Owner of Rifle Company Forced to Resign by Internet Freepers After Supporting Obama

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WASHINGTON - 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.

Cooper, founder and part owner of Cooper Firearms, told USA TODAY in a story published Tuesday that he has voted for Republicans for most of his life, but he is backing Obama "probably because of the war. And also because the Republican Party has moved so far right in recent years." Cooper said he was attracted to the Democrat'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."

Cooper contributed $3,300 to Obama's presidential campaign, according to election records complied by the non-partisan CQ MoneyLine.

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."


In a statement Thursday to USA TODAY, Cooper said, "There is nothing on this earth I will not do for my employees... we have fought through 20 years of building what I believe to be the finest rifles built in America ...When the internet anger turned on these innocent people, I felt it was important to distance myself from the company so as not to cause any further harm."


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[WallStreetNobody]

1. Just further evidence of what whining inbred crybabies right-wingers have become

[amdezurik]

3. just a bunch of Palins

[Wapsie B]

2. I salute you Dan Cooper.

It took a lot of guts to do what you did.

[Rancid Crabtree]

8. ...thought of the hijacker...

when I read the name...thought of Iowa, when I saw your avatar...hawkeyes?...met a guy in Iowa that could have passed for Cooper...the hijacker...he looked like the composites..."D.B. Cooper" was it?...saw something on the telly the other day about him...this guy was former airborne, Vietnam, as well...living the quiet life in a shack north of the Coralville Reservoir...ignore me...I'm still trying to figure out the site.

[MikeNearMcChord]

4. Why do gunowners hate America?

This why the man is supporting Obama
"the retooling of America, which involves the building of middle-class jobs and helping American small business be competitive with those overseas."
I guess when the gunowner gets his job shipped off to Vietnam, some magic fairy will help him buy his Desert Eagle .50 with gold dust.

[Elidor]

5. Step out of line, and they will pour out their hatred

McCain wasn't kidding when he said, "My fellow prisoners..." What a price to pay for speaking up. They babble on and on about "rights" but they certainly don't want anyone exercising them. Their little minds can't handle it.

[jody]

6. IMO the Democratic Party should just simply say "we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right

to own and use firearms" in our platform and remove all qualifying comments that are easily interpreted to mean we Dems are a gun-grabber party.

Our 2008 platform says:

Firearms
We recognize that the right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation, but we know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact and enforce commonsense laws and improvements – like closing the gun show loophole, improving our background check system, and reinstating the assault weapons ban, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Acting responsibly and with respect for differing views on this issue, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe.

Many people believe what works in Cheyenne, homicide rate of 3.5/100k, will work in Chicago, homicide rate 15+/100k and D.C., homicide rate 29+/100k.

National homicide rate was about 6/100k in 2006.

RKBA for self-defense worked here, "Cape Girardeau(Missouri) woman kills man who returned to rape her second time"

[fascisthunter]

7. Just Further Evidence They are Political Extremists

[ogneopasno]

9. Note to self: Don't buy a Cooper.

nt