Dan Cooper resigns

After I read your post, Mr. Hardy, I sent a letter to Cooper Firearms stating I would not purchase anything from Cooper Firearms unless and until Dan Cooper resigned.

It is important for us to preemptively exercise our buying power now so that we don't have to exercise other powers later.

Thanks for posting this story.

i suspect most of the 1000 emailers couldn't afford a coopers firearm.

"Gun owners need to know which companies sell their interests down the river"

these companies are also selling your jobs down the river to mexico & china

listen to ron paul and you'll realize that they (obama & mccain} both stink!

ps....are you related to Joe the Plummer?

This is pathetic.

How can you guys call yourselves 'conservative' after you hound a guy out of his livelihood -- after you persecute an energetic small businessman -- just for expressing his own views in the manner guaranteed by the Constitution?

You make me sick. You really, really do.

(Joell, under Dan Cooper, Cooper Firearms was a boutique manufacturer making the hunting equivalent of craftsman's tools. They were no Magnum Research: Outsourcing overseas would have killed their marketability. Now -- who knows? Clearly the remaining board have no spine, and can't be relied upon to stand up to anything.)

And here is the money quote from the article that tells you that Mr cooper got exactly what he deserved......

"It's a really McCarthyism at its worst," said Bob Ricker, executive director of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, which has endorsed Obama. "That's really why our organization was formed, was to deal with this craziness. If you're a gun owner, but you have a contrary view to some of these wackos, they will go out and try to destroy you."

Eric, folks like you often forget a simple rule: You have the right to free speech. You also have the right to bear the consequences of that speech.

Just because you have a right to express your opinions or views does not make you immune from the results.

Dan Cooper, even if speaking personally, was the CEO of the company. In every single corporate environment I've worked in, company officers are never "not working". They are the public faces of the company and when the officer of a FIREARMS COMPANY publicly supports the most anti-gun candidate in history (who would enact his agenda if he only had the votes) and identifies himself as CEO of said company, he no longer acting as a private citizen. Had he kept his mouth shut, this probably wouldn't have happened.

It is not McCarthyism. It is not sick. All gun owners did was inform the company that if they continue to employ officers who publicly support a candidate that would actively work to deny them their future rights, they will deny that company present and future sales. The company is free to operate as long as it can to service those who don't care one way or the other. They decidedly the negative press and loss of goodwill was too much for them to afford.

That's the market at work. If you're a boutique gun maker, you can't afford to piss off the small niche market you service.

AHSA is a left-wing front organization whose sole purpose is to make it look OK for real gun owners to support left wing, anti-gunner.

Even if they were "real", their support candidates who would ban any firearm clearly demonstrates they do not understand the Second Amendment.

Cooper's First Amendment rights were not violated at all. He was never prevented from donating to the political candidate of his choice, the government never stopped him from making this information known.

What *did* happen, however, is that gun owners who disagreed with him decided to exercise THEIR rights to do business with companies that do not work to support those who would take freedoms away (or at least not support those who would take freedoms away at a faster rate than the other guy).

It's the same thing as if a company president decided to donate money to a racist organization. Sure, he can do it, nobody will stop him. But would you really want to continue to do business with him/his company? If you were the BOD, and your customer base decided that the actions of the president were detrimental to the continued business, wouldn't you seek to replace him?

If not, that's fine, and maybe that's what Cooper's BOD should have done...left him there. But then if/when business went South, they would understand why.

"i suspect most of the 1000 emailers couldn't afford a coopers firearm."

I wouldn't be so sure about that, but what's more important is that they are activists. They learn stuff like this and tell other people.

And the power of the net is such that for every one who emailed Cooper the company, there are many more than 10 others who know the story and will make sure their friends who aren't "connected" in this way know it.

- Harold

How can you guys call yourselves 'conservative' after you hound a guy out of his livelihood -- after you persecute an energetic small businessman -- just for expressing his own views in the manner guaranteed by the Constitution?

You make me sick. You really, really do.

We did nothing, he sold us out by supporting someone who has time and time again been guilty of lying on his stance. Every single thing he has DONE has been anti-gun, but his sweet campaign lies, the media, and "fact check" citing the media has said that wasn't true. What's worse is that this ISN'T just about the 2nd. Obama has gone after opponents with "truth squads."

Obama's position: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Conservative generally meant smaller government staying inside the powers granted TO IT from the people. "Conservative" has NEVER meant sit back and take lies. It meant standing up for your rights when someone threatens them, whatever they may be.

If a bunch of someones "expressing his own views in the manner guaranteed by the Constitution" makes you sick...well, we just don't have much in common when it comes to standing up for our rights.

Obama said before he ran for President that he agreed with other prominent constitutional law scholars, including Democrats like Cass Sunstein and Larry Tribe at Harvard, that the 2nd Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms. He supported the Supreme Court's decision in Heller. Stop spreading lies.

I hope you are happy now that you have hounded this good man out of his job and probably ruined his business. The war's over. We won it with Heller. You guys are just a bunch of angry Republicans. It has nothing to do with the 2nd Amendment.

And spare me the sanctimony about "standing up for rights." WTF did you do when Bush and Cheney took away more rights than any administration in years??? You only care about 1 right? What about the right not to have the gov't tap your phone? A lot of good your gun is going to do when the gov't already has your #.

Tim Weaver, your analogy is off.

It's like someone wasn't racist, but you declared he was racist, and THEN you insisted he be fired.

Oh, yeah, and you may be driving one of only a couple of companies that make all their guns in America out of business.

Way to go!

Ok, Eric so tell me what law would you recommend to force people to buy Cooper firearms? What law would you recommend to keep people from expressing their opinion of Cooper's (the man) actions. How many of our rights would you like to suspend to keep us from exercising our rights to free speech, and our rights to patronize those establishments that don't support our rights?

And lastly, could you possibly be as stupid as your comment suggests you are?

Bob, you seem to have no problem taking a politician at his word. Wouldn't it be more realistic to see what pro-gun or anti-gun legislation he has supported? To my knowledge, the only pro-gun legislation he has ever voted for was the federal prohibition on confiscation during times of emergency. Of course, there weren't too many who voted against it in the senate.

If he truly believes in the individual right position on the 2nd Amendment, it certainly doesn't seem to back it up with his votes.

Just to be clear, I'm speaking of Obama, not Cooper.

Bob, if someone wasn't a racist, and I declared he was, and then demanded he be fired, you'd be right.

But that's not the case.

Cooper sent money to Obama, ostensibly to beat Hillary. That done, he said he donated to McCain/RNC. Funny, nobody can find anything to substantiate that.

In other words, it looks like a lie.

For whatever reason, Cooper supports Obama, an avowed tax raiser and gun hater. He cut his own throat.

Not me.

Without the second amendment there are no other amendments. They would just wither and die. How can you protect the citizenry from complete tyranny without the second amendment? The framers realized this hence the second amendment was adopted.

Bob = concern troll.

Quite possibly paid.

The line aobut Obama's 'strong pro-Second Amendment stance' is a real tipoff.

If we gunowners could behave ourselves and police ourselves properly there wouldn't be a need for gunlaws. But alas we don't so the govt has to come in to keep things under control before we shoot holes in everything and everybody. And thats not far from the truth.

"Oh, yeah, and you may be driving one of only a couple of companies that make all their guns in America out of business.".

Bob, I'd rather buy a gun from a company like Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (of Herstal, Belgium) who's support of us is unquestioned than a "100% USA" company like Cooper that stabs us in the back.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that FN started working with John Moses Browning in 1898 (!) after he and Winchester parted ways, or that they now make guns under the latter name, own Browning Arms Company, and make a lot of stuff in South Carolina for both our military and us.

They've worked with and sold guns to Americans for so long they know we're a good, solid dependable market (more dependable than governments!) and e.g. have taken a lot of heat from the gun grabbers for selling us 5.7mm guns. (Of course, I'm sure they don't mind laughing all the way to the bank.)

(There may be other good examples, but I like FN's guns and the oldest gun in my family is a Browning Auto-5 with FN markings, bought by my grandfather a long time ago.)

- Harold

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."

Oh, like the one George W perpetrated on the public and got us involved in Iraq.

Good one!

Obama said before he ran for President that he agreed with other prominent constitutional law scholars, including Democrats like Cass Sunstein and Larry Tribe at Harvard, that the 2nd Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms. He supported the Supreme Court's decision in Heller. Stop spreading lies.

I hope you are happy now that you have hounded this good man out of his job and probably ruined his business. The war's over. We won it with Heller. You guys are just a bunch of angry Republicans. It has nothing to do with the 2nd Amendment.

And spare me the sanctimony about "standing up for rights." WTF did you do when Bush and Cheney took away more rights than any administration in years??? You only care about 1 right? What about the right not to have the gov't tap your phone? A lot of good your gun is going to do when the gov't already has your #.

POSTED BY: BOB AT OCTOBER 31, 2008 04:10 PM

Ok Bob show Me where Obama's name is?

search the washington post, "Congressmen Cosigning Amicus Brief Supporting Challengers of D.C. Gun Ban
Friday, February 8, 2008" It lists the names of 55 senators and 250 house member that support Heller vs Washington DC .

Obama's name is MISSING. But McCain signed it!

BTW I'm from Obama's district. So I know DAILY where He Lies about his opinion on my 2nd amendment rights. Just look at his voting record in the Illinois senate. 5 mile gun shop rule, no support for Hale Demar or the next person that defends his family. I'm looking at Obama's record. Not what words that are currently coming out the side of his mouth in order to get elected.

Wow, Losing your job for supporting the WRONG presidential candidate in America.

I am sure our founding fathers would be very proud.

Unamerican, unpatriotic and makes me sick to my stomach.

Wow, Losing your job for supporting candidates that attack second amendment rights. I know that I approve, go pee up a rope gun"fearing"lib.

Free speech, personal responsibility, support for small business, the right to make arms - if you believe in this and try to put Cooper Firearms out of business you are a bunch of idiots. You are so filled with hate for Obama (based on little fact and a LOT of propaganda) that you cannot even see that if the tables were turned you would be going to the Supreme Court.

Why don't you show you have some insight into this and help save this company. Those guns are beautiful. Shame on all you - either you want to protect guns or you don't. Don't give me that 2nd ammendment again.

Didn't you boys ever hear the line about "cutting off your nose to spite your face?"

When there are no more beautiful guns to buy, having the 2nd ammendment won't do you or me much good.

Thanks a bunch, Mom

When politicians vote on taking away our liberties vote them out of office. When company presidents align with politicians who want to take away our liberties vote them out of the company. The founding fathers believed in liberty and free markets.

If Cooper was donating money to the KKK would you still expect us to give him our business and money. Obama isn't as bad as the KKK, but to spite Obama's lies, it's clear that Obama is an enemy of our right to keep and carry arms.

It's bad enough that Obama uses fraudulent claims about his gun control position to get into office, but it's even worse that he slanders the NRA for telling the truth about him. If you support Obama as the lesser of two evils, and you have any decency, you should condemn Obama for such tactics, just as I do when McCain and Bush do such things.

As Cooper has a right to back anyone running for elected office. I
also have a right as to how I will spend my money. If we disagree we
disagree and its all lawful conduct. End of story on this topic.
Being Oboam is from IL I will make a point I've done many times in the
past. I refuse to do any business with any firearms company out of
that state. Or even do any business with any company that is
headquartered in that state. The way I see it is, those companies pay
state taxes and those taxes are used to attack the United States
Constitution by Marxist in elected office in that state of IL.
My personal feelings is, if a gun shop sells new firearms made in that
state, I will let them know my feelings on the topic of IL and that I
will not be doing any business with shops that funnel money into a
state that is an enemy of our God giving rights.

My personal feelings are as such there is no more wiggle room. You are
going to stand up for our Constitutional Rights or you are not. I will
spend my money with Americans whom I believe are Patriots, God fearing
and freedom loving American. Not one red cent to the others.