A Reverse Industry Boycott

Column by G. Asher.

Exclusive to STR

It is exactly 14 minutes into April 19th, 2013. I am sitting here drinking another homebrewed mead, enduring the ice cold feet of the beautiful female asleep on my couch, considering the unrevealed peril of whatever satanic compromise our “leaders” in Mordor-by-the-Sea have come up with vis-a-vis the “fiscal cliff,” and ruminating on the possibility of gun control to come, and that ridiculous attempt that was defeated just hours ago.

I know my limitations. Some of them, anyway. I know our economy is doomed, and all the ridiculous prancing, evading, and last minute jitterbugging they care to do in D.C. will have no effect on the impending disaster’s final outcome. I know I can’t do a thing about the economy, because nobody can. It will have to sort itself out, one way or another.

We have zero control over a lot of things. Somnolent frigid feet being pressed against my legs in a vampiric attempt to steal every last erg of my body’s heat comes to mind. It takes me a year to make a batch of mead, but there is no way for me to control the final outcome. The bees make the honey, which might be good or so-so that year for a number of reasons. The yeast does its stuff, but maybe the strain was mutated, maybe it wasn’t, maybe there is too much calcium in the water I used . . . . I don’t know if my stuff will be drinkable until a year has passed and I can start bottling it. There’s no way to guide the end result there.

Gun control . . . gun control. Hmmm. I know there are things I can’t do anything about, but I think there is a way to exert some pressure here. We’ve all been over the usual stuff, writing reps, marches, etc.

I think it may be possible to exert a lot of pressure to thwart the freedom-hating scum that would presume to destroy us, and I think I know how.

Recently there was a police officer who posted on a pro-civil rights Internet chat board. He was lamenting the fact that a well known Internet-based firearms accessory dealer had refused to sell him 30 round magazines for his department’s AR15 rifles. He had a properly approved request done through his chain of command, he was using his department’s credit card, there was no legal bar to his receiving the purchased items, but the seller denied the transaction.

Why?

The department is in a small town in northern California. In California, it is a felony to be in possession of a pistol or rifle magazine that holds more than ten rounds of ammunition. This is a very important and correct law, because as everyone knows, it’s the eleventh round that kills you . . . . Right? Right?

Anywho, the dealer denied the sale, and even though he contacted them and attempted to complete the sale, they refused because of California’s asinine and draconic firearms laws as they pertain to non-cop civilians.

The dealer’s attitude and behavior was absolutely correct, wonderfully moral, and is not without precedent.

Ronnie Barrett should be declared a national treasure. Mr. Barrett owns a small firearms company, the website is www.barrett.net. Mr. Barrett is the creator of the M82A1 .50 caliber rifle, as well as a whole host of other beautifully engineered precision rifles. The M82A1 is a 32 pound monstrosity that is nearly five feet long and costs about $9,000 without sights. Sights will set you back a minimum of about $1,200. Ammo runs about five dollars a shot for the cheap stuff.

While shooting the M82 is more fun than being mauled by a pack of six-week old beagle puppies on a summer afternoon, I have no idea why anyone outside of long range target shooters or the military would want one. Given that the longest range a police “sniper” has ever engaged a bad guy from in the whole history of US law enforcement is about 100 yards, and that the .50 caliber round will punch through cinderblock walls with ease and endanger innocents on the other side, the idea that any cop shop would need one is beyond absurd.

In defiance of rational thought, a number of law enforcement agencies have purchased Mr. Barrett’s brainchild over the years. Some of those agencies were in California.

One such California agency is the Los Angeles Police Department, which at the time was headed by a man named William Bratten. Despite his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, Bratten vigorously campaigned against firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens, and against .50 caliber rifles in particular. The vile hypocrisy of this should be obvious.

Guns are like any tool, they wear and they break. The LAPD had some issues with their M82s, so they sent them back to Mr. Barrett. Mr. Barrett responded with the following letter:

An Open Letter From Ron Barrett – Barrett Firearms Manufacturing

Dear Fellow Citizens,

In the never-ending battle to destroy our constitution, more “big lie” propaganda is being dumped on our elected officials. The rhetoric given forth by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) so easily deceived the legislators of California, resulting in the banning of fifty caliber rifles because they are powerful and their bullets punch holes when they strike. Even single shot .50 cal rifles were banned. It’s hard to believe we live in such a dark time that someone has actually banned a single shot rifle. But as you will see, this is the cleverest of all gun bans, and the end goal is civilian disarmament, the confiscation of your tools of liberty, your rifles.

What lies before us is the continuation of the misinformation campaign, trying to coax yet another state to infringe upon the U.S. Constitution as California did. The anti-freedom/anti-gun movement has discovered how transparent they appear when they propose sweeping gun bans and now are successful by biting off a little at a time. Ever so small, many politicians are trading off your rights without you recognizing their violations.

First we had the “Saturday Night Special” which was all affordable handguns, then “sniper rifles” which were any scoped deer rifles. Those were obvious, too big a scam to go unnoticed, but with the creation and demonization of the term “assault weapon,” the Clinton’s Crime bill produced a wasted 10-year setback on your freedoms and safe gun design. Now comes another scam. This time they are shocked to discover that rifles are “accurate and powerful.”

This is the same bull the officials in the 1950′s fell for when they banned the self-unfolding knife. First the knife was demonized by giving it an evil name, “switchblade,” then we (the trusting public) were told that the problem of gang violence was solved with its banning. How ridiculous. It’s surprising they didn’t ban the leather jacket. In reality, gang violence was and is a serious social problem, but it was not related to manually unfolding verses self-unfolding knives. The elected officials voting to ban an object like a knife proved themselves unwilling or uncaring to understand the problem, and thus, incapable of any real solutions.

The handful of people that make up the VPC are solely responsible for the big lie on .50′s, claiming fantastic destruction capabilities. They manipulate fear by claiming terrorists will use these rifles on targets of our infrastructure. “They will shut down our airports in flames” they claim. VPC’s Tom Diaz refers to them as “super guns” lying to his dupable group of politicians, concealing the facts that there are many rifle cartridges that are comparable in performance (those will be added to the list in phase two). He is boldly telling these officials (and all who will listen) that the risk of terrorist attacks on these targets will be solved with the banning of powerful rifles, in this case, the .50 caliber rifle. In reality, terrorism is complex and will be defeated with improved intelligence. In this instance, the officials voting to ban an inanimate object like a rifle prove themselves to be ignorant of the problem of terrorism and are wasting time and resources.

You must understand the brilliance of this dangerous back door deception. Your politicians are being told that the fifty is a highly destructive cartridge that can destroy airplanes, fuel transport trucks and depot storages of fuel. They show videos like the one on 60 Minutes showing a 1/2 inch plate of steel being pierced by a .50 cal round while stopping a .308 caliber. This is all to confuse the people, those with little exposure to firearms; their impression concludes that the .50 punches holes in sensitive targets where other rifles cannot. Had they shot actual aluminum that is used on airplane construction, or aluminum or steel used in actual transport or tank construction, both the .50 and the .308 will pierce along with most all centerfire cartridges. But this, they must keep secret.

First, with the confusion of massive, (although incorrect) technical data and the hammering of urgency, the VPC demands a ban or strict regulations on rifles that chamber a cartridge that has the ability to penetrate targets. Sound ridiculous? It is.

VPC’s Tom Diaz appears often on TV with maps of Washington, DC, irresponsibly instructing where to position one’s self to illegally fire on vulnerable important targets of our government, promising these specific targets will be safe when .50′s are banned. He pressures politicians to act quickly on this URGENT legislation needed to make these terrorist targets safe, hoping they will act before the VPC lies are discovered.

Now slow down. A ban on a rifle because the cartridge it shoots penetrates targets? By the legislation naming and defining the targets that are damageable by rifle fire, and in this case, .50 cal. rifle fire, they create a new class of rifles. This new class is not defined by such foolishness as detachable magazines, flash hiders, or pistol grips. Instead, the test is; does it fire a bullet that punches a hole, and can the hole result in damage to specified and named targets? If so, the law-abiding citizen shouldn’t be allowed to have this, so they must ban this class of rifle before they can be misused. This is the very thing California has just passed!

“Now, we are only talking about those powerful .50 cals, right? It’s such a small class, no one will mind or even notice.” That’s what the VPC’s lies have led you to believe. No, remember they are banning rifles because specific targets named in our infrastructure are susceptible to damage. Now tell me, what centerfire rifle cartridge won’t punch holes in those targets? What centerfire rifle cartridge is not powerful? Not many or not any? So, in order to comply with the spirit and intent of the law, the Attorney General or State Secretary must add those cartridges to the banned list. The big lie is exposed. They aren’t just talking about .50′s. They’re after your hunting rifles, centerfire target rifles--just about any rifle you own.

Unlike California, we cannot allow any of our local, state, or federal officials to be deceived with any of this “big lie” gun control propaganda. The U.S. has every gun law that could possibly be needed. Virtually every real world scenario of firearm abuse is already covered in some law that is currently on the books.

Many of you have inquired as to the outcome of the letter I wrote to Police Chief Bratten of the LAPD. Unfortunately, the chief’s position did not change. He continued to use his officers in the same deceptive practices formerly utilized with the city council. These few officers testifying in Sacramento ultimately contributed to the unconstitutional AB50 law being passed. It saddened me to have to tell members of the LAPD SWAT team that they would have to send someone for their rifle, because I refused to assist anyone or any organization that is in violation of the United States Constitution. In turn, the department arranged to pick up their un-serviced rifle.

Barrett cannot legally sell any of its products to lawbreakers. Therefore, since California’s passing of AB50, the state is not in compliance with the US Constitution’s 2nd and 14th Amendments, and we will not sell nor service any of our products to any government agency of the State of California.

I appreciate all the phone calls and e-mails from LAPD officers and civilians during that time, encouraging and supporting our actions. We shall see if other firearms companies will follow this path. I know many are corporately owned and feel like they are unable to risk the life of their company for the liberties of our nation, but if we lose our Republic, our freedom, what good is any of it? I am in the proud and fortunate position that many of our forefathers were in when they risked all for our liberties.

“Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” ~ Patrick Henry

This “ban large bore” insanity failed in Washington years ago, but that didn’t discourage the VPC. Now it’s resurfacing in city council meetings, in individual states, and it’s being reintroduced in Washington. NRA-ILA Executive Director, Chris Cox, once told me “These (anti-freedom, anti-gun) guys never go away, and they never quit.”

I’ve received thousands of e-mails and letters from you offering encouragement and support. Our Republic, our liberty, needs and demands your support. You must take action to guard your rights. First, find your State Senator and State Representative. Tell them not to fall for this scam. This lie depends on the elected official being naive about firearms and their capabilities. Stand ready to carry this same message to your U.S. Senator and Representatives. Know all of your elected officials’ positions on gun issues. DO NOT ELECT ANY ANTI-GUN PERSON TO ANY POSITION!

Position yourself with me in the battles that we must fight. You need to join the NRA, the Fifty Caliber Shooters’ Association, and the NSSF in order to stay informed. These people have been with me in the trenches, fighting for every inch of the liberty you enjoy.

Today we draw a line; there will be no more nibbling at our freedom. Today you stand idle no longer. Today you do something to save our country!

Ronnie Barrett
Owner and CEO Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc.

The most important paragraph in the entire letter is this:

Barrett cannot legally sell any of its products to lawbreakers. Therefore, since California’s passing of AB50, the state is not in compliance with the US Constitution’s 2nd and 14th Amendments, and we will not sell nor service any of our products to any government agency of the State of California.

Lawbreakers. Oath breakers. Loathsome creatures of violence who seek to harm others under color of law, while hiding behind the skirts of DAs and judges who find the criminality of their “dogs” amusing. These repulsive bottom feeders delight in terrorizing innocent citizens, and gleefully enable criminals to act violently by metaphorically pinning the arms of the honest citizenry behind their backs by denying them the tools of self-defense. What a cancerous evil that would so eagerly see to it that a 90 year old woman must endure rape or violent death rather than be allowed the ownership of a simple pistol. The ghouls that infest the halls of government in Sacramento must be so proud of themselves . . . .

Now we come to the meat of my proposal. Mr. Barrett was right, but his scope must be expanded. They want to enact gun laws? OK. Let them.

Let the sight of their own Gorgon-esque laws turn them to stone.

I call upon every single firearms industry CEO, great and small, to deny sales and support to any government agency in a state with unconstitutional gun laws. There will be pain initially, but the eventual rewards will outweigh any short-term losses.

California has roughly 38 million residents. That is more than 10 percent of the population of these United States. Thus ten percent of the country is effectively closed to the firearms industry. Add in the populations of:

Illinois - 13,000,000
New York - 19,000,000
Connecticut - 4,000,000
Massachusetts - 6,000,000
New Jersey - 9,000,000
Maryland - 6,000,000

. . . and you come to a rough number of 95 million citizens behind enemy lines. Nearly a third of the country is unavailable to the firearms industry as potential buyers. Nearly a third of the country sees itself deprived of its civil rights under color of law on a daily basis.

This is an insane and blatant restraint of trade! More importantly, this is a wholly depraved, vicious, obscene, and hate-filled deprivation of civil rights motivated by people who themselves routinely display an utter indifference to the law as it regards themselves.

Every wholesaler, every manufacturer, every company or group or organization that makes or deals with firearms or firearm-related materials must immediately halt sales to any government agency within any state that so proudly trumpets their hatred of freedom, its citizens, and the Constitution.

These “leaders” spit on their citizen’s rights and enable the small-time criminals that imperil them? Officers of government at every level mock the oaths they swore? Fine! Fine! Deny them the tools they need to accomplish their daily goals.

No more weapons.

No more magazines.

No more replacement parts.

No more ammunition.

No more tactical gear.

No more body armor.

There must be solidarity in order for this to work. This will require shunning of those who break ranks. If any supplier breaks ranks with those of us on the side of freedom, they must be made to suffer. Those of us who labor on behalf of freedom must refuse to do further business with them. It worked to bring Smith & Wesson around to the path of enlightenment during the Clinton era, and it can certainly work now.

At this very moment, suppliers of weapons, magazines, and ammunition are unable to meet demand thanks to the efforts of the “community organizer”-in-Chief. The citizenry is the firearms industry’s biggest source of income, not the government. We need to recognize the power we wield. If we can force the governments of those hateful states to give back to the citizens what was never theirs to take, we will see not only a new dawn of freedom for those beleaguered souls, but dramatic new prosperity for the industry, a greater array of products, and better prices for us all. Freedom for them means increased growth and prosperity for us all.

Now is the time to push back legislatively and roll back any gun laws we can. Now is the time to push back economically and to the same.

Do it, Bushmaster. Do it, Winchester. Do it, Glock. Do it, Cerberus!

Do it, all of you. Each and every one of you who makes a product. Do it for them. Do it for us. Do it for yourselves. Hell man, we’re Americans! Do it for the damned profit!