TSA handgun contract draws ire of firearms makers.

GovExec.com ^ | July 16,2003 | Richard H.P, Sia

[heckler]

Through a series of missteps, the Transportation Security Administration has run afoul of the world's leading gun manufacturers in an attempt to award a three-year, $5 million contract for the semiautomatic handguns it plans to give commercial airline pilots to defend their cockpits.

The agency drew the heaviest fire after it appeared to bow to pressure from the office of Rep. J. D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., to drop a possible deal with the Austrian gunmaker Glock and focus instead on buying guns from venerable Smith & Wesson, an American-owned firm based in Hayworth's district.

[gnarledmaw]

No contracts for S&W!

[TroutStalker]

What about the ones you and your partner make?

www.hecklerkoch-usa.com/

[Support Free Republic]

Let's keep the Dem's on the run!
Click the Pic!

[crazykatz]

Now, why in the world should the US Govt. buy products made by its own citizens who pay TAXES and vote??

Why, that would be absurd!

sarcasm off.

We own 2 Smith & Wesson revolvers and we are real, real happy with them.

[heckler]

All the guys at my favorite gun shop/shooting range carry USP's and swear by them. I think they all need the big SOCOM models.

[crazykatz]

Nice web site. We will check you out for our next weapons purchase.

[Shooter 2.5]

Buy American!!!!!!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Oh, great. Glocks and their oh-so-secure trigger "safety".

[Charles Martel]

No contracts for S&W!

This is *exactly* the sort of contract that S&W was depending on to keep them out of bankruptcy court during the consumer backlash against the HUD agreement. Now, just because Saf-T-Hammer bought S&W, everything is supposed to be right with the world. Pardon me if I don't share that sunny outlook... the agreement lives. "Unenforced", they say. Sounds like an invitation to enforce it at a later date.

I am also concerned about pilots carrying Glocks. If they could get as much practice in as the average police officer, I'd feel better about it, but I doubt that'll be the case. Besides, even law enforcement types with plenty of Glock range time manage to shoot themselves - the Glock is not a sidearm to be carried casually. They better be sure to evaluate pistols on more than price. Personally, I'd tote a Sig (and I *like* Glocks).

[Dead Corpse]

I thought the S&W boycott was over now that it is under new management that refuted the Klinton deal?

I really wanted to add one of these to my collection:

S&W 500

[pabianice]

Wonderful how the government keeps stepping on its own crank. I feel safer already...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Mine works OK.

[Shooter 2.5]

A friend used the new 1911 Smith is making and he loved it. It's kind of hard not to like a 1911 regardless who made it but he said the workmanship was superb.

I have a friend that just picked up his new 500 Smith and Wesson. He shot 100 rounds the first session. He said the recoil was stout but then he started to have problems with it. It was shipped back to the factory last week. Hopefully, it will return in ten days and he'll be back using it.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

It is a military weapon, not a cop weapon. Period.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I'm sure its action is good, and it is reliable. I'm talking about the most glaring defect to police and self defense use - the lack of any safety mechanism away from the trigger.

[El Laton Caliente]

S&W has changed ownership since we had the 2nd ammendment problems with the former Brit ownership. There is no reason not to buy S&W. Their quality is up and they are now under heavy pro-2nd ownership.

I personally have a Sig and perfer them, but there is nothing really wrong with the S&W's.

[Servant of the Nine]

No contracts for S&W!

WRONG

S&W was sold to new American owners last year. They have withdrawn from the odious agreement with the Feds that resulted in the boycott.

It is time to support the new owners and buy S&W.

So9

[Space Wrangler]

S&W was bought out from it's British owners two years ago, and the new owners immdetiately voided the 'deal with the devil' that S&W's British owners entered into with Wee Willy. It is once again an American owned company, and is going to great strides to rehabilitate their image. The people who entered into the sell-out contract were properly punished because they lost virtually all of their value on the S&W sale. The British company paid many millions in the late 80's or early 90's for S&W, and sold it for a mere $5M to the new Arizona owners. And besides that, the boycott served it's purpose. No sane gun company CEO or board will ever think about selling it's customer base out again, and will always point to S&W as the reason. I've never been that huge of a fan of S&W myself (I like their revolvers okay, but their auto's have always left something to be desired), but the sell-outs got their's in the end, and S&W is still a storied American legend.

[Servant of the Nine]

All the guys at my favorite gun shop/shooting range carry USP's and swear by them. I think they all need the big SOCOM models.

Unless you are 7 feet tall, the only way to carry the SOCOM is in a thigh holster, which is hardly concealed, or accesable to a seated pilot.

So9