One of America’s biggest gunmakers is joining the 2016 political fray.
Michael Fifer, CEO of Sturm, Ruger & Co., took a strong political stance on Wednesday during the company’s earnings call.
In addition to advocating support for the Second Amendment, Fifer also pledged large donations to the National Rifle Association, said the company will urge customers to call their congressional representatives, discussed the composition of the Supreme Court, and attacked Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“We hope this call to action inspires our customers and all freedom-loving Americans to take action in support of the Second Amendment, especially in the months leading up to the November election,” Fifer said, kicking off the call.
In support of the Second Amendment, Fifer said Sturm, Ruger & Co. will donate $2 to the NRA for every gun it sells, and it will match all donations to the NRA up to $5 million until the election on November 8.
Additionally, Fifer said the the company is urging customers to get out and vote.
“Perhaps most importantly, we are encouraging our customers and all Americans to have their voice heard and to vote in the November elections,” Fifer said.
“I have no doubt about it, the makeup of the Supreme Court is on the ballot this November, and therefore the Second Amendment is also firmly on the ballot. We think the NRA crew’s institute for legislative action is best positioned to support the key races in the upcoming elections that will affect our firearm rights for decades to come.”
While Fifer did not mention a specific candidate that the company’s customers should vote for, he criticized Clinton.
When asked if sales would be affected if Clinton were to be elected, Fifer said he couldn’t speculate as to how but said her positions worry the gunmaker.
Here’s Fifer (emphasis ours):
“I don’t think have any way of measuring the political impact or certainly not assigning it to any one politician’s comments, but certainly this is a unique time in our history because for the very first time ever, we have the nominee of a major political party, one with a very reasonable likelihood of winning the presidency, overtly stating that the Supreme Court got it wrong in the Heller case and actively campaigning against the lawful Commerce in Arms. That’s unprecedented, and it will be hard for any of us to believe that didn’t have some impact, but it can’t be measured.”
Fifer was alluding to Clinton’s sweeping gun control plan, which is a large part of her candidacy. Additionally, Clinton has said that the Heller case, a decision by the Supreme Court in 2008 that struck down many laws governing the use of guns in Washington, DC, was wrong.
Fifer did not mention the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, on the call.
Bob Bryan, Business Insider
