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It's a tightrope for some. Yes. If purchasing decisions are made, strictly, on a political basis... well... let's just say that your options would be extremely limited, often either 'too cheap' to buy or, even more often, hideously expensive, would (at least around here) require extensive travel or 'buying in the blind,' and, ultimately, would still end up ignoring the fact that much of politics involves something that someone has a beef about - legitimate or not. That's without even addressing whether your 'boycott' would be sufficient to even cause a change or it's simply something which allows you, personally, to sleep better at night.
The counter argument tends to be based on 'change has to start somewhere' and 'do not let them profit from you.' Taking the second one first, that's ultimately a personal decision. If you have the ability to live without or go 'out of your way' to not shop with a company due to their political leanings or, often, more accurately, your personal perception of those leanings, more power to ya, congratulations, enjoy.
For the rest of us, it's not (usually) about being a Commie-sympathizer, a Benedict Arnold, a traitor, a money-worshipper, eschewing principles, ad infinitum. It's about not knowing, having limited (if any) practical options, or a cost-benefit calculation (if such thinking ever gets that advanced so as to be a proper one) which suggests that your individual wherewithal is best 'spent' elsewhere.
Which brings us back to the first factor - 'change has to start somewhere.' Is it really about 'going after' the company or is the company simply doing what it has to with an eye toward survival? Take the thread I just created in 2nd Amendment Litigation... New York Attorney General Sues Manufacturer Over Magazine Lock Used In Massacre. Is Mean Arms a truly patriotic company which should be supported because AG James is against it or are they simply a company which saw an opportunity and has been taking a proper 'advantage' from the possibilities? Remember, they do not market something contrary to the existing law. They market products which allow one to be compliant with the existing law while not 'permanently' altering the firearm and, as such, has seen considerable support from California buyers.
The same holds true for Benchmade. In 2019, this piece appeared... Benchmade Anti-Gun? We Ask Them to Explain. The key passages, so far as I am concerned, are...
I've owned a couple of full-sized Griptilians since well before... the incident. Are they 'the best?' No. Are they 'the worst?' Far from it. Is the recent change to the steel used in the knife going to make a difference? Unknown as it's going to take a while before they need to be replaced. (Unfortunately, now that I can afford it, the one I'd replace it with - the Al Mar SERE 2000 - is no longer made and I'm not as enamored of the 2020.) In the end, the Benchmade simply works and is worth the money paid... for my usage. YMMV.
In the end, if you have a 'personal grudge,' feel free to indulge. If you wish to recruit others to your 'cause,' make your case (rationally and calmly, without the invective, brow-beating, etc.), then allow others to decide. If you simply want to rant and rave, calling others who own/use a product from a company you, personally, have issues with various names and/or accusing them of being a Commie-sympathizer, a Benedict Arnold, a traitor, a money-worshipper, eschewing principles, ad infinitum... well... let's just go with what I said above.
The counter argument tends to be based on 'change has to start somewhere' and 'do not let them profit from you.' Taking the second one first, that's ultimately a personal decision. If you have the ability to live without or go 'out of your way' to not shop with a company due to their political leanings or, often, more accurately, your personal perception of those leanings, more power to ya, congratulations, enjoy.
For the rest of us, it's not (usually) about being a Commie-sympathizer, a Benedict Arnold, a traitor, a money-worshipper, eschewing principles, ad infinitum. It's about not knowing, having limited (if any) practical options, or a cost-benefit calculation (if such thinking ever gets that advanced so as to be a proper one) which suggests that your individual wherewithal is best 'spent' elsewhere.
Which brings us back to the first factor - 'change has to start somewhere.' Is it really about 'going after' the company or is the company simply doing what it has to with an eye toward survival? Take the thread I just created in 2nd Amendment Litigation... New York Attorney General Sues Manufacturer Over Magazine Lock Used In Massacre. Is Mean Arms a truly patriotic company which should be supported because AG James is against it or are they simply a company which saw an opportunity and has been taking a proper 'advantage' from the possibilities? Remember, they do not market something contrary to the existing law. They market products which allow one to be compliant with the existing law while not 'permanently' altering the firearm and, as such, has seen considerable support from California buyers.
The same holds true for Benchmade. In 2019, this piece appeared... Benchmade Anti-Gun? We Ask Them to Explain. The key passages, so far as I am concerned, are...
...Benchmade from the beginning has been fully in support of Second Amendment rights. That's not just a Benchmade thing as a brand; it's a cultural thing as an organization. I can't speak to every single person in the business but I myself, I'm a big supporter. I happen to be a life member of the NRA. I'm not alone in that at Benchmade, and moreover, I also think it's important to make the point that it's about carry for us and people's right to carry state to state. And that isn't just about guns for us. At the end of the day, we're a knife company...
You can see through our participation and memberships in national organizations that advocate for gun rights, to the tune of millions. These are pro-Second Amendment organizations that support our industry, host the biggest gun and knife and hunting equipment show in the world, and actively advocate for the rights that we believe in.
We have had co-branded products that have directly funded their efforts to fight for Second Amendment rights, we attend shows that support this cause, we sponsor athletes that promote and engage in advocacy. This is an organization full of American workers who support the liberties granted to us and it is ingrained into who we are...
Oregon is a hotbed of knife makers, but also is a heavily Democrat-leaning state making most of the politicians with an interest in introducing legislation that is pro-knife often Democratic. When the donations were made to pro-knife politicians, it was about knife rights...
This bill had co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. The effort requires bi-partisan support and we need to ensure we are reaching across the aisle and bringing both parties to the table. I don?t think most people are aware of how serious the penalties can be for certain types of knives in certain states, though less now than in the past, and it is the knife companies that have to carry the torch, as these issues generally have very low visibility...
Benchmade now has a policy to politely decline to assist Law Enforcement in the cutting up of firearms regardless of reason. If the local law enforcement request assistance with other matters, we will be happy to accommodate them as long as doesn?t involve cutting firearms...
Benchmade now has a policy to politely decline to assist Law Enforcement in the cutting up of firearms regardless of reason. If the local law enforcement request assistance with other matters, we will be happy to accommodate them as long as doesn?t involve cutting firearms.
We have to lead the charge on breaking down restrictive, antiquated and significant laws with regards to knives. We hope that this situation can bring awareness to the ITA. I hope that this provides some visibility to the issues surrounding knife rights as they are just as important to us as firearm rights.
We appreciate the opportunity to directly address our community as we know this has been a confusing few days that have upset quite a few people. We know this is the most critical issue for many of the readers and public in general that support Second Amendment rights. This was never our intention and we hope this can bring clarity to areas of question about our beliefs and what we stand for.
You can see through our participation and memberships in national organizations that advocate for gun rights, to the tune of millions. These are pro-Second Amendment organizations that support our industry, host the biggest gun and knife and hunting equipment show in the world, and actively advocate for the rights that we believe in.
We have had co-branded products that have directly funded their efforts to fight for Second Amendment rights, we attend shows that support this cause, we sponsor athletes that promote and engage in advocacy. This is an organization full of American workers who support the liberties granted to us and it is ingrained into who we are...
Oregon is a hotbed of knife makers, but also is a heavily Democrat-leaning state making most of the politicians with an interest in introducing legislation that is pro-knife often Democratic. When the donations were made to pro-knife politicians, it was about knife rights...
This bill had co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. The effort requires bi-partisan support and we need to ensure we are reaching across the aisle and bringing both parties to the table. I don?t think most people are aware of how serious the penalties can be for certain types of knives in certain states, though less now than in the past, and it is the knife companies that have to carry the torch, as these issues generally have very low visibility...
Benchmade now has a policy to politely decline to assist Law Enforcement in the cutting up of firearms regardless of reason. If the local law enforcement request assistance with other matters, we will be happy to accommodate them as long as doesn?t involve cutting firearms...
Benchmade now has a policy to politely decline to assist Law Enforcement in the cutting up of firearms regardless of reason. If the local law enforcement request assistance with other matters, we will be happy to accommodate them as long as doesn?t involve cutting firearms.
We have to lead the charge on breaking down restrictive, antiquated and significant laws with regards to knives. We hope that this situation can bring awareness to the ITA. I hope that this provides some visibility to the issues surrounding knife rights as they are just as important to us as firearm rights.
We appreciate the opportunity to directly address our community as we know this has been a confusing few days that have upset quite a few people. We know this is the most critical issue for many of the readers and public in general that support Second Amendment rights. This was never our intention and we hope this can bring clarity to areas of question about our beliefs and what we stand for.
In the end, if you have a 'personal grudge,' feel free to indulge. If you wish to recruit others to your 'cause,' make your case (rationally and calmly, without the invective, brow-beating, etc.), then allow others to decide. If you simply want to rant and rave, calling others who own/use a product from a company you, personally, have issues with various names and/or accusing them of being a Commie-sympathizer, a Benedict Arnold, a traitor, a money-worshipper, eschewing principles, ad infinitum... well... let's just go with what I said above.
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