Professional protester only “regular guy” to testify in support of NRA’s open carry bill

Aug 23, 2006; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; James Whelan is a professional ad guy who protests for a living. He goes to big trials and holds up signs in the crowd for his clients, etc. Right now he's protesting outside the Verizon store on Okeechobee Blvd. because of what he says are cheating business practices. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Allen Eyestone/Palm Beach Post/ZUMA Press.©

What exactly is a “regular guy?”

In the Florida Legislature, there’s an implicit rule: Speakers who provide testimony should accurately describe their motives and agenda when speaking in front of committees.

That said, it’s not unusual for paid consultants to speak on an issue, as it is equally common for concerned citizens to travel to Tallahassee to express heartfelt opinions on a matter.

Often, legislators will give more weight to those “regular folks,” as their testimony comes from deeply held, passionate beliefs and not rented opinions.

Yet, on the contentious issue of “open carry” firearms currently facing Florida lawmakers, pro-gun advocates seem to have broken new ground.

It was for this issue of critical importance an individual was brought to testify before lawmakers who seemed to blur the lines between concerned citizen and “professional protester.”

Meet James Whelan, regular guy.

Whelan is president and chief executive officer of the James R. Whelan Agency – “The Most Powerful Name in Advertising,” as his website proclaims. But on Wednesday he was there as a “regular guy representing regular guys,” or at least that’s what it said on the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee appearance record.

“Open Carry,” one of the most controversial bills now pending in the Florida Legislature, is being advanced by gun-rights advocates and Marion Hammer, the grand dame of Tallahassee lobbying. Hammer is the former National Rifle Association president who’s now executive director of Unified Sportsmen of Florida. She is also one of the most influential pro-gun voices in the Florida Capitol.

If passed, House Bill 163 would give Floridians that much-needed ability to mosey down the street with a Glock sticking out of their back pockets without fear of police inquiry.

What could go wrong?

As you might imagine, most law enforcement officials in Florida oppose the bill, although legislators have been reluctant to go against it, lest they face the wrath of Hammer and the all-powerful pro-gun lobby.

But this week, the gun guys were pressed to prove some sort of public support for the measure in front of legislative committees. And out of the 1.4 million people with concealed weapons permits in Florida, all they could muster was the testimony of a single individual: James Whelan.

Whelan testified Wednesday to the House Justice Appropriations Committee, speaking with great passion as someone who is a “proud concealed weapons holder here in the state of Florida.” In his talk, Whelan discussed what his website refers to as “another side [of him] that is not known … an avid bicyclist and philanthropist” who pedals 50 miles almost every day before heading to the office.

On his JRWA website bio, Whelan is also said to support the Caring House Project in Delray Beach, which helps build villages for families in Haiti. When not spending time in Haiti assisting with the construction of homes for the poor, Whelan biked more than 200 miles around Lake Okeechobee twice in 24 hours to raise funds for the Caring House.

Noble? Perhaps. Humble? Not so much.

Whelan then told committee members of his bicycle trips across country – which he takes every summer “from one end of the country to the other” – noting that “as soon as he was outside of Florida” he changed his holster from conceal carry pouch to an open carry chest holster.

Presumably, it was to deter those with violent proclivities toward men in spandex lederhosen.

Whelan next began to ramble about stopping at “places like Applebee-type restaurants, Kroger’s, Chili’s, and high-end hotel lobbies, and Best Westerns.”

Before being told by lawmakers to “get to the point,” the transcript of his testimony continues:

(Bad complaints? As opposed to good complaints?)

Whalen continued by telling the committee he has “over 13 gun permits” as well as open carried a weapon in more than 38 states, all without a problem. Whelan takes his gun mostly because of “road ragers,” as a deterrent from people throwing bottles at him while he bikes in the road.

“In Florida from time to time,” he said, “I will get bottles thrown at me, just because I am riding a bicycle on the road.”

“Open-Carry will stop that.”

Interestingly, photos on Whelan’s website chronicling his cross-country adventure fail to show the chest holster – the one everyone could see clearly – that he now sees as standard equipment for safe passage across the country.

Reading his testimony, one could almost be excused for thinking Whelan is nearly virginal in his earnest civic involvement in the democratic process.

Besides, he’s just a “regular guy,” right?

Whelan’s claim of naïveté, however, seems to be at odds with his “professional ad guy” image – he is, after all, “the most powerful name in advertising” – as well as a 2006 Palm Beach Post photo describing him as someone who “protests for a living.”

Also, one of the specialty services provided by JRWA – listed under the category “Political Campaigns” – include creating successful, custom advertising campaigns to meet political communications goals, having served advertisers and advertising agencies for more than a decade. Whelan also touts his deep understanding of “the ins and outs of digital advertising for political campaigns.”

Not quite the political novice, and certainly more than just a “regular guy.”

So, while Whelan may not exactly be a virgin, for purposes of testifying before the Florida Legislature, he’s “like” a virgin. And for this process, it might be good enough.