ArmaLite is Permanently off my Shopping List

Initially it seemed like a misunderstanding though the response from the president makes it obvious who they support and who they hate.

Thanks for posting this email. I just received a concerned telephone call about it, an email from the staffer who stimulated the mail.

I think a bit of clarification is in order.

The root of the matter is a HUGE series of inquiries by both email and telephone asking ArmaLite to cut off sales to New York and other states which deny its citizens the right to own our rifles, as several other firms have done. Some of the contacts have been duplicates of others and some were so redundant that they appeared to be spam. Many of them have been rude and I’m afraid one of my staffers thought that he was responding to a spammer and was more terse than he should have been. Once he realized what happened he came to me and apologized.

My purpose here is to pass on his apology from the corporate level and to answer the initial question: What is ArmaLite going to do?

ArmaLite is continuing a policy put into place when California first banned our rifles. That policy remains:

1. We will not sell to those states which deny it’s honorable citizens the right to own ArmaLite’s.

2. We do not halt sales to individual officers even in problematic states. I am a former Police Officer myself, and the staffer who stimulated the recent anger is a currently serving one. We are well familiar with the fact that most rifles serving Police Officers are purchased by the officers themselves, and that they shouldn’t be punished for the actions of their political elite. 
We consider sales to those sate subdivisions which are not engaged or potentially engaged with disarming its citizens. DNR and Forestry Departments, for instance, sometimes serve in remote areas that conceal drug farms and their officers deserve good hardware. 

3. We will not sell to those lower political subdivisions that deny their honorable citizens the right to own ArmaLite’s. Chicago, for instance, prohibits its citizens from owning ArmaLite’s within the city limits so we make no effort to sell into that city. We have many friends on the Chicago Police Department and have continued to sell to them individually.

Our observation is that most County Sheriffs disagree with banning sales of our rifles and many publicly refuse to enforce such laws. We sell to those departments and to their Deputies, but will not sell to those County departments headed by Sheriffs who would deny their citizens the same rights.

In short, Americans need not worry that ArmaLite is selling to those who betray them.

As you can see by reading posts on the topic, some readers have been harsh with their criticism of ArmaLite. It was in response to this atmosphere that my staffer reacted harshly. He’s come to me and apologized and I personally am passing my own apology along with his.

But don’t be mistaken, ArmaLite is strongly involved with both personal, corporate, and political efforts at the State, National, and International level to protect our civil rights. And we’ll continue to support your shooting needs as the situation moves forward.

Respectfully,
Mark Westrom
President,
ArmaLite Inc.

Let me translate points 2 and 3 for everyone.:

1. We will not sell to those states which deny it’s honorable citizens the right to own ArmaLite’s with the following exceptions.** 

2. Thankfully when states decide to intrude on the right of citizens to own arms, they exempt those who work for law enforcement.  Therefor we will continue to sell firearms to individuals who work in law enforcement.  While not being sold to the department, the states allow them to have arms that are otherwise outlawed from the rest of the citizenry.  We are perfectly fine with this discrepancy and honestly welcome and encourage it.  It is much easier to abuse citizens when we have a monopoly on force.

3.  Even if for some reason police officers are prohibited from ownership, we instead will sell to the political body that created the regulation.  In so doing we are helping to ensure that the political body is the only group effectively armed and can abuse it’s citizenry as it pleases.  Even better though is the fact that many of our arms can be stolen off the trains, whereby criminals can also be armed meaning the political body continues buying even more firearms from us.  Sure the law-abiding may be caught in the cross fire but honestly who cares right?  If you want to make a socialist utopia  you need to break a few eggs.

*When county sheriff’s protest the banning of our rifles we will feign support by continuing to sell to them but not sell to other departments that would deny citizens those same rights.*

**What we really mean is we will purely abide by the law and screw you the law-abiding citizen while continuing the hypocrisy of arming those who get a exemption by their employment.

Now I put that section in stars because honestly I don’t know how that section can reconcile with the previous two.  Tell me, if they’re going to stop selling to sheriffs who don’t support the right to arms, why are they going to continue selling to other places they don’t?  The answer is simple, they aren’t willing to put their money where their mouth is regarding the right to keep and bear arms.

They see the government as a bigger cash cow than the civilian market.  They could have handled this situation considerably better, but they sunk that ship instead.  Trying to feign support is never a good idea as it makes you look like a sell out, which is exactly how they look.  If they had said they would only sell to departments they would have been in a much better position.  Point 2 though shows them as the hypocrites they are. 

ArmaLite has now taken the position on my list that Smith and Wesson once had.

SSCC #525-#527: Dallas

Worthy of note is the individual with a previous record. Evidently that wasn’t a clue.

State Sponsored Criminal #525: Daniel Botello

State Sponsored Criminal #526: Felicia Kisner

State Sponsored Criminal #527: Margret Guzman

Because by all means officers of the law should break the law when serving in the primary institution created to punish those who break the law.

h/t Bob S.

Quote of the Day–John Eastborough (2/19/2013)

Liberal Rape Tips: urinate on yourself to ruin your rapist’s mood. Republican Rape Tips: pull out a Glock and make him piss HIMSELF.

John EastboroughTweet

February 19, 2013


[So in case you missed it yesterday, a Colorado state legislator said the following:

“It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop around at somebody.”

Then our boy genius, Joseph Salazar doubled down on stupid by issuing the following “apology”.

“I’m sorry if I offended anyone. That was absolutely not my intention,” Salazar said. “We were having a public policy debate on whether or not guns makes people safer on campus. I don’t believe they do. That was the point I was trying to make. If anyone thinks I’m not sensitive to the dangers women face, they’re wrong.

“I am a husband and father of two beautiful girls, and I’ve spent the last decade defending women’s rights as a civil rights attorney. Again, I’m deeply sorry if I offended anyone with my comments.”

Emphasis mine.

Mr. Salazar, you state that you’re a defender of women’s rights yet you are arguing for their disarmament as well as the removal of their right to choose their method of self-defense.  Yes Mr. Salazar I get angry when hypocrites like you spout their lies and attempt to trample the rights of the innocent.

You argue that we should make safe zones, because you know gun-free and drug free zones have worked so well.  Your call boxes and whistles are merely methods to call for help.  When you call for someone else to come help you, mainly the police, what are you doing?  You are calling for someone else to bring their gun.  Tell me Mr. Salazar, why not cut the response time from minutes to mere seconds?

Is it that you like rapists and thieves and want to see them work in a safer environment?  Do you dislike the idea of a woman being independent and self-reliant?

Mr. Salazar, you argue that women are more likely to shoot someone who isn’t a threat to them, can you present actual factual documented evidence of that your assumption has happened?  Not only that it has happened though, but with such a frequency as to out weight the number of women who have lawfully defended themselves from an aggressor.  Or is this merely a similar claim to the argument that there will be blood in the streets over parking spaces if citizens are allowed to carry concealed weapons?

The fact is Mr. Salazar you honestly hate women and the law-abiding public.  You would rather they be easy disarmed prey for your criminal friends.  The thought of a rapist eating lead at the hands of their intended victim upsets you and that Mr. Salazar tells me all I need to know about your character, more specifically your lack there of.

If Mr. Salazar is your representative, I highly suggest you let him know* how you feel. –B ]

*You can also call him at 303-866-2918.

In Which I Am Reminded of an Old Injury

So last Saturday some friends and I went out to seek revenge on some coyotes for taking my buddies top producing hen.  We headed out at about 1530, sadly though it was sprinkling just before we left.  Then once we got out in the fields the wind picked up.  This killed us two ways, our sent was stronger from the rain, the wind would blow out the sound of the calls.  The wind though would also help dampen the scent since it was fast enough.

This also ignores the fact that the previous two days were gorgeous and thus they would bed down at the sign of inclement weather.

Well we park on the back side of the hill, grab our rifles and start climbing up.  All was well until we got off the CRP grass and into the muddy hill side.  Each step moved me I swear a couple inches for the same amount of work to go feet vertically.  I reached the top, winded but alive.  But alas we needed to move further down the ridge without sky lining.  Now I’m walking on uneven terrain and of course the outside ankle is the one that took a lashing in the auto wreck.  When I say lashing, I mean just getting a bad sprain would have been a better day.

Well of course I just put on my hiking boots, not my Danner’s, so today my ankle has been killing me.  Overall I think it is because a few muscles from the break along with the damaged tendons and ligaments just have never fully healed.  There’s no question my ankle is strong though there seems to be one or two muscles that need some extra work.  At least now I know exactly which muscle is in trouble and how to work it.

Doubly annoying is that none of the Wiley bastards showed themselves.  All I got was this nice picture of the sunset.

42232

As the sun got lower we gave up and started running around the property in the vehicle to see if we could flush them out… Still no joy.  when the weather cooperates though, that pack is going to be toast.

At least I know of another way to get some exercise around here… I really miss living close to a pool.

Quote of the Day – Sebastian (2/18/2013)

New gun restrictions there, even modest ones, is a much bigger deal than in the states anti-gun forces have already largely won. Any victory there will provide a template that will be repeated in other traditionally pro-gun swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, you name it. Once the dominoes start to fall, it’s going to be extremely difficult to stop. This is why they cannot be allowed to score any wins at all. This isn’t about reasonableness. This isn’t about people coming together to solve problems. Politics is not either of those things: it is about power, and nothing else, and the side that is more effective at wielding power is the one that goes home victorious, and the other beaten up and bloodied in ways that couldn’t have been imagined when you went in thinking they were going to be reasonable. There is no reasonableness in the political process, there is only victory and defeat.

SebastianHow the Tide Turns
February 18, 2013


[First go read the whole thing.  Between that paragraph and the last paragraph it was a tie.

The law’s main purpose is simple, “to keep those who have the money and the power with the money and the power.”  Anyone who thinks differently is merely an ideologue who hasn’t discovered reality yet.

Right now our opponents are fighting tooth and nail to find a way to keep us out of the fight.  It is the only way they can hide their weakness and convince legislators to commit Seppuku.  Sebastian is right on another front, we must punish every last one of these tyrants come the next election.  We need to ensure those who attack our rights, even if unsuccessful pay the political price.

Those three sponsors for the Washington AWB are now saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize this was going to trample on more civil rights than just your right to arms.”  The three sponsors of that particular bill all belong to the Greater Peoples Republic of Seattle and I don’t see any of those paying for their crimes.  There are however plenty of people betraying gun owners over other bills such SB 5711.  We need to teach a very valuable lesson on all fronts.  We need to throw any legislator out who supported these bills.

Further if the state supports it, to show sincerity, get them recalled.  I’ve been contemplating for a while leading a charge to recall a couple of tyrants from Washington.  It will be exceedingly difficult, however there is always the possibility given the rapid change in the political climate of the past two months.  Washingtonians are pissed and many of them are becoming active again after being dormant for a long time.  I’m not kidding either, I know a few people who had even given up on voting after the King Dome/Safeco Field fiasco getting back into the ball game again.

What I don’t want to do though is make a bad move which is why I’m trying to talk with those who have a better aerial view of the political battlefield.

Make no mistake folks, we are seeing the final moves of a long played chess game.  How quickly it ends is anyone’s guess.  I can tell you if our opponents fail in their current plays, they will have exhausted themselves into defeat.  While we will still need to remain vigilant their relevancy politically will join the likes of the Aryan Nations and the KKK.  Let’s do everything we can to ensure their plays fail and anyplace they do gain an inch they pay politically by loosing a mile. -B]

SSCC #524 – Bozeman

A judge has found Bozeman police intentionally erased a portion of an audio recording made during a welfare check on a man who claims officers used excessive force against him.

This is unsurprising and it’s disturbing that there are some places that still don’t have dashboard cameras even with brand new police cars.  Why would anyone not want evidence that can be used to prove you did the right thing?  Unless of course you so regularly abuse your authority you’re afraid of being  caught.

State Sponsored Criminal #524: John Doe

Because when you abuse someone’s rights and try to hide it, it should just be your word against theirs right?

Friday Pick Me Up

I like me some dark black humor and that was a good jab at the current situation.

A friend who’s still a student told me last night he brought his 22 lr from home to plink with.  I chuckled and said, “You have 22 for it right.”  He didn’t realize the crunch had tightened the noose around even 22 ammo.

I don’t know how long this crunch is going to hold out, but I can tell you I am watching bulletin boards for the moment when guys start trying to sell ammo to make a mortgage payment.

Quote of the Day – Freiheit (2/15/2013)

I got about halfway through this and realized that if a damn whitetail deer can run 150 yards after being plugged by a .30 cal rifle bullet then why should I expect a bad guy to stop and drop dead after a single hit from a handgun round?

Freiheit – Comment to Let’s Talk Terminal Ballistics 3 – The Myth of Handgun Stopping Power

February 14th, 2013


[First if you haven’t been reading Tim’s series on Terminal Ballistics, I recommend you do.  There are a lot of myths out there and many of them are stubborn and have serious trouble dying despite evidence and science to the contrary.

Second, this is exactly why magazine capacity limits are total crap.  Go read this section most importantly and then ask yourself, “Why wouldn’t I want to carry as much ammunition in a single magazine as I could?”

There is no magic bullet, well maybe a 50 BMG, but still the idea of a person stopping magically merely because it was God’s own caliber is a myth.  Especially with regards to pistols.  That isn’t to say, as Caleb rightly points out, there are reasons to prefer one caliber over another, but it’s not for the reasons many throw out there. -B]