offense at a politely worded letter requesting that he get his facts straight on a topic that is attracting a great deal of attention these days suggests the possibility that the misinformation might not have been unintentional.

His station's ownership might take a dimmer view of broadcasting gibberish, bringing discredit to the station and its credibility, and treating listeners who take the time to write with contempt. You might consider forwarding a copy of your correspondence with him to the station's ownership with a cover letter expressing your disappointment both in the erroneous reporting and the rude reply to you.

[SCone]

Sounds like an anti-gun plant seeking to seem pro-gun.

[Excaliber]

Sounds like an anti-gun plant seeking to seem pro-gun.

I agree. Escalating the issue to the station's management should clarify whether or not that is the case.

[petroleumag07]

Can the OP confirm any more wrongful information and negative interaction and/or provide updates of any further dialouge???

I listen to KLIF every morning online. I will not listen to them as long as they have this man 1. Spreading false information and 2. Abusing curteous listeners.

[slowpoke]

I want to thank yall for the replies,the wife is taking this up to the station manager.
I know nothing about the station really,as we we're just passing thru their area
I will post any replies they send.

[TxRVer]

Please keep us informed on this issue. KLIF has always been one of my favorite stations before switching to XM. They've had the talk format since the 80s. I'd like to know how they handle this. I'm curious why Birnbach was talking guns when he's an executive recruiter.

My family is from the Brenham area. Beautiful countryside.

[bryang]

Keep us posted, slowpoke, I am very curious how the station's management reacts to you letter.

Thanks,

-geo

[starrbuck]

This helps explain why KLIF is always at the bottom of the area Arbitron ratings.

If you want to listen to somebody who knows something about guns and gun laws, try the afternoon guy.

[joseywales]

Having not heard the broadcast and the specifics of what he said, the letter as written above, while polite, can very easily be read as a personal attack on the radio host. The letter softened toward the end, but he probably never got to that part of it.

I think the guy just took it as a personal attack and fired back. Having listened to this guy over the last few years (he’s an executive recruiter here in DFW) I have the distinct impression that he’s a very successful sales guy, a type A personality, and his first response will almost always be an immediate gut reaction.

The written word is open for interpretation by the reader, and hence a softer, more impersonal approach (“hey, here is some information that you may not be aware of”) often works to make a point without encroaching on the reader’s sensibilities. Maybe something along the lines of the text below would have generated a more genial and receptive response. If you ever had the opportunity to see/hear Tony Snow (former White House press secretary for Bush) debate a liberal - he always delivered the verbal 'soft-shoe', yet still wielded the heavy hammer of the truth and reality of a situation.

We are always happy to hear pro 2nd Amendment talk on the airwaves! As we intently listened to your comments over the air, we noted a few inaccuracies in some of the broadcast information.

Concealed Handgun Permit holders may take their handguns into other states and may also carry concealed legally – provided that the “other state” has an official “reciprocity” agreement with the State of Texas (states having such agreements as of Sep 2007 – Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming).

There are conditions within the state of Texas in which a CHL permit holder cannot legally carry a concealed handgun, including: businesses which have signage indicating that over 51% of their revenue is generated from alcohol; public schools (unless the school has given written permission to carry concealed); and workplaces (which make their own policies to allow/not-allow concealed carry on their private property – a current debate is whether or not the employee’s car in the parking lot is actually in the workplace).

A couple of great information sources regarding the Texas CHL are the Texas State Rifle Association (http://www.tsra.com), and the Texas Department of Safety (http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administra ... rocity.htm)

Hopefully this information will be useful in other on-air discussions regarding the Texas CHL. Again, thank you for your pro 2nd amendment comments on the radio.

[slowpoke]

joseywales ;your probaly right. a softer approach would be better .

[KD5NRH]

Strangely, KLIF doesn't appear to have a list of advertisers on their site, but I know DFW Gun Range advertises with either them or 660AM. That would be a sponsor likely to back your efforts to educate the hosts. Try president@dfwgun.com and see if you can get them to write in on your behalf.

[killerfly128]

Strangely, KLIF doesn't appear to have a list of advertisers on their site, but I know DFW Gun Range advertises with either them or 660AM. That would be a sponsor likely to back your efforts to educate the hosts. Try president@dfwgun.com and see if you can get them to write in on your behalf.

John david wells is there pro gun guy that pushes DFW gun range .... John david has a chl and packs every day. He comes on 570 am at 4pm every day till 7pm