Arsenal supports Harry Reid

[MR Redneck]

As you stated earlier. It's why we are in the soup. The mess we have can be blamed on professional pols, and our voting for who's "electable" instead of those who believe as we do, and aren't afraid to go do something about this mess . Only now have people started to vote for real change. The ole Repubs and Dems can't stand it either.
But are we too late?

Ha!! You'll know when its too late because everybody will start shooting.
Dividing a country is what starts civil wars.

 

[TheDan]

Seems like it is a lesser of two evils thing.

Well I can understand having to hold your nose while you vote, but that doesn't mean you have to publicly endorse the "lesser of two evils"... Especially if you know that you're going to alienate your customer base by doing so. Not a very bright bulb there.

 

[SC-Texas]

Did Reid vote for the AWB in 1994?

Yes or no?

 

[texas skeeter]

Did Reid vote for the AWB in 1994?

Yes or no?

You tell me... seems i "CANT" find "ANY" votes below that was FOR/PRO-GUN from SCARRY REID!!!!!
(Gun Owners of America) – Nevada Senator Harry Reid claims to be a defender of the Second Amendment. Is that really the case? You decide. Here is a list of votes he has cast over the past twenty years in the U.S. Senate:
1. June 28, 1991—Voted for a 5 day waiting period for handgun purchases (Vote No. 115).
2. November 19, 1993—Voted to eliminate the five-year sunset in the Brady Bill’s five day waiting period, which would have made the waiting period permanent (Vote No. 386).
3. November 19, 1993—Voted to end a filibuster led by pro-gun Senators against the Brady Bill (Vote No. 387).
4. November 20, 1993—Voted for the Brady Bill, which imposed a 5-day waiting period before purchasing a handgun (Vote No. 394).
5. August 25, 1994—Voted to end a filibuster led by pro-gun Senators against the Clinton Crime Bill, which contained the ban on many semi-automatic firearms (the so-called “assualt weapons ban; Vote No. 294).
6. August 25, 1994—Voted for the Clinton Crime Bill, which contained the ban on many semi-automatic firearms (the so-called “assault weapons” ban; Vote No. 295).
7. April 17, 1996—Voted to expand the statute of limitations for paperwork violations in the National Firearms Act from 3 years to 5 years (Vote No. 64).
8. June 27, 1996—Voted to destroy 176,000 M-1 Garand rifles from World War II, and 150 million rounds of .30 caliber ammunition, rather than giving them to the Federal Civilian Marksmanship program (Vote No. 178).
9. September 12, 1996—Voted to spend $21.5 million for a study on putting “taggants” in black and smokeless gunpowder (Vote No. 287).
10. September 12, 1996—Voted to make it a Federal crime to possess a gun within 1,000 feet of any school, private or public, and impose a 5-year prison sentence for violating the law (Vote No. 290).
11. July 28, 1998—Voted against killing an amendment offered by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) to prohibit the importation of firearm magazines holding over 10 rounds that were manufactured before the 1994 ban was enacted (Vote No. 240).
12. May 12, 1999—Voted to ban the private sales of firearms at gun shows unless buyers submitted to background registration checks. Draconian restrictions would have also been imposed on gun show promoters, expanding federal authority in this area (Vote No. 111).
13. May 13, 1999—Voted to ban the importation of ammunition magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds (Vote No. 116).
14. May 14, 1999—Voted for an amendment introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) that would regulate the transfer of firearms over the Internet (Vote No. 119).
15. May 18, 1999—Voted for an amendment to force gun sellers to include trigger locks with every handgun sold (Vote No. 122).
16. May 20, 1999—Voted for legislation to subject repair shop and pawn shop transactions to the same registration and background check requirements as purchases from dealers—even if a person was reclaiming his own firearm (Vote No. 133).
17. May 20, 1999—Voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that would ban private sales at gun shows, unless the buyer first submits to a background registration check. Even displaying a firearm at a gun show, and subsequently transferring that gun to a non-licensee, would result in a two-year prison sentence. The amendment would also have granted BATF open-ended inspection authority to harass vendors at gun shows, and explicitly gives BATF the right to keep a gun owner registration list for up to 90 days. This amendment passed 51-50, with Vice President Al Gore breaking the tie (Vote No. 134).
18. May 20, 1999—Voted for the Clinton Juvenile Justice bill, which contained a host of gun control provisions (Vote No. 140).
19. July 28, 1999—Voted to end a filibuster on the Clinton Juvenile Justice bill. The filibuster was led by Sen. Bib Smith (R-NH) because of concerns with the gun control provisions in the bill (Vote No. 224).
20. February 2, 2000—Voted for an amendment offered by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) to help the cities bring frivolous suits against gun makers (Vote No. 4).
21. March 2, 2000—Voted for an amendment offered by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) blaming school violence on the fact that Congress “failed to pass reasonable, common-sense gun control measures” and call for new gun ownership restrictions on the anniversary of the Columbine shootings (Vote No. 28).
22. March 2, 2000—Voted to use Federal taxpayer funds to hand out anti-gun literature in schools and to run anti-gun public service announcements (Vote No. 32).
23. April 6, 2000—Voted for and cosponsored a “sense of the Senate” amendment urging the passage of new gun control restrictions (Vote No. 64).
24. March 2, 2000—Voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) urging the passage of the ant-gun juvenile crime bill being opposed by GOA (Vote No. 28).
25. April 10, 2000—Voted for a non-binding amendment offered by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) urging the House-Senate conferees to get the juvenile anti-gun bill to the floor of each chamber by April 20 (Vote No. 64).
26. May 17, 2000—Voted with 29 other F-rated Senators against an amendment stating “the right of each law-abiding United States citizen to own a firearm for any legitimate purpose, including self-defense or recreation, should not be infringed.” (Vote No. 103).
27. May 17, 2000—Voted for a resolution praising the participants of the so-called Million Mom March, and calling on Congress to pass the anti-gun juvenile crime bill that GOA was fighting (Vote No. 104).
28. April 2, 2001—Voted for the Incumbent Protection Act, so-called campaign finance reform (Vote No. 64).
29. March 20, 2002—Voted to end a filibuster of the odious Incumbent Protection bill. The blatantly unconstitutional legislation squelches the voice of groups like Gun Owners of America in the final days before an election. By making it difficult, if not impossible, for groups to criticize the anti-gun actions of legislators prior to an election, incumbents are able to duck accountability for those actions (Vote No. 53).
30. February 26, 2004—Voted for an amendment to require all handgun purchasers to pay an implicit “gun tax” by requiring them to buy a trigger lock when they purchase their handgun, irrespective of need. In addition, the amendment would create a broad cause of action against gun owners who fail to actually use the storage device to lock up their firearms (Vote No. 17).
31. March 2, 2004—Voted to outlaw the private sale of firearms at gun shows unless the buyer agrees to submit to an FBI background registration check. This legislative would have effectively eliminated gun shows because of stringent requirements placed on event sponsors (Vote No. 25).
32. July 28, 2005—Voted for an amendment to require all handgun purchasers to pay an implicit “gun tax” by requiring them to buy a trigger lock when they purchase their handgun, irrespective of need (Vote No. 207).
33. September 29, 2005—Voted against John Roberts for Supreme Court Justice. Roberts’ record and testimony to the Senate show that he is strong advocate for Second Amendment rights. Had Reid’s position prevailed on this vote, the 5-4 decisions in Heller and McDonald could have gone the other way (Vote No. 245).

 

[SC-Texas]

He voted to end the filibuster on the AWB and he voted for the AWB.

He is no better than a fucking NAZI that put jews on trains to extermination camps during the war and after the war said that he was against NAZI policies.

REID is a bad guy and not a friend to gun owners.

NEVER FORGET: If they vote once for GUN CONTROL then they need to go!

 

[atticus]

Good job, Skeeter. To me, the worst anti-gun votes were those for anti-gun judges on the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and District Courts. Those anti-gun judicial votes just don't lend themselves to the spin machines. Reid is a weak man who would sell his own children if he could make a political profit from it. He needs to be retired to Searchlight, or Vegas, or Antarctica, whichever puts him at the safest distance from Congress. What a pathetic excuse for a statesman. Now ask me how I really feel.

 

[AcidFlashGordon]

Good job, Skeeter. To me, the worst anti-gun votes were those for anti-gun judges on the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and District Courts. Those anti-gun judicial votes just don't lend themselves to the spin machines. Reid is a weak man who would sell his own children if he could make a political profit from it. He needs to be retired to Searchlight, or Vegas, or Antarctica, whichever puts him at the safest distance from Congress. What a pathetic excuse for a statesman. Now ask me how I really feel.

Er....OK. How do you really feel?

 

[k-var corp]

Below is the CEO of Arsenal Incs response. I took this directly from their website this afternoon.

Letter from the CEO

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dear Friends,

I’m writing this statement in response to the unfounded allegations against Arsenal Inc. and misrepresentations of my persona as a supporter of anti-gun politicians.

Wasting time bragging about my accomplishments is not what I do. Nor do I like to boast about “the good things” that I do for the 2nd Amendment and the firearms industry.
However, the recent accusations that have been snowballing on the Internet are extremely disturbing and need to be addressed. Unfortunately, these Internet accusations are replete with exaggerations, false information, and in some instances intentional malice for personal gain. The 2nd Amendment is the most important thing in my life. I have not only built my livelihood around the principles embodied in the 2nd Amendment, but have also dedicated all of my spare time and resources toward protecting and strengthening it.

My championing of the 2nd Amendment began very early in my life when I realized that the 2nd Amendment was more than just the right to own a firearm. Rather, I understood that the 2nd Amendment was designed and crafted as a protection for the rest of the God given rights embodied in our Constitution and that no individual or institution should ever be allowed to take that right away.

My dedication to and fight for the 2nd Amendment lead to a passion for Kalashnikov rifles. From the beginning, importing and manufacturing Kalashnikov rifles proved to be an extremely difficult task. I was fighting an uphill battle due to the unfair demonization of the AK rifles by the anti-gun media and special interest groups. Nevertheless, I saw success and was able to create successful businesses founded upon the AK rifle.

Over the years I have run my businesses and my life according to my strong beliefs. I have instilled the same passion and dedication that I have for the 2nd Amendment into the culture of my companies and have not spared company resources to protect and advance the rights and privileges afforded under the Constitution. My companies are involved, support, and are often the driving force behind pro-gun organizations and initiatives. Both Arsenal Inc. and K-Var Corp. have fought for the right to own and bear arms and are active members of a number of organizations. To name a few:
[/FONT]​

• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Arsenal Inc. is a board member of the Firearms Import/Export Roundtable (“FAIR”) Trade Group (read more at FireArms Import), and Walker English (Sales Director of Arsenal Inc.) is the current president of the organization. [/FONT]​
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]K-Var Corp. is a voting member of National Shooting Sports Foundation (“NSSF”).[/FONT]​
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I’m a long-time member of the National Rifle Association (“NRA”) and staunch supporter of NRA-ILA.[/FONT]​
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For the past couple of years, both Arsenal Inc. and K-Var Corp. have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to these and other pro-2nd Amendment organizations, and paid tens of thousands of dollars in membership fees to sustain their operations. We have also donated fifty-thousand dollars to the Kalashnikov Foundation in Russia. For being small businesses, these are huge commitments, especially during these economic times.[/FONT]​
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In the recent years, Arsenal Inc. has donated rifles to museums and organizations, including the NRA museum in Fairfax, Virginia and museums in Russia, to help the next generation learn and appreciate various kinds of firearms and understand the broader implications of the 2nd Amendment and the dangers of allowing special interest groups to arbitrarily ban certain types of firearms.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I am not providing this list to boast about our efforts. That is not and has never been my style. I live my life not to collect credits, but to do things because they are the right thing to do. Most of you are not aware of what goes on behind the scenes to assure each of us and our children will have the right to bear arms. As a staunch advocate for gun owners, the 2nd Amendment, and the firearm industry, I have lead and been a part of multiple endeavors in order to expand and protect our Constitutional rights.

Of note, not so many years ago the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) had a different interpretation of the 922r and was of the belief that an imported firearm could not be converted to a non-importable configuration (i.e. to have a pistol grip, ability to accept high capacity magazine, bayonet lug, threaded barrel, flash hider, etc.). I disagreed with the ATF and hired a well-known brilliant firearms attorney from Washington, DC, Richard Gardiner, who was able to convince ATF otherwise. We all know how this contributed to firearm owners and the firearm industry as a whole. It was thanks to these events that today we can own so many different types of otherwise non-importable firearms in the United States. In addition to the foregoing, we recently voted for and are supporting a lawsuit brought through FAIR Trade Group against ATF regarding the importation of barrels. Although Arsenal Inc. and K-Var Corp. has already imported enough barrels to remain in the manufacturing business for a very, very long time, we did as always, what was best for the 2nd Amendment, gun owners, and the industry as a whole.

However, Arsenal Inc. and K-Var Corp.’s fight against anti-gun forces is not just in Washington. Unfortunately, anti-gun International forces have been attacking private gun ownership world-wide through the United Nations. I’m happy to say that Arsenal Inc. through its affiliations with the FAIR Trade Group, a member of the World Forum, has a voice in the UN and has been fighting the international fight. By way of example, the Voluntary Restraint Agreement (“VRA”) unfairly stops imports from Russia reaching United States gun enthusiasts and collectors. However, we have been working with both sides, the United States and Russia, on eliminating or minimizing the VRA. On a domestic level, Arsenal Inc. and K-Var have been constantly pressured not to make our products available in the Californian market. Nevertheless, we recently made some tough decisions and are working on coming up with California compliant models for our unjustly disadvantaged clientele in California.

Clearly, when issues come up we are always ready to jump into action. Whether its restrictions on lead ammunition, enforcement of micro stamping, or restrictive gun laws due to the Mexico Drug Cartel we, as industry leaders, flew to Washington, DC and met with Senators and Congressmen on both sides of the isle providing the gun owners’ views and preventing new, restrictive laws going into effect.

Coming back to the issue of Senator Harry Reid, I would like to make clear that neither Arsenal Inc., K-Var Corp., nor I personally have made any donation to Senator Reid’s campaign nor have we solicited anyone to vote for him. We did not draft the letter that has been circulating in the Internet. Nor did we participate in the event where the letter was released.

However, we are legitimately concerned about this particular political race. Harry Reid holds the most important position in the United States Senate as Senate Majority Leader. As such, Harry Reid has significant input on what laws will come out of the committees and ultimately be voted on by the Senate. If he loses his position, it will be filled by either Chuck Schumer or Dick Durbin. As most of you know, the United States Senate lead by either Schumer or Durbin would be a gun owners’ worst nightmare. One can only imagine a United States Senate headed by either Schumer or Durbin combined with the most aggressive anti-gun administration in history. This view is not solely mine. Most of the gun rights groups, industry leaders, and gun owners that are aware of this hellish possibility are rightfully concerned.

Our hope is that we are able to get enough Republican votes to take the majority of the Senate. However, if Republicans are unable to retake the Senate, we believe that it is important to maintain a good working relationship with Senator Reid. Unlike the other Democrats, such as Schumer and Durbin, he has worked with Arsenal Inc., FAIR, NSSF, NRA, and other pro-2nd Amendment organizations in the past and has demonstrated a strong willingness to reason with the current anti-gun administration on our behalf.

To exemplify our working relationship with Senator Reid, when President Obama was looking into pushing the ratification of the Organization of American States Treaty (“OAS Treaty”), he asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to evaluate the situation. For those who have read and understand the OAS Treaty it is extremely dangerous! The OAS Treaty would put into place some of the most restrictive gun laws and regulations one could imagine. The OAS Treaty would literally make it illegal to do any work on your firearm (including something a simple as attaching a scope or changing a stock). What is treacherous about treaties is that according to Article 6 of the Constitution they can take over constitutional rights that you now enjoy. Senator Reid turned to a local company (Arsenal Inc.) to see how this would affect the firearms industry and firearms ownership. We took this very seriously and got our friends involved at the gun rights groups: FAIR, NSSF, etc. We were extremely excited to learn that our efforts paid off and we were able to stop this treaty – at least for now.

This current election is very important and, whether we like it or not, politics and politicians are moving against our 2nd Amendment freedoms. If my view and approach is different from the one you have – that is OK. The important thing is that we are all on the same side on the issue of the 2nd Amendment. We should all try to work together to protect and preserve our 2nd Amendment rights. God knows how many anti-gun interest groups are out there that would like to take us apart and take our rights away.

Sincerely,
Vartan Barsoumian
Chief Executive Officer
Arsenal, Inc. [/FONT]​

 

[SiscoKid]

I still don't agree with his analysis. Have seen it put the same way in several place. I think it's hogwash, they are trying to BS some dumb gun owners, and may be swinging some in NV.

So the thinking is that Reid should stay because he is pro gun but if he's defeated then an anti gun senator would take over?

How about ONE LESS DEMOCRAT to further the democrat agenda? So what if Schumer or whatever is the head guy? He will have one less vote, we will be one senator closer to a majority. Even if we don't get the majority, the difference between 51-49 demos with Sharon Angle elected is a lot better than 52-48 demos with Reid in.

More than one way to look at it. Or to skin a cat.

 

[Texan2]

Angle is a FAR FAR better choice than Reid....