Folks are unhappy “The Truth About Guns” Robert Farago was given an award by Second Amendment Foundation, and it’s prompting a discussion about whether gun blogging has jumped the shark. I was not pleased to see Robert Farago win an SAF award, only to turn around and mistreat Emily Miller by asking personal questions about her carry habits off the record and publishing it, nor headlining her bathroom habits, which I complained loudly about on Twitter, and which The Truth About Guns did not seem to appreciate. It is quite unfortunate that they lambast the Main Stream Media, and engage in the same kind of unethical reporting we took to blogging to escape. But I’m not certain why this should have any bearing on gun blogging as a whole. I’m certainly going to continue to do what I do without much regard to what awards the TTAG folks are or aren’t getting, and if people like what I have to say, great. To quote Uncle, “Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.”
42 thoughts on “Is “The Truth About Guns” Killing Gun Blogging?”
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Excellent post. I, too, plan to keep on blogging even if it “jumped the shark” and “is dead”. I’m too old and too conservative to make a switch now.
I agree with Weer’d Beard that Farago really isn’t a gun blogger. He is a narcissistic huckster trying to make a buck after giving up his foray into hypnotherapy.
I gave up of Farago and TTAG after he belittled Alan Gura’s firearms and training at a reception put on by SAF in Pittsburgh and was generally rude and obnoxious. I stopped linking to him, dropped him from my blogroll, and haven’t bothered to visit TTAG since.
The award Farago was given is not one of the “major awards” given out by SAF. I counted 7 or 8 people given the same award last Saturday. I do think the award was given out of ignorance of Farago and his lack of ethical behavior.
I started a five paragraph über-comment, and then realized it’d be better as a blog post.
Short answer, no, he hasn’t killed gunblogging. Gunblogging was going to change whether RF was around on not. You can’t have this many passionate amateurs and expect gun companies and media to ignore the semi-free content for very long.
Post will fire off later tonight.
Their site seems to act as a fly trap that keeps the majority of the trolls and elitists off of other sites so as far as I’m concerned they should keep on trucking.
I agree. I’m relatively new to the world of guns, and his site was one of the first I came across, but it didn’t take long to sort of see it for what it was and start spending more of my time elsewhere. Even so, I was unaware of all the back stories. The rest of the blogs I read and TTAG are catering to two different crowds. I can understand the bloggers who are a little more passionate about things being annoyed that he was recognized, but don’t let it get you down. Those who care and are actually interested enough to have a little skin in the game are still paying attention. If you guys wanted to be TTAG, you could be that, but you haven’t gone down that path and I’m thankful for that. If he wanted to be you guys, he couldn’t pull it off.
I’m sure SAF has gotten wind of things now, as has Emily Miller and a number of others. These things have a way of working themselves out, keep doing what you’re doing and let him dig his own grave.
Hell, I knew nothing about this. I don’t visit that site and neither does anyone I know.
Emily was and is a gracious and respectful person.
She is – in simple terms – what Farrago never was and never will be.
Thank you. That means a lot.
I’ll be posting on this subject too but couldn’t help but toss in my two pence.
I turn anger into blog posts. Rather than scream at the TV or the radio, I assault my keyboard until I feel better.
There’s nothing that Il Douche can do to replace that so I care little if he fouls his nest. And maybe some of my signal will rise above the noise.
Unc’s quote has been my guide since I started blogging because it’s true. If you do this to entertain others you eventually just become a linkbot or drama llama just to get eyeballs and page views.
I have all but stopped reading TTAG…just too many anti-police stories and stories about Farago not getting laid enough and other silly crap that degrades the publications integrity.
Robot Sparkle-Fargle Who? The SAF needs to upgrade their website, that’s all I know. And Ray of the blog NW FreeThinker who was at the Rendezvpous and works for them is a great guy who wouldn’t make that kind of mistake, so the El Fargo-Doucherie must have slipped through the cracks – remember to flush twice it’s a long way to wherever he posts…
Thank you so much for this post. I felt ambushed by that guy. He was very creepy and jumpy, which made me nervous. I should have trusted my instincts, but instead stayed and answered all his questions politely. I don’t know why he feels the need to repeatedly attack me for being a girl and for not having extensive training in the six months I’ve owned a gun. That’s all true, but I’ve also gotten the gun laws changed in D.C. to make it easier to get a legal gun, so the haters don’t affect my work!
Emily what you’ve done is encouraging and good for gun owners everywhere. Don’t let this Farago nitwit take you down.
Haters gonna hate…..
@Emily – He attacked you because through hard work, dedication, and sheer intelligence you have had more success in journalism than him. It drives the narcissist in him mad.
Your work in getting DC’s outdated and restrictive gun registration laws changed for the better will be one of your legacies. Do not think that we in the gun blogosphere and the gun culture haven’t noticed and don’t appreciate it. We do.
Exactly right!
He seems to feel especially entitled to use female gunbloggers to boost his ego — my friend Tam has had some legendary go-rounds with him, but Emily, you may be the first armed woman he’s had the gall to approach in person.
I doubt he is capable of learning from his mistakes — and he doesn’t feel that annoying people and getting his name mentioned is a mistake. This is why I won’t refer to him on my blog: he wants attention, I won’t let him have it.
Aaand I just got an image of him trying to approach Tam in person. Why do I suspect he would be missing at least a few teeth by the end of the encounter.
Emily, you may be the first woman he’s had the nerve to approach in person.
FIFY.
We should be thanking you. You’ve done more for personal liberty and freedom than most of us can dream about.
I thoroughly back Ms. Miller up on her strong advocacy/activist; she **did** get the gun laws changed in D.C. by testifying before the City Council. Their registration procedures personified “rigamarole” and she helped the City Council pass legislation to cut down the cost and the number of steps required to get a permit to have a permit in the District of Columbia.
Emily, as mentioned above, you have our respect. Farago does not. He’s creepy slime. Your instincts are dead on.
Ms. Miller,
Both as a gunowning American in general, and as someone who lives in northeastern Virginia very close to Sodom on the Potomac, I very much appreciate your successful advocacy and honest journalism, and hope that one day I can visit DC without having to surrender my civil rights and leave my family defenseless.
If that beautiful future comes about, I know that you will be a major part of why and how, Ms. Miller.
It’s not hard to see a future where there is an Emily Miller Award for Journalism for Protecting the Rights of Individuals (and a history that knows not of Robert Farago).
You stayed and answered his questions because you’re a decent and gracious person, which is more than can be said for him. You’ve also done more to advance the pro-gun cause in a short period of time than he could ever hope to. Though I highly suspect his only reason for having a blog is to promote himself (and make money)
I was with John R. that night at the NRA Con, and I can verify that Farago acted like a Tool to the SAF people. As to why he attacked Ms. Miller, who knows? Personally, I think that if you P.O. TTAG, you should buy yourself a gift as a Reward! I don’t like Thieves, and someday, Farago’s going to steal something from the Wrong Person who has tons of “Lawyers, Guns, and Money.”
FWIW Ms. Miller, take heart in knowing that you probably have given dozens of Women the knowledge that they need to Arm themselves and protect themselves and their Loved Ones. Keep up the Good Work!
As to “Gun Blogging is Dead,” I plan to talk with the Gentleman who made that comment come Monday over a Tall, Cold One. I’ll let you know what transpired.
Thank-you Emily for all that you have done and continue to do! Training takes a lot of time to get where you want to be, and after that it’s essentially a never-ending task to maintain that. But after all the immense strides you’ve made, and the pioneering legal success you have had that benefit so many others, he reveals himself to be a petty and jealous creep – and the proper response to a bully and creep is polite distance. You did the right thing, he twisted it – and that’s what twisted, small-minded thieves and haters do.
I like a lot of the reviews posted by some of the other authors, but there is a fair bit of content there that does nothing for me. I was unaware of any drama involving other gun blogs until this latest award thing. The posts about Emily Miller are… odd. They seem kind of fanboyish/stalkerish occasionally, but most of the comments are fully supportive, even if the posts themselves are ambivalent (or focused on trivia).
Still, I’ve read enough in other places over the last few days to conclude that it’s not really an enterprise I want to support, so I guess it’s a good time to start branching out.
Farago thing has the manners and the airs of a syphilitic skunk and I am surprised that anyone takes him the least bit seriously.
Skunks are banding together to protest Oleg’s comment.
Hey, at least Pepe Le Pew was entertaining….
Emily is good folks, and deserved MUCH better! Hopefully this doesn’t sour her on the rest of us that try to do a good job!
Just wish “You Know Who” would stop linking to him. That’d probably cut out 90% of his traffic right there.
Instapundit?. I haven’t noticed a link in a long time, and I’m a regular reader of Glenn’s.
A quick search of the Instapundit archives shows 26 links since the beginning of the year, although none since July.
I’d bet TTAG would cease to exists if Instapundit stopped linking him.
I suspect the main reason I like The Truth About Cars, and not so much The Truth About Guns, is that the former hasn’t had Farago working there since 2009.
Not classy.