John Hickenlooper (Photo: Getty)

Earlier today, National Rifle Association President David Keene went on Fred Dicker's radio show to tout yesterday's pro-gun rally in Albany. As they are both wont to do, Mr. Dicker and Mr. Keene took a number of shots at Governor Andrew Cuomo and the gun control legislation he passed earlier this year. At one interesting moment in the conversation, however, Mr. Keene went further by saying another unnamed Democratic governor shared some of their anti-Cuomo views.

"You know Fred, I was out in the West recently and had to meet with a Democratic governor because a lot of the state legislatures are considering all kinds of different laws and legislation on firearms," Mr. Keene said. "As I went into his office, I said, 'Governor, before we get started, I have to tell you that the press has been asking me why I'm meeting with you.' He said, 'What did you tell them?' I said, 'I'm meeting with you because you're not Andrew Cuomo. And you should take that as a compliment.' He looked at me and he said, 'Believe me, I do.'"

When pressed, Mr. Keene declined to reveal the governor's identity. However, given all of the details already provided--a Western Democratic governor considering new gun policies whose recent meeting with Mr. Keene was covered in the press--it seems the executive in question very well could be Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who met with Mr. Keene last month. Google News searches of Mr. Keene's name and the four other Democratic governors west of the Mississippi River returned zero results.

Politicker provided Mr. Hickenlooper's office with a transcript of the comments and asked whether the N.R.A. leader's description was accurate. Megan Castle, Mr. Hickenlooper's deputy director of communications, replied succinctly without confirming or denying the alleged slight against Governor Cuomo.

"The governor did meet with David Keene," she said. "They had a good conversation."

The Journal News' map of gun owners' addresses.

In his interview on the Brooklyn GOP Radio podcast this evening, NRA President David Keene was asked about the controversial articles on Gawker and in the Journal News that contained lists of gun owners. Mr. Keene blamed the stories on cultural differences that he said exist between "elite media" and the rest of American society.

"The whole battle over the Second Amendment has little to do with crime or any of these things" Mr. Keene said. "It has to do with culture and the view that different people have about what kind of a country this ought to be."

Mr. Keene explained that he believes the media has adopted an anti-gun perspective because liberal reporters see gun ownership as antithetical to their values.

"It wasn't until the culture wars of the late 1960's, 70's and 80's that, all of a sudden, the Second Amendment became anathema to liberals who viewed it, really I think culturally, as a as symbol of an America they didn't like, an America in which people took responsibility for themselves and for the protection of their families, an America which didn't look to the state for the answer to all of its problems," said Mr. Keene. "And the media, the elite media, if anything, represents that view more than almost any segment of our society."

The Journal News' map of gun owners in Westchester and Rockland counties included their home addresses. Gawker's post was a list of gun owners in New York City that didn't have addresses, but the story's author, John Cook, said he tried to obtain that information and added links to sites where address information could be found. Mr. Keene claimed the media outlets revealing the addresses of gun owners had "tremendously terrible consequences."

"What happened there in New York with the posting of the legitimate, licensed pistol owners in Rockland County and others has had tremendously terrible consequences. As you know, now prison guards had their home addresses listed by that newspaper and are now under threat from prisoners and their allies outside," Mr. Keene said. "This was an incredibly irresponsible thing that was an attempt by this elite to demonize people who own firearms legitimately."

Gawker's post originally referred to New York City's gun owners as "assholes." Mr. Keene cited this as proof of the media's prejudice against firearms enthusiasts.

"In the minds of these people, folks that own firearms are evil," he said. "You saw how the--when the Gawker website listed all these people what they described them as. And I'm not going to repeat it on the air, but the fact of the matter is, that they see anyone who is involved in the shooting sports, who owns a firearm for whatever reason as somebody that they hate."

Mr. Keene said the media's demonization of gun owners resulted in him and NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre receiving "hundreds of death threats" in the aftermath of last months massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. He finished discussing the issue by reiterating his view that media bias against guns is caused by cultural differences and not any concern about violence.

"It's a result not of a concern about crime, but about the vast cultural differences between these elites and the rest of us in this society."

Politicker attempted to speak with Mr. Keene after his interview, but he declined to answer our questions.

David Keene (Photo: Getty)

National Rifle Association President David Keene gave a rare post-Newtown interview on the Brooklyn GOP Radio podcast this evening in which he responded to Governor Andrew Cuomo's vow to bring New York some of the "toughest" gun control laws in the country. Mr. Keene began by taking issue with Governor Cuomo's prediction that other states would follow New York's example and pass similar laws.

"I was amazed that he said other states will follow New York," Mr. Keene said. "They haven't done that in the past, there's no reason to believe that they will in the future."

Mr. Keene continued by noting "New York already has very tough gun laws" and predicting Governor Cuomo's gun control plan would not "make any difference one way or the other in terms of violence of any kind in the state."

In spite of his criticisms of the governor's policy proposals, Mr. Keene said he supported the elements of the seven-point plan that would affect criminals who use or try to purchase guns"

"Some of the things he proposed in terms of dealing with gang violence and criminals ought to be welcomed by everyone including gun owners ... Aside from the insane people that are involved in these mass shootings, most gun crime, most crimes involving firearms, crime period is committed by people who, in effect, are making a living by stealing purses, burglarizing houses and robbing people ... Anything that deals with gun crime by prosecuting people who misuse firearms in the commission of a felony is a good idea and that part's fine. But the idea of banning or restricting firearms from perfectly honest, legitimate Americans who have a right to defend themselves as per the Supreme Court and the Second Amendment, have a right to privately own firearms, is both constitutionally suspect and, from a policy standpoint, has been empirically demonstrated over time not to have any impact whatever on violence or crime."

When he outlined his gun control proposals in his annual State of the State address today, Governor Cuomo said his policies were aimed at curbing gun violence and would "respect hunters and sportsmen." Mr. Keene said hunting was not part of his concerns about the governor's policies.

"The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunters. Hunters use firearms. Hunters have every right to use firearms, as do target shooters, as do gun collectors, as do others," said Mr. Keene. "The fact of the matter is that the Second Amendment has to do with personal and national defense. It was put into the Constitution by the founders who considered it as important indeed as the First Amendment."

Politicker attempted to call Mr. Keene immediately after his interview with Brooklyn GOP Radio to ask him a few questions of our own. He declined to comment.

"I'm really not in a position right now," Mr. Keene said. "I'm in a meeting. I could talk to you tomorrow if you'd like."