Paul LePage read TTAG. Or something firearms related. Because the Republican Governor of Maine knows that gunmakers are looking to leave states where their products have been banned, restricted and vilified. So he’s written an open letter to the firearms industry asking them to reconsider their southern exodus strategy. [Make the jump for the full text.] He wants them to head north, to the Pine Tree State. You want cold? Never mind. He’s promising Beretta, Colt and Magpul lobster. And “I will never sign anti-gun legislation that erodes the rights of Maine citizens, drives your business away or infringes on the U.S. Constitution or the State of Maine Constitution.” Yes, well, I bet previous governors of New York, Connecticut and Maryland made the same pledge. Just sayin . . .
When Americans think of Maine, they often think of rocky coasts, lobster and moose. But Maine also has a long and proud tradition of military service, a legacy of world-class manufacturing, and a high percentage of personal firearm ownership.
That’s why I invite manufacturers of firearms and related accessories—some of which are under siege in their home states by politicians pushing anti-gun legislation—to come to Maine. As a state that is fiercely protective of our right to bear arms, we will welcome you and your business.
When a Bangor daily newspaper in February tried to get the names, addresses and dates of birth of all Mainers with concealed-firearms permits, we leapt into action, drafting and passing a bill in 48 hours to temporarily shield the personal information. Democrats joined Republicans to swiftly enact this emergency legislation. (Legislation to permanently shield the information is in committee.)
Although Maine has one of the highest rates of firearm ownership in the country, we also have one of the lowest rates of gun violence. We are a safe state, and we plan to keep it that way. Even better, our dedication to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners crosses party lines. Maine Democrats, many of whom serve rural areas where hunting and gun ownership are a way of life, readily agree with Republicans that the rights of firearms owners must not be infringed.
We are dismayed to see strict anti-gun legislation in states that are home to some of our country’s best firearms manufacturers. Beretta USA Corp. in Maryland, Colt Manufacturing Co. in Connecticut and Magpul Industries in Colorado are facing hostile—and hysterical—legislation from politicians who slap them in the face for providing their states with jobs, opportunity and revenue.
Beretta, Colt and Magpul: Come to Maine. Our tradition ranges from Hiram S. Maxim, inventor of the first fully automatic machine gun, who was born in 1840 in Sangerville, Maine, to the renowned Bath Iron Works, which produces the world’s most advanced surface warships. As the Navy said during World War II, “Bath-built is best-built.” Other firearms and defense contractors in Maine include Smith & Wesson and General Dynamics GD -1.02% .
When it comes to firearms, the rugged individualism of Mainers is alive and well. Richard Dyke acquired Bushmaster Firearms in the late 1970s and produced high-quality, AR-15-type rifles until 2006, when he sold the company. The new owner consolidated manufacturing with its operations in New York, vacated the facility in Windham, Maine, and laid off the local employees.
But Mr. Dyke still owned the facility. So he started another company, Windham Weaponry, and in 2011 he put his former employees back to work making high-quality rifles that are already considered some of the best on the market. That’s how Mainers do it.
Maine is home to L.L. Bean, the supplier of outdoorsmen and women, as well as Kittery Trading Post and national retailers Cabela’s CAB +0.11% and Wal-Mart,WMT +0.99% all of which offer firearms to consumers. Just as we welcome and support these companies and the jobs and opportunities they create, we would welcome and support the manufacturers of firearms and accessories.
Beretta, Colt, Magpul and any others: In Maine you will find air, rail and seaports that can carry your exceptional products across the country and across the globe. You will find hardworking Mainers, and you will find a governor who is ready to provide incentives and guarantees that will make it attractive for you to set up shop in our state.
I will never sign anti-gun legislation that erodes the rights of Maine citizens, drives your business away or infringes on the U.S. Constitution or the State of Maine Constitution.
Come to where you are welcome and where you will be appreciated. Come to Maine. I’ll even throw in some lobster.
Paul LePage, Governor of Maine
The bill expands where “background checks” are necessary. Slaves ask permission before keeping and bearing arms. This is not progress.
Sorry, but the courts are going to be of little if any help at best, being as they’ve been poisoned by the same kind of little tyrants and despots that rammed this stuff down our throats. The simple and unfortunate fact of the matter is that those who thumb their noses at the law will have to reap what they sow in kind. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But someday, somewhere, it WILL happen, because that is the way of history. And that’s a fact.
Wish I had an AK 4 sure, but my 2 SKS’s are just fine. If I really want to reach out and touch someone I’ll just grab my old .270win b/a rifle.
LOL! My SKS works great, very accurate, no failures of any kind. Same for my M1 .30carbine. And my Marlin XL7 in .270win is very nice and accurate! Especially with a 6x24x50 AOE Red Dot Reticle Scope, a bipod and some good 150gr SJRN’s on board. And as backup my old Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R with handloaded 180gr SJSP’s will take most any critter I need to shoot at!
The Manchin – Toomey bill is a HUGE win for gun owners, you guys really need to take a step back and appreciate the long game here. The bill only addresses the fictional “40% of guns are sold without background checks” non-problem that the president and others have been pushing. Serves them right for basing their arguments on a lie – now the only law they can pass basically preserves the status quo.
The reason this bill is such a win for gun owners is because it allows the gun grabbers to declare victory when in fact very little will have changed. The gun grabbers can pat themselves on the back all they want and say that they passed the biggest gun law in 20 years, and you can bet they won’t try for another AWB for at least another 10 years.
The more that we responsible gun owners can demonstrate that we have nothing to hide and can differentiate ourselves from criminal gun users in the eyes of the law, the more effective we will be at persuading moderates that the IRKBA is a good thing and a fundamental aspect of our society. This bill allows us to play along nicely and keep our toys. This is a huge win and it’s truly puzzling that you can’t see that. Try to take a step back and grasp the bigger picture here.
Glad to see my alma mater’s even making French Club look bad@$$.
Now if that could only leach into some other universities…
Tasteful and accurate parody…
I don’t care what the haters say, that was funny.
Three cheers for living in FL, why do you think all the New Yorkers move down here to die?
While their bill may not be onerous, it will not go thru the process w/o changes.
Folks, Tom Gresham will have Alan Gottlieb on his radio show Guntalk today. Check your radio listings or the internet to give it a listen.
Fox News raves about Bill O’Reilly and how it and he posts opposing views, allegedly conservative in nature. O’Reilly dodged the draft by running to England like another (in)famous Bill.
It’s because the umbrella was black. Nobody reports white umbrellas. Sad but true.
1. All you celebrating over the ban on a registry…can you possibly be that naive? Can you really possibly be so dense as to believe any authority figure will ever arrest any other authority figure over keeping a registry? It’s a hollow line designed to appeal to the simple-minded who don’t understand that registries already exist and will always exist because the corrupt are policing the corrupt.
2. Incrementalism once again. Good for you for celebrating the fact that the chains we’ll receive aren’t as heavy as we thought they’d be. But chains nonetheless. But hey, I’m sure the antis will be satisfied with this and will never go after guns again…right?
3. Seriously, the “long game”? Can anyone here be so stupid as to think the gun-grabbers don’t have complete control over the long game? When all this is said and done, they will have placed more infringements and the gullible gun owners will think they won something with empty gestures. And do you really think this all won’t come up again during the next mass shooting? And there will inevitably be one; the government will see to it if it doesn’t happen naturally.
I wonder where this country would be – or if it would be at all – if the men at Lexington and Concord said, “Let them take our powder, guys. We’ll fight them in courts and write our reps and win the long game.”
Pathetic. Never thought so many weak-kneed compromisers had come to TTAG.
Be sure to hold a candlelight vigil for the disarmed subjects who die at the hands of criminals while we take our time futilely trying to win the long game.
It should be called the “Lets Piss on’Em and Tell Them Its Raining Act!”
Don’t forget that the “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire” documentary will be hitting theaters on June 6th. Yes, theaters. Not HBO direct-to-dvd. 😉
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/assaulted/assaulted-civil-rights-under-fire-finishing-fund-c/posts/453234
And yes, that this coming June 6th 2013, the very same date as in D-day 1944. Cool, huh?
It appears that oversight isn’t in anyone’s crosshairs. Does that mean that all these same organizations will demand repercussions when oversight and overreaching occurs? If that’s what it means, I would love to see the federal govt toe the line proposed.
No. No. No. No. NO!
What the f, people? Did I wake up in some kind of Bizarro world this morning?
We have the SAF and now the CCRKBA playing footsie under the table with fascism, and we have jacka$$es like Karl Denninger threatening the whole of CT due to the draconian gun laws forced down our throats.
http://wr2a.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/open-letter-to-karl-denninger-reel-it-in/
The statists are loving this. I guarantee it. Well, then. It seems there’s only one recourse here, only one solution. It’s time to cull the herd, isn’t it?
Brace yourselves, you who would gain temporary peace by compromising with those who despise liberty. We have been taking notes. And you have been warned.
“interstate sales of handguns, veteran gun rights restoration, travel with firearms protection, civil and criminal immunity lawsuit protection, and most important of all, the guarantee that people, including federal officers, will go to federal prison for up to 15 years if they attempt to use any gun sales records to set up a gun registry.”
…unless Eric Holder decides otherwise.
Great writing! Really enjoyed it. Just a note. A “Nagant” is a revolver. The rifles and carbines are “Mosins”
Don’t know Maine is still liberal even GOP there look at Susan Collins. Idaho Utah and Texas are the safest place to do business.
It looks a lot like actor jason lee. his beard is almost identical and they share lots of features. maybe I won.
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Lee_(actor)&sa=X&ei=8ChtUdqOFIXA9gTTmoDwCQ&ved=0CDEQ_B0wAA&usg=AFQjCNHyZvv6JhyHnNs4ZK8Aav0aIP6RJA
That is obviously Tom Cruise.
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