Companies exist for one purpose and one purpose only. That’s to make money. If they see a market to exploit, they’ll do it if it’s remotely possible for them to do so. It’s just kind of what they do.

Duluth Pack figured they saw opportunity in the concealed carry community, and they went for it. The results were somewhat predictable.

Duluth Pack, the Twin Ports outfitter known for 125 years of handcrafted pack-making, paddled into choppy waters on social media Tuesday, when it posted what some viewers saw as a provocative photo to promote a new conceal-and-carry product.

The post appeared on the company’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and showed a close-up of a handgun being withdrawn from a canvas satchel.

…

Debates flared in the comment sections under the product photo. Gun-control proponents admonished the ad, while enthusiasts applauded the company for introducing a new option to its line of gun-related products, which already include other conceal-and-carry bags and handbags. Others said they didn’t object to the product, but questioned the imagery.

The back-and-forth was familiar to anyone associated with the swift and sometimes volatile reactions on social media.

“You’ve lost me as a customer,” said one person.

And yet, I bet the company will survive just fine. After all, they may have lost that person as a customer, but they’ll pick up a few more.

Further, I’ve always wondered how many of these supposed rage-quit customers were ever really customers in the first place.

The satchel is pricey, but it doesn’t scream “tactical” by any stretch of the imagination. That’s something many concealed carry folks have been screaming for through the years, and it’s available. I have little doubt that Duluth Pack will make money with this one.

However, this illustrates part of the problem with the gun debate these days.

While we pro-gun folks may opt not to spend money in a restaurant or store that has a sign posted declaring they don’t allow firearms on the premises, that usually has more to do with not going where we’re unwelcome than almost anything else. That and the fact that we understand that such a sign might as well be an engraved invitation to criminals who will know that in many places that sign has the force of law, which means they won’t meet armed resistance in such establishments.

Yet anti-gunners can’t be content to live and let live. They have to make a major stink because a company shows they’re willing to cater to a market they dislike. They have to act like spoiled children, holding their breath until Duluth Pack changes their mind.

Here’s a tip for the gun grabbers out there: If you don’t want a concealed carry satchel, don’t freaking buy one! It’s not that damn hard.

But they need to stop pretending they’re accomplishing anything besides looking like spoiled, petulant children who are outraged they aren’t getting their way. Then again, that’s not exactly a new position for them these days either, now is it?