This story ran on page A14 of the Boston Globe on 12/31/1999. I can't supply the URL as they want $1.50 to retreive it and I won't contribute a nickle to those bozos.
Classic liberal b/s -- you'll find lots of goodies. [g]
"Gun Industry Promoting Sales on Implied Peril
By Meg Vaillancourt, Globe Staff, 12/31/1999
Like other industries, gun manufacturers have been aggressively marketing their products as part of the solution to possible millennial madness.
As the millennium has been coming to a close, some gun manufacturers have been selling special weapons, including the Millennium Protector, a custom .45-caliber handgun, and the Y2K Limited Edition AR-15 assault rifle.
Gun control advocates say they are outraged by the suggestion that people need to be well-armed to survive Y2K - especially as public officials at all levels are working to quell fears.
''It's frightening to think they are appealing to people to stockpile arms,'' said Thomas F. Reilly, Massachusetts attorney general. ''It's more than unfortunate, it's irresponsible.''
Gun groups, however, deny that Y2K fears have played a prominent role in promoting gun sales. Nancy Snow, executive director of the Gun Owners Action League, said her group believes increased interest in guns is ''more of a reflection of the good economy than anything else.'' She declined to discuss industry ads promoting gun sales by playing on consumer concerns about massive computer failures.
Yet it's clear that in the run-up to 2000, gun sales have been brisk.
According to the FBI, nearly 10 million Americans requested the instant background checks needed to purchase a gun in 1999. This month alone, more than 1 million Americans requested such checks, surpassing last December's applications by nearly 400,000. In Massachusetts, more than 21,000 people requested checks this month.
And while federal agents saw a sharp decline in background requests after Christmas 1998, no such decline has occurred this year. ''We expected to see a post-Christmas drop-off, but we haven't seen that,'' said Daniel Wells, acting operations manager of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System based in Clarksburg, W. Va.
Wells noted that while federal law requires a background check of a buyer before a gun can be purchased, it does not require a reason for the purchase or limit the number of weapons being bought at one time.
Officials at Springfield-based Smith & Wesson Corp. said ''sales have been very strong this year.'' Like many in the industry, Smith & Wesson officials attribute the surge in sales to consumer concerns over pending gun control measures.
They stressed their company has not marketed weapons with a Y2K-preparedness theme, but shrugged off criticism.
''Why would it surprise anyone when every industry in the country is using Y2K to sell to people,'' said Ken Jourgensen, spokesman for Smith & Wesson. ''There are people who are concerned about their security, and, right or wrong, they feel [more weapons] is something they want.''
Throughout 1999, ads and articles in gun magazines have fueled those fears. In one ad, for example, a gun manufacturer promises: ''The new Millennium Protector will give you the security and peace of mind in these uncertain times.''
Gun magazines have been urging readers to ''prepare for Y2Kaos'' by stockpiling weapons as well as food. A recent article in Handguns magazine touted Smith & Wesson's Model 10 revolver as ''a good choice for a Y2K handgun.''
Another article noted that amid shortages, homeowners might need to ''quickly stop dogs who through starvation revert to wild beasts.'' The article, ''Facing Y2K with a Colt Python,'' continued, ''Dogs take a lot of killing so a powerful round ... will be necessary should this distasteful task arise.''
Gun control advocates and their supporters argue that the consequences of such marketing efforts may be more long-lasting than any Y2K computer failures.
''It's one thing for a bottled-water company to play on Y2K fears to sell a few extra cases, but it's entirely different when the same marketing ploy is used with guns,'' said Marty Langley, a policy analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based Violence Prevention Center and author of a recent study on Y2K gun marketing efforts.
''At some point, Y2K will be over. But the guns marketed this way will remain in homes across the country for years to come, increasing the risk of suicides, homicides, and accidental gun injuries.''
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company."
------------------
The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
Classic liberal b/s -- you'll find lots of goodies. [g]
"Gun Industry Promoting Sales on Implied Peril
By Meg Vaillancourt, Globe Staff, 12/31/1999
Like other industries, gun manufacturers have been aggressively marketing their products as part of the solution to possible millennial madness.
As the millennium has been coming to a close, some gun manufacturers have been selling special weapons, including the Millennium Protector, a custom .45-caliber handgun, and the Y2K Limited Edition AR-15 assault rifle.
Gun control advocates say they are outraged by the suggestion that people need to be well-armed to survive Y2K - especially as public officials at all levels are working to quell fears.
''It's frightening to think they are appealing to people to stockpile arms,'' said Thomas F. Reilly, Massachusetts attorney general. ''It's more than unfortunate, it's irresponsible.''
Gun groups, however, deny that Y2K fears have played a prominent role in promoting gun sales. Nancy Snow, executive director of the Gun Owners Action League, said her group believes increased interest in guns is ''more of a reflection of the good economy than anything else.'' She declined to discuss industry ads promoting gun sales by playing on consumer concerns about massive computer failures.
Yet it's clear that in the run-up to 2000, gun sales have been brisk.
According to the FBI, nearly 10 million Americans requested the instant background checks needed to purchase a gun in 1999. This month alone, more than 1 million Americans requested such checks, surpassing last December's applications by nearly 400,000. In Massachusetts, more than 21,000 people requested checks this month.
And while federal agents saw a sharp decline in background requests after Christmas 1998, no such decline has occurred this year. ''We expected to see a post-Christmas drop-off, but we haven't seen that,'' said Daniel Wells, acting operations manager of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System based in Clarksburg, W. Va.
Wells noted that while federal law requires a background check of a buyer before a gun can be purchased, it does not require a reason for the purchase or limit the number of weapons being bought at one time.
Officials at Springfield-based Smith & Wesson Corp. said ''sales have been very strong this year.'' Like many in the industry, Smith & Wesson officials attribute the surge in sales to consumer concerns over pending gun control measures.
They stressed their company has not marketed weapons with a Y2K-preparedness theme, but shrugged off criticism.
''Why would it surprise anyone when every industry in the country is using Y2K to sell to people,'' said Ken Jourgensen, spokesman for Smith & Wesson. ''There are people who are concerned about their security, and, right or wrong, they feel [more weapons] is something they want.''
Throughout 1999, ads and articles in gun magazines have fueled those fears. In one ad, for example, a gun manufacturer promises: ''The new Millennium Protector will give you the security and peace of mind in these uncertain times.''
Gun magazines have been urging readers to ''prepare for Y2Kaos'' by stockpiling weapons as well as food. A recent article in Handguns magazine touted Smith & Wesson's Model 10 revolver as ''a good choice for a Y2K handgun.''
Another article noted that amid shortages, homeowners might need to ''quickly stop dogs who through starvation revert to wild beasts.'' The article, ''Facing Y2K with a Colt Python,'' continued, ''Dogs take a lot of killing so a powerful round ... will be necessary should this distasteful task arise.''
Gun control advocates and their supporters argue that the consequences of such marketing efforts may be more long-lasting than any Y2K computer failures.
''It's one thing for a bottled-water company to play on Y2K fears to sell a few extra cases, but it's entirely different when the same marketing ploy is used with guns,'' said Marty Langley, a policy analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based Violence Prevention Center and author of a recent study on Y2K gun marketing efforts.
''At some point, Y2K will be over. But the guns marketed this way will remain in homes across the country for years to come, increasing the risk of suicides, homicides, and accidental gun injuries.''
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company."
------------------
The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
