After Russel Lesser's display of bigotry toward gun owners during his performance with his band, Thin Ice, this last weekend at the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair, I will not be purchasing anymore Body Glove products. I will also discourage my family, friends and customers from purchasing your products as well.
Alan Richmond
GunRightsAlert.com
Part of the Gun Rights Radio Network
GunRightsRadio.com
He got a reply:
Hey Alan, we got your email. Sorry you will not be purchasing any more Body Glove products as they are the best on the market. You also totally misread what our song was about. I have no problem with gun owners, and am ex-military myself. However, I, and the vast majority of other people I know who also totally respect 2nd amendment rights, think it shows very bad taste and lack of common sense to walk around a hometown fair full of children packing guns on your hip. When I read the quote in the paper by the eight year old kid that she was proud of her dad for protecting her at the fair with his gun, it was pathetic. How many incidences of violence where someone needed a gun to protect themselves in the 38 years of the fair have there been? Zero! There are good methods to promote a position and
bad ways. Overwhelmingly, the community either laughed at, or was upset at the SBOC threats to sue the volunteers who donate their time to put on the fair, and their actions only hurt their position.
Russ Lesser
To which Richmond responded:
Hi Russ,
Thank you for taking the time to respond.
On Monday 11 October 2010 11:04:42 am you wrote:
I have no problem with gun owners, However, I, and the vast majority of other people I know who also totally respect 2nd amendment rights, think it shows very bad taste and lack of common sense to walk around a hometown fair full of children packing guns on your hip.
That's exactly like when people said, "I have no problem with gay people, Ijust think it shows very bad taste for them to walk around holding hands infront of kids." It is a bigoted remark.
When I read the quote in the paper by the eight year old kid that she was proud of her dad for protecting her at the fair with his gun, it was pathetic. How many incidences of violence where someone needed a gun to protect themselves in the 38 years of the fair have there been? Zero!
Yea! And that's great. In 40 years I've never needed the fire extinguisher in my kitchen either but I'm going to keep it handy anyway. There are many,many places where mass shootings have occurred where it had not happened before. It only takes once. If I knew when I would need to protect my wife,children or myself I wouldn't go there in the first place but since I'm notable to predict the future I will continue to be prepared.
There are good methods to promote a position and bad ways. Overwhelmingly, the community either laughed at, or was upset at the SBOC threats to sue the volunteers who donate their time to put on the fair, and their actions only hurt their position.
"First they laugh at you, then they ignore you, then they fight you, then you win." - Gandhi
Overwhelmingly, fair goers were supportive and positive of the open carriers present.
Being out has proven to be a better strategy for acceptance than remaining in the closet for other groups. It is unfortunate that lawsuits were even mentioned but the promoters and the local police department were conspiring to violate civil rights (a serious Federal crime) by threatening to have people who were exercising their Constitutionally protected, specifically enumerated right to bear arms while in public, and breaking no law, locked in a cage. If reason doesn't prevail, threats to violate civil rights are best dealt with in the courts.
Again, I appreciate the time you took to respond.
Alan Richmond
GunRightsAlert.com
Part of the Gun Rights Radio Network
GunRightsRadio.com
Bigotry is offensive enough in the uneducated. When we see it displayed by the privileged, it becomes intolerable.
I think it's safe to label Body Glove an "anti-gun company."
Body Glove is essentially a marketing company now. There are plenty of alternatives available, no great loss.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5719520/beat_whitey_night_at_the_iowa_state.html?cat=17
ReplyDeleteGoogle "violence at Iowa State Fair" and read the Des Moines Register article. They won't call it a "hate crime", though it has all of the elements of a hate crime. Doing so would just create unnecessary "racial tensions". Do you think that a group of whites yelling "it's beat darkey night" at the state fair, and then actually doing it, wouldn't be charged with a hate crime? Do ya 'spose that a group of legally armed citizens would have been attacked by these racist thugs? I'd bet not. Firearms tend to make people who might otherwise get out of control behave themselves. Ahhhhhh well....
Any time, any place. Used to be, school shootings were unheard of, and family restaurants, and churches.
ReplyDeleteThis guy wants guns not seen in public, so he can say "Look around. Nobody carries guns in public. Why have them?"