ArmaLite

[Frank Castle]

Please do not misunderstand me: ArmaLite will not abandon its main customers. Civilian gun owners. We will provide whatever material we can in those states that act like New York.

But we have a lot of good friends in Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement officers are overwhelmingly supportive of our gun rights. They have a hard mission sometimes and deserve our support. We'll supply them under the same terms as our civilian customers: whatever we can. We did so during the AWB.

You've raised a good question though. If we have reason to believe that an officer is a member of an organization that is detrimental to our beliefs, we will not supply that officer.

Yes, it would be simpler to say "No LE sales into a ban state." But that isn't realistic. Most rifle owners are pro-law enforcement. Many of you have friends on various departments and I'm sure you wouldn't deny them the rifles they deserve. I personally have serving friends in various Police departments and I won't deny them good equipment bought out of their own pockets.

Supporting the good guys, civilian and Police, is consistent. It may not always be easy, but I think it's the right thing to do.

But Brother Cuomo needn't come shopping.

Regards,
Mark Westrom

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Armalite/64911537585

[dogmush]

Eh. Fence sitting. I'm unimpressed. If the only reason a LEO can buy a product (regardless of funding source) is a LEO exemption, then they shouldn't have it. Too much crap stems from special classes of people.

[MechAg94]

Did that say they would only sell post ban rifles in ban states?

[seeker_two]

So....if this means Armalite is selling stuff to LEO's that civilians in that state can't own, I have a big problem with that.

If I wasn't already not going to buy from them, I probably would boycott them....

[Blakenzy]

Wait, aren't they saying is that they will sell to individual officers, but only what is legal for "civilians"?

edit:

...if this means Armalite is selling stuff to LEO's that civilians in that state can't own, I have a big problem with that.

If that is what they mean, BOYCOTT.

[bedlamite]

Eh. Fence sitting. I'm unimpressed.

May that fence have sharp pointy bits sticking up.

[Ron]

Oh c'mon, it isn't like the police are civilians like us, they are serving!

They are MORE equal 

[Harold Tuttle]

armalite facebook presence is gone

[AJ Dual]

This will hurt them.

Arfcom is in flames over it in Armalite's industry sub-forum.

And honestly, I suspect Armalite's LEO/MIL sales are a fraction of their civilian ones. In trying to please everyone, they're going to please no one.

[Ron]

Some subcultures are still operating under the delusion we are a nation of law not men 

[Ben]

While I agree that a good number of non-management (and even management and elected positions) police are supportive of gun rights, I think Armalite is misrepresenting how those individual officers might feel about the inability to purchase Armalite's goods.

If the individual officers support gun rights, I would hope they think like me and many gun owners I know. As a resident of CA I fully support gun industry decisions not to make goods and services available to CA. Yes, it hurts me a bit in my inability to purchase some things, but I recognize it as a greater good in the fight to preserve our rights. The individual, freedom supporting officers Armalite talks about, would, I hope concur.

I have found one of the primary holes in our gun rights armor is the "law enforcement exemption". Individual police officers who support gun rights should not support that exemption, and they should make it known to their unions and their management.

[Boomhauer]

Armalite will not be missed.

Far better products and companies to buy from. Viva la Capitalism! Viva la RKBA!

[HankB]

Yes, it would be simpler to say "No LE sales into a ban state. Most rifle owners are pro-law enforcement. Many of you have friends on various departments and I'm sure you wouldn't deny them the rifles they deserve. " But that isn't realistic.

Translation: "That would cut into our profits. And our calculation is that prospective private gun owners won't boycott us even if we keep selling things to government that government has banned for John Q. Public."

I just took Armalite off my short list of possible vendors for my next rifle. 

[MechAg94]

Or it was some PR flak trying to provide some double speak answer.  I guess we'll see.

[brimic]

Does anyone buy Armalite rifles anymore anyhow?

[cordex]

Does anyone buy Armalite rifles anymore anyhow?

The Irish Republican Army.

[Harold Tuttle]

despite their clamed legacy, it was a brand name bought from the orginal holder

they sold 9562 rifles in 2010 and they have the contract for Illinois state patrol rifles.

chicago politics?

[AZRedhawk44]

Does anyone buy Armalite rifles anymore anyhow?

I have a friend shooting an Armalite National Match AR-15 in High Power.

He won't be a repeat customer after this, and he mentors new shooters into High Power.  They won't be buying Armalites.

[Boomhauer]

despite their clamed legacy, it was a brand name bought from the orginal holder

they sold 9562 rifles in 2010 and they have the contract for Illinois state patrol rifles.

chicago politics?

Typical, cheap cops buying inferior rifles...

[brimic]

I have a friend shooting an Armalite National Match AR-15 in High Power.

I know they made good NM rifles 15 or so years ago- I was looking at them then, but they seem to have fallen off the map in the last decade.

[AZRedhawk44]

I know they made good NM rifles 15 or so years ago- I was looking at them then, but they seem to have fallen off the map in the last decade.

Good enough that he is still about 5 points ahead of me with me shooting a White Oak, though he's been stalled at the 91-92% range for about a year now and I've climbed from 87% to 91% in the last year upon getting my WOA.

[MechAg94]

I had an Armalite rifle up until recently.  It was my first AR and also the only one I ever bought as a complete rifle.  Sold it a few months ago.  I was happy to get just a little more than I paid.  It wasn't a bad rifle though I note that with my Rock River and Sabre Defense uppers, the bolt carrier moves a bit more smoothly in the upper receiver. 

[RevDisk]

But we have a lot of good friends in Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement officers are overwhelmingly supportive of our gun rights. They have a hard mission sometimes and deserve our support. We'll supply them under the same terms as our civilian customers: whatever we can. We did so during the AWB.

If they were supportive of gun rights, they wouldn't mind not having rifles that no one else could get. Otherwise, they're not exactly into that whole equal treatment or gun rights thing

And obviously, Armalite did NOT support the same weapons to non-LEO civilians as they did to LEO civilians.


Hey, they have a right to make a business decision. Can't say I honestly planned on throwing them business in the near future, but I can say it'll nudge me towards more supportive vendors.

[dogmush]

I'm mentally making a list. York will get my next lower purchase, and for $275 i might skip machining a  .22 supressor and grab theirs. DD has finished the job of becoming my go to source for high end AR toys. Magpul for furniture. This kind of thing is going to mean several thousand dollars just from me in the next couple years.

And I'll bet I'm not the only one.