This boycott is spreading like wildfire. Here's an article from the Idah Falls Post Register:
http://www.idahonews.com/03242000/a_sectio/105021.htm
Friday, March 24, 2000 - © Post Register
Some local gun dealers say they won't sell Smith & Wesson because of lock agreement
By Paul Menser
Smith & Wesson's decision to put tighter controls on sales of its handguns is going to cost the company business in eastern Idaho, local gun dealers say.
The Springfield, Mass., company was the only gun maker to sign a settlement with several cities and states suing the firearms industry. As part of the agreement, brokered by the Clinton administration, 28 city and county law enforcement agencies said they would give preference to gun makers that follow Smith & Wesson's lead.
The settlement has drawn strong criticism from the 3.5 million-member National Rifle Association. The other gun manufacturers that were asked to participate have so far refused.
"I don't agree with what (Smith & Wesson) has done, by any means," said Paul Payne, vice president of Ross' Coins, an Idaho Falls gun dealer. "It will definitely have an impact on business."
But he said he was not sure what to do until he sees how the settlement plays out. Smith & Wesson handguns are some of his strongest sellers. "My rep doesn't even have the answers," Payne said.
At Ski's House of Guns on West Broadway, the response has been less equivocal. Ski's will stop selling Smith & Wesson guns, said Charlie Sunderlin, a gunsmith at the store.
Sunderlin said he hadn't read the full text of the 15-page agreement until Wednesday. Before then, he thought it only concerned such issues as trigger locks and "smart gun" technology.
"It's a lot more than what they said on TV," he said.
For instance, to sell Smith & Wesson firearms, Ski's would have to take out a $2 million insurance policy to cover its liability in case a customer commits a crime with a gun bought at the store.
"Don't you hold people responsible for their own actions at some point?" asked Lorraine Ski, who works at the store.
Also, at the end of each business day, employees would have to gather up all the guns and put them in a vault.
"I think the net effect will be the end of Smith & Wesson as a commercial company," Sunderlin said. The company has committed "corporate suicide," he said.
Max Bosworth, owner of Max's Gun Shop in downtown Idaho Falls, said he would stop selling Smith & Wesson guns. He can't meet the settlement's restrictions.
"It's not for me to say (Smith & Wesson) did the right thing or the wrong thing," he said. "Judging from the distributors and the general attitude of the people I've encountered, that's what's happening everywhere. They might as well have gone ahead with the lawsuit. It's going to cost them about as much money."
Vic Talmo of Teton Arms in Jackson, Wyo., said he sells some guns, but the bulk of his business is in customizing pistols and rifles. He views the settlement as another move by the anti-gun lobby. "The lawyers are just pushing this for all it's worth. The end result is, they want our guns. We know what they're after. ...
"I don't know what else we can do. They're so intent on blaming the gun. I've got hundreds of guns in my house, and none of them have jumped off the shelf and killed anyone."
Business reporter Paul Menser can be reached at 542-6752, or via e-mail at pmenser@idahonews.com.
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The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
