by Max Slowik Guns.com
Previously by Max Slowik: Official Appleseed u2018Liberty Training Rifle' byMarlin
Colt, a cornerstone name in both firearms and American history, is considering leaving their home state of Connecticut after almost two centuries of record thanks to the push by Governor Dannel Malloy to ban the AR-15.
For 177 years Colt has manufactured guns for the armies of the U.S. and its people, from the Single Action Army to the LE6920, the consumer version of the M4 carbine, the main service rifle of most of the military.
Following the Sandy Hook Elementary killing spree in Newtown, Connecticut, Malloy is singling out “assault weapons” and is fighting to get them banned as part of a much larger anti-gun package.
“I think there’s more than enough Democratic support. My hope is that we could do this on a bipartisan basis, but if we can’t do it on bipartisan basis, that we should get [a gun ban] done,” said Malloy.
He continued, “I’m anxious to see the legislature do it. But doing it right is more important than doing it quickly, so if I have to wait until the first week of June to get a good package, then that’s okay, too.”
That being said, Malloy does not want to lose the gun industry, either.
“The governor has been clear for some time that while he does not want manufacturers to leave the state, we need to move ahead with common sense gun violence prevention legislation that will improve public safety,” said Malloy spokesman Andrew Doba to Josh Miller of Fox News.
Malloy wants the tax revenue and employees – 670 working directly for Colt – just not the guns.
But if such legislation passes and Colt stays in-state, the company’s reputation will take a potentially fatal blow. Colt CEO Dennis Veilleux is well-aware of the long memories of gun owners.
In 2000, after striking an agreement with the Clinton administration, a nation-wide Smith & Wesson boycott crippled the company, which later sold for pennies on the dollar after Smith was forced to close several manufacturing facilities following a massive drop in sales.
“Our customers are unusually brand-loyal,” said Veilleux in an op-ed published in the Hartford Courant. “In many cases, they personally identify with the firearm brand they choose. Although our Connecticut heritage has historically enhanced our brand, that will change overnight if we ban the modern sporting rifle.
