A copy of my e-mail to Smith & Wesson:
ExTank
Here is my e-mail to them.
I have read at least 50 e-mails to them so far. I can only imagine how many they have received.
So did S&W respond to either of you? I’m curious what their form letter has to say. Or did they take the trouble to send you a personal response?
No response yet (I sent it yesterday).
I have been reading stuff all over the net about pissed off gun owners.
And remember, we are the only people (besides government contracts) that can keep them alive.
HCI isn’t going to buy any of their guns, no matter how shitty they make them. All they can do is offer an empty promise to stop blackmailing them.
And once someone dies from a “new” gun, how much do you want to bet that HCI sues again?
Which is just what HCI was hoping for. They’ll try to convince all the other manufacturers to do the same and they’ll all eventually go out of business from the boycotts.
At least, I hope so.
When all else fails, ask Cecil.
As a woman who owns a gun (and knows how to use it), I must say… I feel safer knowing I have it. If someone was to break into my house at least I know I would have a shot (no pun intended) at protecting myself and my two children. Regardless of whether or not the intruder has a weapon or is someone I know… they still have no business being in my house and I will have no problem blowing their fucking head off.
For those that don’t own a gun… that’s your choice. But when and if the shit hits the fan, your local police will arrive in time to find your dead lifeless bodies lying on the floor, kitchen knife, golf club, knitting needle (whatever “weapon” you choose to have) in your cold dead hand.
That John Denver’s full of shit man!
Or…
We will all just buy Berrettas. They seem to be doing just fine fighting off the leeches. In fact, they have refused to take a million dollar bribe from the State of Maryland (their home state)for them to support and research smart gun technology.
Glock seems to be doing a good job avoiding compromise so far. Hell, they don’t even have safeties!!!
As the supply market shrinks, the demand will continue to increase. The manufactuers that do not compromise will end up makng more money.
Hopefully the backlash will be sufficient to keep the other manufacturers from doing the same.
You can also sleep soundly with the full knowledge that America still has enough capitalism in it’s veigns to start up a new gun manufacturing company if all the current ones folded.
Just think, if we opened a “NEW” company to manufacture guns, wouldn’t we be insulated from all these lawsuits?
Or, if they become hard to aquire, the rich will still be able to afford them, and you will have suceeded in leaving out the poor once again.
Or…
When all these towns get sued for filing frivilous lawsuits and all the current suits have been thrown out of court, people like me will have long memories about who did what. S&W will never recapture the loyalty it lost yesterday.
He’s a human being.
Someone please explain to me why it’s all right for Americans to criticize foreigners but it’s not all right for them to criticize us?
When all else fails, ask Cecil.
Don’t make jokes like that. Some people have said that in all seriousness.
No one ever died gloriously. Or killed gloriously, for that matter. What are you, a goddamn Klingon? Death is no less a tragedy because of the circumstances.
I was born in Texas (I know this screed was directed at someone else) and left there when I was 19. I’m glad. Every year, that state does something that makes me ashamed I’m from there and that is another one. So many morons who want the state to once again be the “paradise” it was in the 19th century, with every one walking around armed. And, of course, “An armed society is a polite society.” :rolleyes: And I guess a disarmed society is a rude one??? :rolleyes: again
I hope Gore beats Bush so bad, he crawls back crying to Mommy and Poppy.
When all else fails, ask Cecil.
Hey now…Glock has lots of safeties. They’re all internal. In fact, Glock has the best safety of all: The trigger. You pull it when it’s loaded, a shot discharges. You don’t pull it, a shot won’t discharge. No matter what you do, short of modifying the gun (which is, of course, illegal and against safety recommendations from the manufacturer).
There are no dangerous weapons,
Only dangerous men.
Joe Cool
:::ssshhhhhh…::::
(I’m trying to give Jab a heart attack)
Here you go Jab…
Now you can sleep better at night.
The Federal payoff is coming through. Enjoy this kind of thuggery while it is pointed in the direction you favor, but one day condoning this type of crap will come back to bite you on the ass.
[quote]
The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the mayors of Atlanta, Detroit and Miami moved today to see that their law enforcement agencies give preference to Smith & Wesson when buying guns and called on others to follow suit.
The preference would apply to “any gun makers that adopt a new code of responsible conduct,” but — for the time being at least — that means Smith & Wesson.
[quote]
Payoffs aside, the one thing I agree with is forcing law enforcement to have the same weapons as the civilians. Let’s see how law enforcement feels about downgrading their weapons.
I figure the first time a cop gets killed because his weapon doesn’t work, we will see all the cops fleeing back to Glocks.
In addition, I promise that the cops will not have any of this garbage on their backup guns.
casdave: “So do we have nuclear weapons as a deterrant? No its just something we can use to swagger around with pretending that we are bigger than we really are.” I believe, sir, that the second sentence pretty much defines what some folks would consider a show of force - in other words, a deterrant. If one “swaggers around” pretending they have more capabilities than they really have, we would consider that ‘bad guys’ might think twice about a confrontation.
“I would hate you to think that I was drawing any kind of analagy between any gun owner and British posturing.” Are you saying that Britain swaggers around, defending her right to be thought of as a world power and that you don’t intend to compare responsible gun owners to that image? Or do you mean that gun owners in the U.S. are cretins who should be disarmed while Britain has a sacrosanct right to keep nuclear weapons to defend against ‘bad guys’?
You pretty much lost me with the doulblespeak, casdave. Perhaps I just lost the train of thought. Please let me know how I misinterpreted your comments. I was trying to portray the need of the means of self-defense by parties large and small.
Jab1: as a bordeline atheist (strong agnostic) I don’t believe that we humans go to Heaven or Hell or to the Great Pumkin Patch.
I do, however, believe that we humans might have an unidentifiable something, be it a soul, or an essence, or what-have-you.
But the only true immortality we have is the memories others have of us; our families, friends and communities.
To die an untimely death is not good, but better it be given for an honorable cause rather than getting hit by a bus while crossing the street because you failed to look both ways.
War may or may not be an honorable cause, depending on the circumstances and who you ask. But selfless service, faith and trust in your comrades, honor in service; these are noble things done by noble spirits.
If the cause be just, then these few who render the ultimate sacrifice are remembered as honored men and women, and their memories are preserved, in us the living, as an example and reminder of the price we pay for Freedom.
If the cause be vile, even the military virtues of loyalty, bravery and honor are respected, even in our enemies.
These are not fictional traits created by Gene Rodenberry abd science-fiction; they have been and still are a fundamental trait of the human species.
As to my comment about “pissing me off”, your point is well taken. I didn’t think about the fact that those here who don’t know me may not recognize my twisted sense of Leary-esque humor.
I sicerely apologize to anyone here who may have felt threatened by my comment. I would never, ever intentionally harm another person except in self defense, or in the defense of another in danger of losing life or limb
As to your leaving Texas: good riddance! We are a free people once again; crime is down, business are moving in and our economy [Texas’] is improving (and it wasn’t bad to start with!). You see, low crime means happy, productive Citizens, which is attractive to businesses.
This creates jobs, and opportunities, especially for the lower income brackets. Jobs and opportunities create a sense of optimism, and helps to eliminate the Cycle of Poverty, allowing for Urban Renewal, which creates more jobs abd opportunities, as well as bring culture to our cities, which in turn makes them more attractive to companies and people, reinforcing the Cycle of Growth.
If you find all of that so horrific, try Cuba. I think they’ll find a place for you to work on the Socialist’s Sunshine Paradise Happy People’s AgroCollective #7.
ExTank
“Gone to Texas!”
RADAR,
What I’m saying is that while Britain has been swaggering around attempting to be a major world power at great financial cost to itself,the gesture has been an empty one because our nuclear deterrant is not as independant as seems.
Quoting myself,
Can you imagine us launching without American approval?-no
I hope that I implied that we had used valuable resources wastefully and that these could have been used more effectively in stimulating our economy by investing in education and research or by reducing our budget deficit which has given us higher inflation and higher interest rates.
Responsible gun owners do not swagger around trying to impress, they don’t need to,
Who was it said ‘Talk in a quiet voice and carry a big stick’ or something very much like it? Does this sound like Britain to you with it’s nuclear posturing?-no
This looks like material for another thread to me.
ExTank ,
You have hit the nail on the head about a safe place being a good place to do business.
Good economies are probably more effective at dealing with crime and disorder than any amount of guns for personal protection.
Poverty and crime go hand in hand-Mix that in with freely available guns and you are bound to have problems.
I think there’s a circular argument in there somewhere.EX-TANK it’s all yours…
KarmaComa:
Oh really? Then 'tis you who is the moron my friend (that Darwinian theory notwithstanding). Below are a couple of sites you may wish to visit but for starters there are: tarmac, penicillin, antiseptic, television, telephone (Bell may have later become a naturalised Canadian, but, well, that’s his problem really), the bicycle, the US Navy (oh the shame), whisky, the pneumatic tyre, the telegraph, radar, and literally hundreds of others…
Only a gun-lover would argue that a safer weapon is a downgraded one. Since you love comparing cars and guns so often, I guess you also believe a car with seatbelts, shoulder harnesses and properly-designed airbags has been “downgraded.”
Some of you have and probably will argue that the best safety device lies between the ears of the person holding the weapon. Pardon me for wanting something far more reliable than fallible human perceptions and judgment.
And I hope that any cop who ever uses such a backup weapon is properly reprimanded-- That is, I hope he’s drummed out of the department. I don’t care if he succeeded in his goal. You shouldn’t try to uphold one law by breaking another. It’s hypocritical.
When all else fails, ask Cecil.
I don’t think we have even that.
I agree. I hope everyone remembers me as a pacifist. (Though I’d prefer to receive the accolades before I die.)
I have no respect for the misguided who died for Hitler or Stalin or Mao Tse Tung or the Confederacy or who went to fight in Vietnam, whether as volunteers or conscripts to name just a few. They should have known their cause was unjust and refused to participate in it, even at the cost of their own freedom or lives.
I voted for Clinton BECAUSE he dodged the draft, not in spite of it.
I still make occaisional visits to see the relatives. But it’s a big place, so it’s unlikely our paths will cross.
You always were. (Well, the white males always were.)
No, I prefer China. I like the food. 
Seriously, though, I’m quite well aware that people are not free in Cuba. But what is the difference between people who are prisoners of their government and people who are prisoners of their own beliefs? Government is easier to overthrow. It will happen eventually, perhaps upon Castro’s death, though I’m sure he already has his successor picked out. (Who knows? Maybe the next guy will surprise us and be more reasonable?)
Violence causes more problems than it solves. You, sir, do not believe that, so you are a prisoner of your incorrect belief.
I read your post on the other thread UncleBeer referred to. Besides being a Klingon, I guess you also fancy yourself as Audie Murphy and Daniel Boone. What a wonderful fantasy life you have. Let us know when you decide to re-join us in reality.
When all else fails, ask Cecil.
Misguided? I would think not. If it were not for these ‘misguided’ men and women who bravely fought you would not be enjoying the freedoms you have today. If all Americans had your attitude there would not have been an American Revolution to begin with. We would still be under England’s control. I had brothers that served in the Vietnam War. Believe me it was not their choice. But they went because it was for the country that they love and support. They certainly could have refused to fight, as Americans though the years could have. Where would you be sitting right now if that had happened? Not in a free nation you can rest assured. Using your words, we should just disban all our military defense and just send them home and let the chips fall where they may. A few months in Cuba or China either one would probably do you good. It might open your eyes to some things you seem to have forgotten. If you think that our military men and women enjoy the act or even the thought of taking another life then you need to speak with some of them sometimes. Then again this is probably another debate.
I’ve learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Freedom:
Mind-bogglingly inane statements like that merely serve to show your total ignorance and insularity.
Seems like tens of thousands of your countrymen (and women) disagree as a walk down Princes Street in Edinburgh (more so than Glasgow) on a summers day will yield a high percentage of American visitors. In fact at certain times of the year you would be very fortunate to bump into a Scotsman at all. And again, your Mel Gibson comment is testament to your idiocy and nothing else. One of the most hilarious things I have read in a long time concerns an American tourist standing beside the Wallace monument and proudly stating: “Y’know it’s really nice of you guys to build this monument for Mel”. As for your comments on relevancy, well on what grounds? Much as I hate to admit it (I hope TomH isn’t reading this) our relevancy is measured by how relevant Britain is (take from that what you will).
Now why would that be?
Take a look at your phone directory and look up the first occurence of “Mc” or “Mac”. Depending on where in the US you are there will be thousands. Pretty near as damn all of those are of Scottish origin.