The firearms industry has gone on full “alert” against gun control politicians who want to “do us in,” the nation’s top industry group declared at the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas.
“The State of the Industry tonight is alert. Alert to the challenges we face. Alert to those who would destroy our livelihoods and our avocations. Alert to false friends and false promises and misrepresentations about us,” said Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, sponsor of the annual show.
He warned members to be “Alert to false friends and false promises and misrepresentations about us. Alert to the fact that all elections—all elections—have consequences.”
Sanetti’s address to the industry was a sober tour of the current political landscape where President Obama and Hillary Clinton are pushing efforts to curb the Second Amendment and limit guns.
He focused on the upcoming elections and asked the industry to help educate voters about the impact votes for every office from president to county commissioner will have. He also warned it to be on alert for false promises of support.
“We think of the upcoming elections as a presidential election. Indeed it is; but it is so much more. This election is about your entire government, right down to the local level, which ultimately will determine the courses of all our lives, our industry, and the way of life we treasure,” he said, noting that politicians pick laws and judges.
And, Sanetti added, “Beware of politician’s’ statements that begin with, ‘I support the Second Amendment but…’ Check out how they vote; not just what they say. Some politicians who would do us in have come right out and said so—they’ve dropped all pretense of being respectful of lawful commence in firearms and have made it easy to choose. But make your choice known by educating all in this fine industry, through all the means at our disposal. And ultimately, by voting, and getting out the vote.”
He accused gun opponents of exploiting shootings to push their cause and warned gun makers to pay attention.
At the sold-out State of the Industry dinner, he said, “If I may paraphrase Winston Churchill during some pretty dark days of his own: We may experience some setbacks when a frightened and mislead public acts without thinking. We may find that our path forward has been temporarily blocked. We may even have to endure some period of darkness before the facts and the truth about lawful, responsible firearms ownership again conquer the powerful forces set against us. The road ahead will be arduous and costly. But the people are never fooled for long. They, and we, will prevail.”
Meet @KatiePavlich at @ProjChildSafe booth #2528 in Hall G today and get autographed book from 1:30-2:30 #shotshow pic.twitter.com/WxyysEqrHp
— SHOT Show (@nssfshotshow) January 21, 2016
Echoing the NRA, he said politicians and the media is pushing the cause of gun control.
“We have to face the fact that our industry is being blamed, and attacked, and pilloried unfairly by politicians, media and agenda-driven social engineers seeking a convenient scapegoat for the result of policies which, ironically, they themselves have championed. So, ladies and gentlemen, the state of our industry is, and must be throughout the year—alert,” said Sanetti.
For example, he said that the media and politicians have ignored the industry’s efforts to improve gun safety, including the distribution of 100 million trigger locks and the group’s projects to promote gun safety through Project ChildSafe and “Own it? Respect it. Secure it,” and it’s retailer education program “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
