Does buying guns and related paraphernalia...

[jsbhike]

I'm not sure what you mean.

Where the perks go demonstrate where the sympathies/allegiances of those businesses are at and in most cases it certainly isn't with private citizens.

[TexHill]

Bill Ruger once upon a time. Why I still will never spend a cent with the company. (And yes, I own zero Benchmade, EOTech, RRA, and Springfield Armory as well. Didn't divest. Simply didn't have any to begin with. Got lucky on the Springfield one as I always kinda wanted an M1 but never bought.) I'm sure most companies have written a donation check I would disagree with over time, but Ruger helping to craft legislation thinking that the guillotine wouldn't come for him any time soon was a bridge too far.

When you say you always wanted an M1, do you mean an M1 Garand or the Springfield M1A - which is an M14 clone?

Milsurp Springfield Armory M1 Garands were manufactured by the government at the armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. The M1A is manufactured by Springfield Armory Inc., which was started in Texas in 1974, but the company eventually relocated to Springfield, Illinois.

It's real easy to get the two entities confused if you don't know their histories.

[26 Inf]

It should, but it really depends what you buy and where.

Or to use an analogy, buying porn "should" help support first amendment free speech issues and it does to a limited extent, unless of course you have "free speech" views regarding religion, guns or things of that nature.

You should also keep in mind firearm related businesses often buy "opinion insurance" by supporting "common sense" gun laws. Unless a company actually makes AR-15s, they probably think "nobody needs an AR-15." When it comes to profits or threatening the profits of a board of directors they will throw anyone and everyone under the bus.

In "common sense" land everyone who LAWFULLY owns a firearm should immediately realize "they are talking about ME" when people mention reasonable gun control because we already have laws that prohibit criminal use of firearms or even lawful ownership of firearms by criminals. So when they talk about new laws, they are talking about further restrictions on the law abiding gun owner. So collectors, hobbyist, recreational target shooters, hunters and all the other people dabble in firearms need to realize they are legislating their own rights away one little bit at a time.

But people who believe in "reasonable limits on guaranteed personal freedom" do this kind of thing all the time. They support laws that limit their expression of free speech, their practice of religion, what they can read, what they can view and what they can own. And if you can get enough non critical thinkers together, they will cheerfully vote their own freedoms away so they won't be at the mercy of other people with freedoms that cause them concern.

Of course that's when people actually get the opportunity to actually vote or demand representation for their government. The reality is it's pretty much all just an elaborate shell game where Group A represents half of the views you agree with and Group B represents the other half of the views you agree with and they tell you it's an "all or nothing game" while taking turns limiting your rights and actual influence on government.

There are a few issues where a strong powerful group can make a government pay "holy hell" if they overreach. These include abortion, racism against minorities and once upon a time guns.

You said that well.

[ralph]

Nobody from his era is there now. They make and sell all the things Bill Ruger was against. (Small pistols, big magazines)

Yes, he turned traitor. That was 30 years ago. Hes been dead for almost 20 years. You aren't causing him any grief.

The company threw his policies in the garbage. They have given NRA/ ILA millions of dollars. (For what that's worth)

It's over. Ruger fans won. It's perfectly okay to buy and enjoy new Ruger products.

Quite true..Bill Ruger was no doubt an ass..but he's been gone a long time and his policys have been thrown on to the scrap heap of history..I'll give Ruger credit, they've changed and changed alot, Bill would shit himself if he saw what they were making now. I've no problem with Ruger..I've got a GP100 Match Champion, that's probably one of the best wheelguns I own, (and I own 5 S&W's) quality wise at this point in time, I'd say their revolvers are a little better than S&W.. And, they don't have that stupid lock either..