Update - November 30, 2008
facts and editorial comment

I've exchanged several emails with somebody who knows people in management at H-S Precision.  During our email exchanges this gent called H-S and spoke with the people he knows there.  Without revealing personalities or exact conversation, here are the facts that came from that dialog:

1)  H-S Precision knew about Lon Horiuchi's history when they engaged him;

2)  H-S engaged Horiuchi, I am told, as "head of their sniper rifle procurement program";

)3  One may fairly presume that the purpose of H-S's "sniper rifle procurement program" is to secure H-S contracts with government agencies;

4)  H-S was advised by someone with superior credentials in the firearm manufacturing business NOT to use the Horiuchi endorsement; and

5)  H-S intends to just hunker down and hope this will blow over.

It follows from these steps that H-S knew Horiuchi's history, was warned about possible downside to using him, but chose to use Horiuchi and his endorsement of H-S products because of Horiuchi's perceived positive reputation within government law enforcement.

Whether or not such a positive reputation for Horiuchi actually exists within government law enforcement is unknown.  If it does, that all by itself is a scary thought.

Is Horiuchi seen in government (probably federal) law enforcement circles as a hero and a model because he has the stones to do the hard thing by killing innocent civilians?  Is Horiuchi's example held up as assurance that law enforcement snipers can get away with killing civilians because the government establishment will cover for and protect their own?

Regardless of what the actual answer is, H-S precision appears to think that the answer to both of these questions is an unqualified "Yes!"  Thus, their engagement of Horiuchi.

There was a time when those who wore the badge had the mission to keep the peace, to prevent the strong from preying upon the weak.  They were called "peace officers."  But, the name has changed and so has the mission.  The folks wearing the badge are now called "law enforcement."  Their mission has also changed.  Their mission now is to enforce the edicts of government, federal, state and local.  As an industry, forget about it trying to protect the weak from the strong and predatory (although there are still lots of individual street cops out there who lust to protect the innocent and commit their lives to that).

Ex-law enforcement author Joe Wambaugh speaks about police attitude through the characters in his interesting fiction.  Joe says that police see people as divided into two categories - police and perps (criminal perpetrators).  And, anyone not a police officer and not in prison just has not yet been caught committing his or her special crime.

Joe and his characters are right.  We have allowed lawmakers to create such a vast amount of criminal law that every one of us breaks laws, nearly every day, even if we strive not to.  That leaves law enforcement with the job of selective enforcement.  They can bust anyone, any time.  If the person won't be busted, in come the snipers.

Back to Lon Horiuchi.  Against the background of the assumption that everyone not a cop and not in prison is a criminal, and that some in law enforcement look up to those who will readily kill civilians as being able to do the hard and necessary thing as needed, H-S Precision has clearly taken sides with the would-be tyrants who seek to enslave the rest of us, and who are willing to kill us if we won't be enslaved.

I'd bet the management at H-S Precision has not thought this through so carefully.  I'd also bet good money that they didn't expect the civilian community to rise up in such overwhelming disgust over H-S hitching their reputation to that of Lon Horiuchi.  Safe bets.

That H-S management was just stupid or greedy doesn't excuse them - not at all.

I repeat, H-S needs to be the head mounted on a pike at the city gate to warn others about the consequences of such stunningly bad judgment.

Apparently, Remington (large buyer of H-S products) admits sensitivity to this real problem for H-S.  Good!!  Keep up the messages to Remington.

And, keep up the messages to Congress demanding they cut the budgets of any agency spending taxpayer money on H-S products.

Very Sincerely,

Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com