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