GunsGun manufacturers take action against states which passed tough gun laws

Gun manufacturers are starting to push back against strict gun laws in some states by refusing to sell their products to   law enforcement agencies  in these states.

CBS Boston reports that Wilson Combat, based in Arkansas, and at least one more gun company from the same state, have joined the no-sale movement. Large  gun manufacturers such as Glock, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Sig Sauer have decided not to use the no-sale tactics,  saying that direct political pressure is on lawmakers in these states would be a more effective way  to fight restrictive gun laws.

“Wilson Combat will in no way support the government of these states or their anti-gun agenda that only limits the rights of law-abiding citizens,” Ryan Wilson, the company’s vice president, said in a release.

The company, which adopted  its no-sale policy in February, said it will continue to supply products or services which are legally allowed to nongovernment-affiliated citizens in the no-sale states.

Those supporting the no-sale approach say they are trying  to put the same shackles on law enforcement that some states have put on their citizens. Firearms manufacturers say the will apply the no-sale measure to state and municipal law-enforcement agencies  in California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. The no-sale approach also applies to  officers and state employees buying guns as individuals.

So far, more than 110 specialty manufacturers of firearms have joined the movement, which calls itself the Firearm Equality Movement.

 “When major law enforcement agencies and organizations start to publicly stand up for the Second Amendment, then I’m sure the gun industry will begin to reconsider our position,”Wilson Combat’s Ryan Wilson said.

John Grebert, executive director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police Inc. said the movement could become a safety issue for police officers if it becomes a long term situation.

“It’s troubling to us,” Gebert told CBS Boston. “Individual police officers have nothing to do with this new legislation,” Grebert added. “They’re not the ones anyone should be blaming.”

Nighthawk Custom, another gun company based in Arkansas, has taken a different route. Craig Gholson, the company’s president and chief executive officer, told CBS Boston that his company is donating money to the Institute for Legislative Action, the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association.

“You’re not going to scare politicians like that,” he said about the no-sale movement. Instead, Gholson feels a strong lobbying effort is the best way to protect Second Amendment freedoms.