A new report from the House Oversight Committee says that leading gunmakers use "aggressive marketing tactics" which emphasize masculinity, and make 'veiled references' to white supremacist groups "like the Boogaloo Bois" (which isn't a 'far-right' group at all) in order to sell guns. In short, a massive gaslighting campaign.
"The business practices of these gun manufacturers are deeply disturbing, exploitative, and reckless," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who chairs the committee.
"The [gun] industry is both creating these customers and marketing to them. And therefore, it's propagating more of this radicalization," said Ryan Busse, a former firearms executive who has flipped to anti-gun, and testified before the House committee last week about "the dangerous ways that AR-15s are intertwined with political radicalization."
According to Busse, the gunmakers are targeting "this angry, young male, politically active, conservative, aggrieved, dreams of using the AR-15 to 'make things right in the world," adding "In other words– people who also fall right into domestic terror groups and radicalization and everything else."
Yikes.
About those "Boogaloo Bois..."
As Insider reports:
Some gunmakers have also appeared to make references to far-right groups.
One example of this political targeting is an AK-47-style pistol, produced by Palmetto State Armory, which is adorned with a pattern resembling the signature Hawaiian shirts worn by the Boogaloo Bois far-right extremist group.
Except, the "Boogaloo Bois" support BLM and don't like Donald Trump. Swing-and-a-miss, Dems.
"We are out here supporting the local BLM scene" says one of the Boogaloo Boys before marching towards the Ohio Statehouse building to protest pic.twitter.com/i7KQ3HohqD
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) January 17, 2021
"We are not a pro-Trump group" says one of the speakers for the Boogaloo Boys in front of the Ohio Statehouse pic.twitter.com/mHTMfSlLtk
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) January 17, 2021
“We hope the Proud Boys do not come here, we do not want you here,” armed boogaloo boys protesting outside Ohio Statehouse. Ohio State Highway Patrol and National Guard surround the area pic.twitter.com/99MEtOac3l
— Lisa Bennatan (@LisaBennatan) January 17, 2021
Meanwhile, the Democratic committee report knocked gunmakers for 'preying on masculinity' by claiming that their firearms will put people "at the top of the testosterone food chain."
An example of this is the "Man Card" campaign that AR-15 maker Bushmaster launched in 2010, which marketed its guns to a "Man's Man" in a "world of rapidly depleting testosterone."
Although the campaign ceased after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 where the 20-year-old gunmanwho killed 26, including 20 children aged six and seven, was aremd with a Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle , its successes set an example for other gunmakers to follow, Busse wrote in The Atlantic. -Insider
There are around 19.8 million AR-15 style rifles officially in circulation in the US.
A new report from the House Oversight Committee says that leading gunmakers use “aggressive marketing tactics” which emphasize masculinity, and make ‘veiled references’ to white supremacist groups “like the Boogaloo Bois” (which isn’t a ‘far-right’ group at all) in order to sell guns. In short, a massive gaslighting campaign.
“The business practices of these gun manufacturers are deeply disturbing, exploitative, and reckless,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who chairs the committee.
“The [gun] industry is both creating these customers and marketing to them. And therefore, it’s propagating more of this radicalization,” said Ryan Busse, a former firearms executive who has flipped to anti-gun, and testified before the House committee last week about “the dangerous ways that AR-15s are intertwined with political radicalization.”
According to Busse, the gunmakers are targeting “this angry, young male, politically active, conservative, aggrieved, dreams of using the AR-15 to ‘make things right in the world,” adding “In other words– people who also fall right into domestic terror groups and radicalization and everything else.”
Yikes.
About those “Boogaloo Bois…”
As Insider reports:
Some gunmakers have also appeared to make references to far-right groups.
One example of this political targeting is an AK-47-style pistol, produced by Palmetto State Armory, which is adorned with a pattern resembling the signature Hawaiian shirts worn by the Boogaloo Bois far-right extremist group.
Except, the “Boogaloo Bois” support BLM and don’t like Donald Trump. Swing-and-a-miss, Dems.
“We are out here supporting the local BLM scene” says one of the Boogaloo Boys before marching towards the Ohio Statehouse building to protest pic.twitter.com/i7KQ3HohqD
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) January 17, 2021
“We are not a pro-Trump group” says one of the speakers for the Boogaloo Boys in front of the Ohio Statehouse pic.twitter.com/mHTMfSlLtk
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) January 17, 2021
“We hope the Proud Boys do not come here, we do not want you here,” armed boogaloo boys protesting outside Ohio Statehouse. Ohio State Highway Patrol and National Guard surround the area pic.twitter.com/99MEtOac3l
— Lisa Bennatan (@LisaBennatan) January 17, 2021
Meanwhile, the Democratic committee report knocked gunmakers for ‘preying on masculinity’ by claiming that their firearms will put people “at the top of the testosterone food chain.”
An example of this is the “Man Card” campaign that AR-15 maker Bushmaster launched in 2010, which marketed its guns to a “Man’s Man” in a “world of rapidly depleting testosterone.”
Although the campaign ceased after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 where the 20-year-old gunmanwho killed 26, including 20 children aged six and seven, was aremd with a Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle , its successes set an example for other gunmakers to follow, Busse wrote in The Atlantic. -Insider
There are around 19.8 million AR-15 style rifles officially in circulation in the US.
