Dan Cooper
USA Today, on October 27th, gleefully added Dan Cooper, founder and president of Cooper Firearms of Montana, manufacturers of high end hunting rifles to the roll of defectors to the Obamaswami.
Dan Cooper, a proud member of the National Rifle Association, has backed Republicans for most of his life. He’s the chief executive of Cooper Arms, a small Montana company that makes hunting rifles.
Cooper said he voted for George W. Bush in 2000, having voted in past elections for every Republican presidential nominee back to Richard Nixon. In October 1992, he presented a specially made rifle to the first President. Bush during a Billings campaign event.
This year, Cooper has given $3,300 to the campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. That’s on top of the $1,000 check he wrote to Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign in 2004, after he was dazzled by Obama’s speech at that year’s Democratic National Convention.
Cooper changed sides, he said, “probably because of the war. And also because the Republican Party has moved so far right in recent years.”
He also likes Obama’s message about “the retooling of America, which involves the building of middle-class jobs and helping American small business be competitive with those overseas.”
Mr. Cooper is entitled to his own political opinions, of course. But believing that Barack Obama is anything other that a firm enemy of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and a reliable ally of opponents of the field sports both in the form of environmental extremists and lunatic fringe advocates of Animal Rights is pathetically naive. And lending his name to this particular politician’s campaign was bound to be less than well received by Mr. Cooper’s fellow shooters and sportsmen.
So USA Today, three days later, was obliged to report
Montana gunsmith Dan Cooper has been ousted as chief executive of the rifle company that bears his name after pressure from gun owners who are angry that he is supporting Democrat Barack Obama. …
The USA TODAY article sparked outrage from some gun owners and bloggers, including an open letter on a blog called Firearms and Freedom, urging people to boycott the company’s products. Many gun enthusiasts believe Obama will try to restrict their right to bear arms, although he has said he respects the Second Amendment.
In a portion of the interview that was not included in Tuesday’s story, Cooper said, “I don’t believe that what’s being said about Obama and his policies about guns are accurate. I have had a conversation with the senator … he is a stanch supporter of the right to hunt and the right to bear arms.”
The company posted a statement Wednesday night on its website that said:
“The employees, shareholders and board of directors of Cooper Firearms of Montana do not share the personal political views of Dan Cooper. Although we all believe everyone has a right to vote and donate as they see fit, it has become apparent that the fallout may affect more than just Mr. Cooper. It may also affect the employees and the shareholders of Cooper Firearms. The board of directors has asked Mr. Cooper to resign as President.”
This is sad and unfortunate, but I think the employees, stockholders, and the board of Cooper Firearms were right. Gun ownership and the right to hunt are seriously threatened by the democrat party and its radical supporters. Sportsmen and shooters are a minority attacked and under siege. If we do not stand together to defend our rights, if we do not vigorously oppose leftwing candidates like Barack Obama, we will find ourselves in the position of citizens of Great Britain very shortly.
—————————-
Hat tip to Xavier.
Tom Beckett
You are being an idiot. Of course members of the Left are against guns being used in the inner-city. Some of the extremists are even idiotic enough to want to ban hunting, but those idiots don’t have any political power.
I too am concerned about the registration-craze, but the Bush has been just as guilty of violating my right to privacy.
All the firing of Dan Cooper does is piss people off and cause even moderate Democrats like myself to believe that Gun-rights advocates are anti-Democratic, radical and dangerous. Any group willing to punish one of their own for his political positions by getting him fired is about as un-American as it gets. You just entrenched the Left a little more against you, and made yourself look like a bunch of whiny wusses to boot.
Johnny Fiskars
What a bunch of panty-waisters. Can’t anyone have a difference of opinions anymore without a box of kleenex or phony moral outrage? Boo-hoo….
Johnny Fiskars
By the Way, could you please remove your disgusting image of the Indian being shot by the greedy white guy? Here a soldier is trying to defend his homeland & fellow citizens against illegal aliens and violent & delusional (Manifest Destiny) invaders and is instead shot. You should go to the nearest reservation tribal council to show off your ‘cool’ website and see what reaction you get.
JDZ
Nope, I like the image of the American frontiersman defeating barbarism.
Johnny Fiskars
Wow, redneckism is alive and well. God help us all…
Bob Kirk
That Indian might have ben one of my great ancestors. Little Indian and a lot of
Europen blood in me. Indians were treated
worse than any people except the Jewish
in WW11. My cents worth
Timothy Cablish
Dear Sirs, Not only has Cooper Firearms made the right decision in dismissing the company founder due to his most probably naive political views, but it might have helped their sales just a little. After I heard the news, I ordered a Cooper rifle and am eagerly awaiting it. Since the Cooper factory lead time for delivery is at an all time high, a number of other people must have felt the same way. Give Me Liberty or Give me Death, but not gun control!!
TJ Onken
I have been fortunate enough to own one of the fine Coper firearms, a 6.5 X 284. I am considering buying at least one more rifle. If Mr. Cooper had not been fired for supporting Obama (his legal right) I would never consider buying another gun from the company. I am sure that my feelings are shared by others as well.
William C. Ward III
I’m a staunch supporter of the second ammendment and also a true conservative. I have a problem with Dan’s political support but maybe he sees something us less intelligent do not. I stand somewhere slightly right on political views but fail to understand why both the Democrats, Republicans, and the NRA have to be extremists. Why can’t we live and let live?
Don D. Scott
The board did what was right
C.R. Newman
Excellent decision by the board for the life of the company and country. Mr. Cooper is certainly entitled to his political decision, and as we have all learned, all decisions have consequences. His dismissal is the appropriate consequence.
Your company has now vaulted to the head of the line for my next rifle purchase. Keep up the “excellent” work.
David Lauer
Favoring gun ownership and the preservation of the Second Amendment extends much further left than ever before. Democrats for Gun Ownership is a national association pushing for this right and they have over 200,000 members! This is an American issue, not an NRA & Republican interest anymore, which is a great thing!
Doug Hormann
It’s funny that people will loudly and vocally proclaim their defense of the 2nd Amendment, just one of the original ten amendments, but when the founder of the company that they make their living from exercises his 1st Amendement right to free speech, they abandon him like yesterday’s newspaper. We now know the true meaning of hypocrasy – it’s name is the board, employees and shareholders of Cooper Arms.
Too bad, now that Cooper is out of the running, my decision where to spend my cash for a new .22 is much easier.
JDZ
The constitutional right of free speech pertains to your right to express your views without interference by the government. There is no right to express opinions with immunity from the business consequences resulting from the indignation of your customers, board of directors, shareholders, &c. Nor should it be surprising, in a country and a time in which the right to bear arms is under continual attack, that when the president of a firearms manufacturing company publicly supports a radical candidate with a lifelong record of anti-gun politics for national office that his employers, co-workers, and customers have a serious problem with his taking such a position.
I’m glad to hear that after all the months Obama has been in office that you still have the money to be buying a new gun. A lot of Americans do not these days.
Austin Hogue
Well i do beleive it has been quite some time since obama has been seated in office and i do ask you people that supported dan’s removal still feel as though his forced resignation was worth it seeing as there have yet to be any gun control laws passed on the federal level. looks like the paranoia was a bit premature as it seems many republicans are, cooper firearms no longer has it’s founder to back its name, although they still make some of the greatest firearms money can buy.
Jack Tilton
Not only do alot of us think obama is a muslim out to ruin this great country of ours but firing Cooper was not enough, we think you should have changed the name of the company because in this country out of sight out of mind works. We will never buy another weapon that says Cooper. Rather quit shooting than shoot Cooper firearms. Sold all mine at gun show or traded for anything not Cooper.
seo
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My website is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my visitors would truly benefit from a lot of the information you present here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Appreciate it!
JDZ
Feel free.
Please Leave a Comment!