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Desert Tactical Arms turns down 15MM Gov contract

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  • Desert Tactical Arms turns down 15MM Gov contract

    To arm Pakistan. Interesting stuff.



    It’s not often that you’ll find a company who will turn down money based on moral grounds these days, but a firearms manufacturer in Salt Lake City, Utah is doing just that after being asked to supply sniper rifles to Pakistan.
    After being approached by the Obama administration with a $15 million contract to supply weaponry to the Pakistan government, Desert Tactical Arms announced they had turned down the money because they feared the weapons would someday be used to kill US troops.

    They issued a statement on their Facebook Page that read:

    In 2013 we faced a moral dilemma that I wanted to get some opinions on. The current US administration is sponsoring FMS arms sales to Pakistan forces. In 2013 We had been approached with a multi-million dollar opportunity to legally supply sniper systems to Pakistan. I was never in the armed services but we employ several military veterans. Our greatest fear was that our equipment might be used against US troops. I started this company to protect Americans not endanger them. In consulting with other arms companies the general responses I got was, if they don’t buy it from you, then they will get it somewhere else, or money is money. After much internal review we elected not to sell to Pakistan. I wanted to throw this out to our military friends to see if our concern was legitimate and hear your thoughts on it.

    While it’s good to finally see a company take a stand, and realize there’s more to life than profits, I think the bigger picture here is that our government continues to attempt to disarm the American public, while at the same time using tax payer dollars to fund rogue nations that support terrorism. Seems like an odd agenda!

    On one hand, the federal government continues to insist that guns in the hands of the American public are somehow responsible for an increase in violence. What’s weird, is this same government seems to have no problem sending these same guns, and in many cases ones that are much more powerful, to nations that hate America and thrive off violence.

    If you remember, in September of last year it was the Obama administration, who while pushing gun control here in America, waived restrictions in the Arms Export Control Act so they could send military weaponry to Syrian rebels – the same rebels who had been directly linked to Al Qaeda terrorists.

    $250 million in US taxpayer money went to supporting these so-called rebels.
    Americans really need to wake up and start asking themselves who the same guns that are supposedly bad in the hands of American citizens seem to be perfectly fine in the hands of countries that support terrorism.

  • #2
    People are saying that they didn't actually "turn it down", they just refused to make a bid on it.
    They were on a "short list" of companies that were approached to make a bid, but decided not to participate.

    Even though I hope it wouldn't be the case, I don't think they would have had the same ease in making a decision if they were the sole company approached with a check made out and signed to them.
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    • #3
      we should as the group of pro-american badasses we are organize a group purchase for them. and by we, i mean someone besides me. i'm too damn busy.

      god bless.
      It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men -Frederick Douglass

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      • #4
        2012 GT500

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Magnus View Post
          People are saying that they didn't actually "turn it down", they just refused to make a bid on it.
          They were on a "short list" of companies that were approached to make a bid, but decided not to participate.

          Even though I hope it wouldn't be the case, I don't think they would have had the same ease in making a decision if they were the sole company approached with a check made out and signed to them.
          I don't see much of a difference. Either way, they turned down an opportunity to make money from a moral stance.
          "Self-government won't work without self-discipline." - Paul Harvey

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          • #6
            Here's the one I read:



            Posted: Sunday, January 5, 2014 4:25 pm | Updated: 7:00 pm, Sun Jan 5, 2014.
            Associated Press |
            A Utah-based gun manufacturer has turned down a $15 million deal to supply Pakistan with precision rifles, citing concerns they could eventually be used against U.S. troops.
            Mike Davis, sales manager at Desert Tech, said the company was on a short list for a contract with Pakistan, but spurned the opportunity because of unrest in Pakistan and ethical concerns.
            It was a difficult decision because of the amount of money involved, he said, and the sale of rifles to Pakistan would have been legal.
            "We don't know that those guns would've went somewhere bad, but with the unrest we just ended up not feeling right about it," Davis told KTVX-TV.
            The company, based in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City, was founded in 2007 on the principle of keeping America and its allies safe, he added.
            "As a business owner you always want to be successful, but I think ethically and morally you want to go about it the right way and stick behind your founding principles," Davis told KSL.
            Weapons sales to allies such as Pakistan are nothing new but they can be complicated, especially in a country with an al-Qaida presence. The U.S. often targets al-Qaida, Taliban and their Pakistani supporters in the country's tribal regions.
            "I've got to admire Desert Tech for potentially turning down what could have been a very lucrative contract in the interest of protecting American service members," said Col. Steven R. Watt of the Utah National Guard.
            The rifles can change caliber within minutes and have the capacity to shoot as far as 3,000 yards.
            Desert Tech, formerly known as Desert Tactical Arms, has had military contracts with other countries but declined to reveal specifics.
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            • #7
              There might be a whole lot of reasons they declined, though that may be one of them. Good for them for taking the moral high ground, even though it amounts to hitting a dragon with a fly swatter.

              My first thought was that they didnt have the production capability, or timeframe to fill the contract.
              "If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." - Henry Ford

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              • #8
                They make some badass rifles.
                "It's another burrito, it's a cold Lone Star in my hand!"

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by GhostTX View Post
                  I don't see much of a difference. Either way, they turned down an opportunity to make money from a moral stance.
                  Or so they told their PR guy to tell everyone.

                  Apparently their moral stance doesn't permit them to speak about what other countries they've manufactured and sold firearms to.
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                  • #10
                    first we get the sensationalism from the media and now the companies...
                    Originally posted by Sean88gt
                    You can take white off the list. White on anything is the best, including vehicles, women, and the Presidency.
                    Originally posted by Baron Von Crowder
                    You can not imagine how difficult it is to hold a half gallon of moo juice and polish the one-eyed gopher when your doin' seventy-five in an eighteen-wheeler.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Magnus View Post
                      Or so they told their PR guy to tell everyone.

                      Apparently their moral stance doesn't permit them to speak about what other countries they've manufactured and sold firearms to.
                      Good point, as your other point made mention of. Hard to be on the high horse if they're selling to Iran, for example.
                      "Self-government won't work without self-discipline." - Paul Harvey

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by GhostTX View Post
                        Good point, as your other point made mention of. Hard to be on the high horse if they're selling to Iran, for example.
                        Maybe, maybe not depending on who they sold to and who made the decision. Selective information is dangerous to us all. Maybe they took contracts in the past just to make ends meet -- maybe not. Maybe they had a change in management/advisory or maybe they just opened their eyes a bit more. Either way, I like the current stance.

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                        • #13
                          They build really nice shit, but that's probably a contract for a couple hundred rifles at most. Good on them for sticking to their principles.
                          ZOMBIE REAGAN FOR PRESIDENT 2016!!! heh

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