Update: Military Brass Destruction and ATK
March 27, 2010
Having suffered a "Zumbo moment," corporate giant ATK now seeks
to redeem its image after its aggressive run at destroying all used
military brass. Even though ATK was actively soliciting military
installations to join its brass destruction program as recently as last
Wednesday, ATK said in a fresh press release on Friday, "ATK fully
supports the provision passed by Congress last year to ensure that
demilitarized spent brass casings remain available for civilian use."
Industry and gun culture insiders report that ATK head Mark DeYoung is
one of us, a gun owner and sportsman. Great. However, to
refurbish its image and get beyond this "Zumbo moment," ATK will need
to do more than simply post a statement announcing that it now fully
supports a congressional ban enacted last year to forbid military brass
destruction.
Two suggestions for ATK:
1) ATK could release a list of the military installations with
which it has had Memoranda of Understanding to take and destroy fired
brass, AND a list of the installations for which it has now canceled such MOUs; and
2) ATK could identify those employees responsible for both
hatching and approving the ATK-sponsored program to destroy military
brass, the people who approved pitching this program to military
installations with the argument that allowing brass to be sold to the
public somehow fosters domestic terrorism. Having identified
those responsible, ATK could reassign those personnel to a
commission-only job of hauling excess Lake City ammunition around the
U.S. and selling that ammo to the public at shooting ranges and gun
shows.
These two steps would go a long way towards reassuring the public that
ATK is indeed a good corporate citizen, is actively complying with
declared congressional intent and does not attempt to deamonize the
ammo-buying public as domestic terrorists..
Even if ATK is willing to go the extra mile to get beyond its "Zumbo
moment," that will still leave a pervasive problem in the U.S. military
of non-compliance with the congressional prohibition of brass
destruction. That problem will still need to be addressed,
probably with further congressional action.
End
Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com