Magpul has put their money behind their words in a big way.
Due to the highly restrictive language in HB 1224, if passed, and we remained here, this measure would require us to cease PMAG production on July 1, 2013.
In short, Magpul would be unable to remain in business as a CO company, and the over 200 jobs for direct employees and nearly 700 jobs at our subcontractors and suppliers would pick up and leave CO. Due to the structure of our operations, this would be entirely possible, hopefully without significant disruption to production.
The legislators drafting these measures do so in spite of the fact that nothing they are proposing will do anything to even marginally improve public safety in CO, and in fact, will leave law-abiding CO residents less able to defend themselves, strip away rights and property from residents who have done nothing wrong, and send nearly 1000 jobs and millions in tax revenue out of the state.
They mean it, and such a move would make a dent in Colorado’s economy. Will it be enough to change anyone’s mind? Perhaps not, but they’ll live to fight another day, and the gun culture will remember their integrity.
In their own clumsy and hypocritical way, Cheaper than Dirt has chosen to follow suit:
It has been and will continue to be Cheaper Than Dirt’s policy to not to sell prohibited items to government agencies and/or agents in states, counties, cities, and municipalities that have enacted restrictive gun control laws against their citizens. We support and encourage other companies that share in this policy.
Of course, they don’t supply much of anything to government agencies, so there’s no real sacrifice. Even if they were taking any sort of significant risk, they’d easily make it back up with their predatory prices.
The gun culture tends to remember that as well.