Ronnie Barrett

Cool guy who makes really sexy guns. He did an interview with The Shooting Wire (no link yet since their webpage still isn't up - it's a new publication).

TOW: Another gear change. Some observers, myself included, say the firearms industry isn't unified. What do you think about that, and why?

BARRETT: As an industry, we're not looking at the big picture. We're not unified. When California banned the .50 caliber, I fired California. Why isn't everyone doing that? Why aren't we all working together for our survival?

"The industry" needs to be explaining to politicians - and to average people -that small arms companies - like mine - don't just supply the military or the police. We need consumer sales, too. We are a part of the state of the union…without us, there is no country. When politicians say "we'll ban sales of this caliber or that rifle to anyone except the police department and the military" who do they think will be making those items? We don't have a "U.S. Springfield Armory" anymore - the government shut them all down years ago. If we could only sell to the military, every firearms company in the United States would fail. The industry condition is that fragile. But I don't see us telling our story very effectively.

I hope that if the registered/marked ammo issues come up in California again that the ammo manufacturers will step and be the first to really bring the industry together. I wish it wouldn't take something so dramatic, but I think it will.

UPDATE: There's been a request to link the article. Unfortunately, archives of the new e-newsletter are not yet posted. However, if you'd like to start getting the publication, you can sign up through their website. Please keep in mind that it's not a discussion list. It's simply a newsletter for shooting sports and industry news mostly geared for outdoor writers. It's just a good source of information, much like Bullet Points and NRA emails. I'll also post the entire interview below.

A few minutes with...

In 1982, Ronnie Barrett was a long-range shooting enthusiast who believed he could build a better precision rifle than those available to long-range shooters. Apparently he was right.

Today, his rifles are synonymous with extreme shooting and "Barrett" is as ubiquitous when speaking about long-range precision rifles of the United States military as Kleenex with tissues.

With that success, however, has come considerable notoriety. Firearms opponents say his rifles are "too-big" to be in the hands of civilians, and portray Barrett as "intolerant" and "mean-spirited". The treatment he and his company have received in the media has ranged from biased to downright inaccurate.

Barrett has never taken that lying down. His penchant for taking on issues - and inaccuracies - in his "direct" style has turned Barrett into a lightning rod for the entire industry. And he's always a good conversation companion, as you'll read.

TOW: So, how's it feel to be a lightning rod?

BARRETT: (Chuckling) Well, I never set out to become that. But I'm a student of history. Others have lost their freedoms and, ultimately, their countries by doing nothing. That's not going to happen here if I can help it. We sit quietly; we'll find ourselves in a miserable situation. I didn't sit quietly when the ATF said 'your product is an assault weapon and you're going to shut down.' I told them it wasn't; and we weren't shutting down if they handcuffed me and drug me out. We stood up for our rights and we're still here. We're going to keep standing up for what we believe.

TOW: Are you - and your beliefs - all that different from your neighbors?

BARRETT: What do you mean?

TOW: Do the people living around you feel differently than you about firearms and rights?

BARRETT: No, I think most of us share the same core values. I don't think the majority of people in the 'red' or 'blue' states are all that different. The left wing has had that 'explained' to them in the last few elections. They're still not in touch with reality.

TOW: That's certainly not very politically correct…

BARRETT: I'm for plain talk. It can get you arrested in some places, but not here. The anti-firearms groups count on ignorance. The more light shined on the facts about gun control, the more they run like cockroaches. They depend on darkness, ignorance and backroom deals. I have a firm belief in the phrase that says 'these shall not be infringed upon…' and I won't back off that belief. Maybe it's my Irish heritage, but I believe this is a good Republic. I'm willing work to see it preserved. My feeling is that if you don't like it here, well, you can move.

TOW: Is that why you've been called "mean-spirited" or "intolerant"?

BARRETT: Those are just emotional words liberals use to deflect attention from truth. Truth has nothing to do with the anti-firearm movement. Neither do facts. Truth and logic have nothing to do with their positions, they're all based on emotions.

TOW: So what about the people who make those arguments? Take one group you've had a couple of exchanges with: the Violence Policy Center

BARRETT: The Violence Policy Center's arguments and 'facts' are ridiculous. They don't hold up under examination, so they use emotion as a smoke-screen.

TOW: So what about their arguments for gun control?

BARRETT: They run from one argument to another. They argued some guns were 'too-small' - and they lost. Now they're arguing some guns are 'too-big'. They'll lose that argument too, if they have to fight facts. The people who keep pushing to outlaw firearms are either ignorant - or sinister.

TOW: Let's talk about the business of Barrett. What about critics who say you've used the Middle East for your own benefit, that you're an opportunist?

BARRETT: Some people like to say Operation Desert Shield made this company, but that's not so. We were already in the military purchasing pipeline. Desert Storm didn't even shorten the first buying cycle. Their normal sales cycle, incidentally, is ten years. Barrett had been putting equipment in front of them - for years - before Operation Desert Shield. Our first military sale was to Sweden - in 1989. We sold to the Marines after that, and then the other branches. Barrett was ready for the moment, that's all. They obviously don't know anything about doing business with the government

TOW: Politics - you have any interest?

BARRETT: I've been approached, but no. Helping others in politics is more my interest.

TOW: Another gear change. Some observers, myself included, say the firearms industry isn't unified. What do you think about that, and why?

BARRETT: As an industry, we're not looking at the big picture. We're not unified. When California banned the .50 caliber, I fired California. Why isn't everyone doing that? Why aren't we all working together for our survival?

"The industry" needs to be explaining to politicians - and to average people -that small arms companies - like mine - don't just supply the military or the police. We need consumer sales, too. We are a part of the state of the union…without us, there is no country. When politicians say "we'll ban sales of this caliber or that rifle to anyone except the police department and the military" who do they think will be making those items? We don't have a "U.S. Springfield Armory" anymore - the government shut them all down years ago. If we could only sell to the military, every firearms company in the United States would fail. The industry condition is that fragile. But I don't see us telling our story very effectively.

TOW: What's next for Barrett, the company?

BARRETT: We're working in several new calibers and improvements for the next generation of precision rifles; doing some heavy R&D work, including development in precision optics and our own ammunition.

TOW: How about Ronnie Barrett, how long will he be here at Barrett?

BARRETT: (laughing) Probably forever, and my kids are working here learning the business, too. When Sam Colt left Colt, Colt faded. Same thing happened at Smith & Wesson when there was no Smith or no Wesson. I don't want that to happen to Barrett.

TOW: Thanks, Ronnie.

Posted by Bitter at April 28, 2006 09:21 AM | TrackBack