Jazz F Karl Malone's "latest endorsement -- which he
did gratis," is for the National Rifle Association (NRA),
according to Steve Luhm of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, who writes
that Malone "decided to become" a spokesperson for the
organization "after receiving a call" from NRA President
Charlton Heston. Malone's endorsement "couldn't be more
high-profile," as it appears in this week's issue of Time
magazine, "two pages in from the cover and facing the table
of contents." Malone, on his NRA deal: "Some people might
not like this. But I'm an NRA type of guy." Attorney Steve
Gunn, who heads Utahns Against Gun Violence, is one of the
"critics" who has "already started firing." Gunn: "I'm not
criticizing him for lending his name to a cause. I just
question whether he has given much thought to it." NRA Exec
VP Wayne LePierre, on the effort around Malone: "One of the
points we are trying to make is that the shooting sports are
mainstream -- as mainstream as you can get -- and that the
NRA represents a cross section of America." Malone said
that his NRA involvement has "cost him one TV appearance,"
as Rosie O'Donnell told him, "No way. ... We don't have NRA
people on our show" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 11/11).
