Magpul

[Captain]

Thank you Todd for speaking some common sense into this issue. I was floored when people started calling for a ban on Magpul. To me, their fight in Colorado has shown them to be an amazing and extremely principled company. To say they aren't is ridiculous and frankly idiotic. Then again, there is an entire subset of our community that is nothing but mouth breathers unable to think for themselves... In fact, they're the main reason we (as a community) look like morons to most people outside of the gun community.

[jetfire]

Because the guys at Safe-T-Hammer (who, IIRC, had counseled Tompkins against signing the HUD deal) wound up able to buy the company for pocket change?

Seriously, Tompkins shot themselves in the foot with that deal. They thought they'd be making the company more valuable by getting it out from under the threat of pending litigation and instead they took such a sales hit that the company sold for a final price that could be raised by a half-competent Kickstarter.

I don't disagree with the above, I question whether it was pressure from consumers or the fact that Glock was simultaneous eating S&W's lunch in the more lucrative LE/gov. sales.

[Tamara]

I don't disagree with the above, I question whether it was pressure from consumers or the fact that Glock was simultaneous eating S&W's lunch in the more lucrative LE/gov. sales.

Their commercial sales took a big, big hit. Due to the restrictions in the agreement, a lot of Stocking Dealers terminated their relationships with Smith. (If the agreement had been upheld to the letter, you couldn't have sold pre-ban mags in the store and remained a Smith Stocking Dealer anyway.)

And don't kid yourself that the LE/Gov market is so lucrative. There's a reason that companies will sell to departments at loss-leader pricing.

[jetfire]

Their commercial sales took a big, big hit. Due to the restrictions in the agreement, a lot of Stocking Dealers terminated their relationships with Smith. (If the agreement had been upheld to the letter, you couldn't have sold pre-ban mags in the store and remained a Smith Stocking Dealer anyway.)

And don't kid yourself that the LE/Gov market is so lucrative. There's a reason that companies will sell to departments at loss-leader pricing.

Fair enough, I have to rely on news and old information about that time anyway, since I was far more concerned with impressing girls with handbrake turns before I left for the Academy in March of 2000.

[Tamara]

Fair enough, I have to rely on news and old information about that time anyway, since I was far more concerned with impressing girls with handbrake turns before I left for the Academy in March of 2000.

Just so long as you're not doing handbrake turns on my lawn.

[JAD]

Fair enough, I have to rely on news and old information about that time anyway, since I was far more concerned with impressing girls with handbrake turns before I left for the Academy in March of 2000.

Like, on a bmx?

Tam had my reference correct. I think that interaction had a lot to do with some improvements that have gone on at the NRA and is probably informing the stance (or non-stance, a' la' GLOCK) of some industry folks. I'm interested in it as a business guy, mostly, because there are very few examples of effective consumer activism.

[Shellback]

I think a lot of the wailing and gnashing of teeth on the part of gun owners is the fact that they're tired of being treated as a 2nd class citizen in terms of gun ownership. The law enforcement exemptions that are in place, and are being proposed, have brought people to this point and have fueled that animosity. The list of grievances is growing and the people who pay the salaries for said law enforcement are tired of their lives being viewed as somehow less important in terms of self defense restrictions.

I think there's a lot more to it including a failing economy, the housing bubble crash, out of control spending and the general dislike and fear of Obama and the current government. People are fed up, tired and there is a great sense of hopelessness that pervades many pockets of the country. Unfortunately the easiest target is the enforcement arm of the government and that includes your local average police officer, fair or not. Most people never interact with their governor, mayor, etc. but they do interact with the police and most people would consider them to be part of the leviathan that restricts their rights.

I've spoken to several friends of mine in LE and they've all expressed the same sentiment and support for what companies are trying to accomplish with the "New York Boycott". I've been told multiple times that they are citizens first, that policing is a job, and that they swore an oath to uphold the Constitution.

I wanted to add more to this and I'm definitely not as eloquent as some of our PF members but I hope I got the idea across. I gotta run... play date with the boy at Touch A Truck!

[sdsorrentino]

I've spoken to several friends of mine in LE and they've all expressed the same sentiment and support for what companies are trying to accomplish with the "New York Boycott". I've been told multiple times that they are citizens first, that policing is a job, and that they swore an oath to uphold the Constitution.

ToddG, Tamara, and Caleb make valid points. I was really concerned about MagPul's original stance and it took Barron Barnett to talk some sense into me.

http://www.the-minuteman.org/2013/02...uch-is-enough/

It isn't black and white, they aren't traitors, and they don't need knifing. When we get down to "with us or against us," we are getting to the point of acting like the anti-gunners. I've deleted the "Naughty" list and have decided to focus on the people who've decided to join.

[jetfire]

Like, on a bmx?

A 1993 Mitsubishi Mighty Max. As it turns out, when you're 17 all you need for automotive joy is 100ish horsepower, a manual transmission, a handbrake, and general lack of a self-preservation instinct.

[David Armstrong]

Except the S&W boycott *worked.* It's one of the best examples of effective consumer activism I'm aware of.

I'm not arguing that a boycott can work. My point is that it seems counter-productive to holler about how "anti-gun" or "anti-freedom" folks are based on a single issue without taking into account EVERYTHING they do. We sometimes create enemies where none exist.