Anti-gunners recently decided to try a new tactic. They purchased Ruger stock with the intention of trying to force the company to act in a manner they think is more responsible. To an extent, it worked. They were able to get enough muscle to force the company to issue a report about how the company tracks violence associated with its products.

Ruger’s CEO, Chris Killoy, had some amusing things to say about these shenanigans.

In an email exchange with Ruger, CFL received a copy of the company’s statement about this and it is direct:

“Please understand that Ruger was obligated by applicable law to include a shareholder’s activist resolution with its proxy materials for a shareholder vote. With its passage, the proposal requires Ruger to prepare a report. That’s it. A report. What the proposal does not do … and cannot do … is force us to change our business, which is lawful and constitutionally protected. What it does not do … and cannot do … is force us to adopt misguided principles created by groups who do not own guns, know nothing about our business, and frankly would rather see us out of business.

“As our CEO explained, ‘we are Americans who work together to produce rugged, reliable, innovative, and affordable firearms for responsible citizens. We are staunch supporters of the Second Amendment not because we make firearms, but because we cherish the rights conferred by it. We understand the importance of those rights and, as importantly, recognize that allowing our constitutionally protected freedoms to be eroded for the sake of political expediency is the wrong approach for our Company, for our industry, for our customers, and for our country. We are arms makers for responsible citizens, and I want to assure our long-term shareholders and loyal customers that we have no intention of changing that.’”

Rightfully, Ruger wants to set the record straight. While the spin from some media, much of which has been proven to have an anti-gun agenda, makes it sound as if this is a win for gun control advocates, that could not be further from the truth. Ruger must create reports or surveys as required by law, but it does not have to change its course or commitment to the Second Amendment—and Chris Killoy’s is a good first step.

In other words, the big win for anti-gun jihadists is to make the company create a report. That’s it.

They don’t have to change a damn thing about how they do business. Frankly, it sounds to me like it’s fine if the report says, “Since we’re not responsible for the misuse of our products by individuals, we don’t bother to track a damn thing.”

If it were up to me, that’s pretty much exactly what it would say.

Look, if guns were blowing up and killing the user, I’d be fine with this focus on manufacturers being responsible. After all, it’s a good chance that would be the case.

If the guns were accidentally going off due to manufacturing flaws and hurting people, same thing.

But that’s not what’s happening here. Ruger is selling guns to distributors, who then sell to gun stores, who then sell to people. They’re not even directly selling it to individuals as a general rule. How can they possibly be responsible for who ends up with a gun when they’re selling it to people who sell to people who sell to people? They’re so out of the loop by then there’s nothing they could do even if the wanted to.

Then again, it’s not like reality is these people’s strong suit. These are typically the people who want to sue gun manufacturers for things that happen well after the gun has left their control.

Just like everything else they push for, though, this will accomplish nothing except make things slightly more difficult for those who have done nothing wrong.