I was going to stay out of this thread, but again, there have been some seiously nasty things posted about me; spurred on by Rick's rant.
Firstly, yes, I was part of the entire Swiss Arms fiasco and I acknowedged my part over 7 years ago. But as history has shown again: the RCMP were just waiting for an excuse to attack. The incident had nothing to do with exclusivity as I had not been the importer for probably 5 or 6 years at that point and tvpresspass's coverage of the debacle is the equivalent of reading a Toronto Star piece... very selective "reporting" at best. I publicly apologized to the shooting community and also to my ex-partners. We all agreed to move on. Mistakes were made and not repeated.
I have no idea where the link to me for the CZ858 issue ever came from. You'll have to speak with John at Wolverine about that one and his issues with the RCMP reclassification. But to try to link that one to me is completely without merit and untruthful.
Yes, I have a gofundme. I am launching a suit and agreed to be liable to the lawyers for the entire costs. I paid the initial retainer and as one can imagine, it was quickly eaten up. The money raised, and honestly, I am humbled by the support, goes from gofundme to the law firm. It is not co-mingled with my corporate operational monies and I will be posting proof as the monies move. So please do not infer otherwise.
Also, my challenge is not being made in a bubble. My lawyers and I have and are still talking with the other groups. We are all trying to achieve the same thing... and we alll agree that this fight must be the death of 1000 cuts against our common enemy. We cannot rely on one big fight. Lets also be realistic; the shooting community should be able to fund 100's of legal challenges. Me running with one of them is hardly draining the war chest for the community. I have already spent over $10 k of my own money and raised over $70k through the gofundme.... plus I spend probably 4-6 hours a day assisting with research for the case... time I should be spending on building/defending my business. The question that should be asked: how many other companies are preparing or joining or even supporting challenges? Or are they just letting this all happen to them? Telling people to sign petitions is fine and dandy, but at some point, the rubber must hit the road. I would say, to date, there are over 10 companies that have given to my fund and are keenly behind me. I won't forget them and I appreciate them.
It appears that some people are trying their hardest to drive a wedge between Rick and I. Yes, he's upset for his own reasons, but these things pass. Most people don't know, but I am a principle partner in the firearms industry in the UK as well. So I try to look at these things more globally and long term. For some reason, there is waaaaay less acrimonious behaiour in the industry there. Hopefully over time, our industy will evolve and we'll get along better.
Everyone was really quick to point out to me that "competition is good for everyone" when my old partners and I split in 2010 and they opened up a competitive facilty only a couple of km's from me... and I had to adjust and learn... and to be honest, they were right. It made me focus of my features and benefits and to not take the client for granted. for the entire industry, including ATRS, we all now have to evolve and adapt... unlike some Canadian manufacturers, Rick and I are not running away... we are both doubling down.
So... hate me all you want. But hate me for the right reasons... but also, reflect on your own life... are you the same person you were 10 or 20 years ago? Would you make the same decisions today as you did 10 or 20 years ago?... for some things maybe, but I am sure everyone reading this has made some mistakes in judgement they would not repeat. Unfortunately for some of us, the consequences were more widespread and public.
JR
we are all in this together
