Barrett was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1954, and graduated from Murfreesboro Central High School.[3]
He started his career in 1972 as a professional photographer for a studio in the same town.[3] In 1982, while he owned a photography studio, he was inspired to create the Barrett M82. On January 1, 1982, when Barrett was photographing a river patrol gunboat on the Stones River near Nashville, Tennessee, a picture he shot of the twin Browningmachine guns mounted prominently on the boat made him think of the .50 BMG cartridge and its potential for commercial users.[4]
With no engineering background, Barrett hand-sketched plans at home for a .50BMG repeating semi-automatic rifle.[5] Later, he found a partner in tool and die maker Bob Mitchell and an employee at a sheet metal fabricator in Smyrna, Tennessee. Four months later a prototype was finished.[6] A second prototype shown off at a gun show in Houston would garner starting capital for Barrett from three investors, necessary for the Barrett Firearms Manufacturing company and production of the first 30 rifles for private use.[5] Large-scale commercial success came when the CIA acquired an unknown number of rifles for arming the Afghan mujahideen as part of the Soviet–Afghan War effort.[4] In 1989, the Swedish Army adopted the M82 as a sniper rifle. In 1990, the United States Armed Forces followed, and subsequently deployed the rifles during Operation Desert storm.[7]
Ronnie Barrett Top 10 Award
Barrett is an advocate for the private ownership of firearms. Barrett has headed fundraising campaigns for the National Rifle Association,[8] sits on its board of directors,[2] and makes occasional appearances on the Cam & Company podcast where he speaks on gun laws.[2]
Barrett married former Tennessee State Rep. Donna Rowland in 2010.[1]
