I'm going to take a minute to rant about Springfield. Do I think they are great pistols? Yes, absolutely. They have great tolerances for a production gun. The fit and finish of their entry models are top notch.
Now, would I ever give Springfield my money? No.
Several years back, when Illinois was passing legislation to require State Registration for manufacturers and gun store owners, Springfield, through their lobbyist, gave money to the lead democrat on the state legislature who authored the bill. The end result, they got an exception for manufacturers so Springfield and Rock River Arms did not have to comply with the new laws, while the average gun store owner did. This really hurt the mom and pop shops who could not afford the licensing requirements like the big corporations.
After the fact, and due to widespread criticism, the president of Springfield released a weepy video about how he was a huge proponent of the second amendment and would never betray the cause. You can search for it on youtube it is still there. Springfield said their lobbyist was the one who negotiated the deal and they didn't know anything about it. Meanwhile, if you research the lobbyist who worked for Springfield, there were two other names associated with the PAC the lobbyist formed, the presidents of Springfield and RRA. For those of you who don't know, a PAC is a way to funnel money to various politicians to gain favor and get them to support your cause. It allows people to effectively give more money when they are maxed out on personal contributions. Well, there were several contributions made to the democrat writing the legislation to the tune of thousands of dollars from the Springfield PAC. You can't tell me that the PAC was making expenditures and the two people who funded it did not know where it was going. That, and the guy is still their lobbyist. If he went rogue, why is he still lobbying on their behalf?
I remember Rob Leatham bullying some people on facebook years back saying they did not know what they were talking about and did not have all the facts. Didn't care for that bullcrap either.
I have to remind myself of this every time I look at their 1911s or consider buying one of their products.
Now, would I ever give Springfield my money? No.
Several years back, when Illinois was passing legislation to require State Registration for manufacturers and gun store owners, Springfield, through their lobbyist, gave money to the lead democrat on the state legislature who authored the bill. The end result, they got an exception for manufacturers so Springfield and Rock River Arms did not have to comply with the new laws, while the average gun store owner did. This really hurt the mom and pop shops who could not afford the licensing requirements like the big corporations.
After the fact, and due to widespread criticism, the president of Springfield released a weepy video about how he was a huge proponent of the second amendment and would never betray the cause. You can search for it on youtube it is still there. Springfield said their lobbyist was the one who negotiated the deal and they didn't know anything about it. Meanwhile, if you research the lobbyist who worked for Springfield, there were two other names associated with the PAC the lobbyist formed, the presidents of Springfield and RRA. For those of you who don't know, a PAC is a way to funnel money to various politicians to gain favor and get them to support your cause. It allows people to effectively give more money when they are maxed out on personal contributions. Well, there were several contributions made to the democrat writing the legislation to the tune of thousands of dollars from the Springfield PAC. You can't tell me that the PAC was making expenditures and the two people who funded it did not know where it was going. That, and the guy is still their lobbyist. If he went rogue, why is he still lobbying on their behalf?
I remember Rob Leatham bullying some people on facebook years back saying they did not know what they were talking about and did not have all the facts. Didn't care for that bullcrap either.
I have to remind myself of this every time I look at their 1911s or consider buying one of their products.
