"Bushmaster CEO breaks silence on Newtown school shooting"

June 20, 2013

"George Kollitides, the CEO of Freedom Group, which owns Bushmaster, was blamed by some as being complicit in the killings. He has not commented on the controversy, until now.

“It’s very easy to blame an inanimate object. Any kind of instrument in the wrong hands can be put to evil use. This comes down to intent — criminal behavior, accountability and responsibility,” 

“He killed the gun’s owner, stole her car, stole her gun and then went to a school and killed innocent kids. No background checks could have prevented that. He illegally obtained the guns,” “Only two things could have potentially stopped him: his mother locking up her guns and an armed guard. Even then, he could have driven his stolen car into a playground full of kids. He was intent on killing, which we know is already illegal.” 

“At the time of Sandy Hook, Connecticut had a pre-existing ‘assault-weapon’ ban, which like all gun bans, was based on cosmetic features, which once again proves the looks of a gun have nothing to do with its effectiveness. Any weapon in the hand of a criminal or those bent on destruction is dangerous. Bans don’t work. Preventing access and punishment work,” 

“I’m clearly for preventing criminals and the mentally ill from getting firearms. I’m not against well-written background checks, but the devil is in the details,” Mr. Kollitides said. “No matter how well intended, if legislators get the details wrong, we will end up with a backdoor registration, which is where some of the recently defeated federal legislation was taking background checks.”

“The key is to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from getting firearms, and, when they do, punish them to the maximum extent of the law”.

“A better mental health system. Accountability of neighbors and parents. I have three young kids; at the end of the day, I am a huge proponent of armed guards in schools.”

“We want to make sure we make a quality product, a safe product, it doesn’t misfire, it doesn’t fall apart.”

“However, it’s inherently a dangerous product. When you load it, unsafe it, point and pull the trigger, it’s going to have a devastating affect on anything in its path. That’s why we need to emphasize safety, accountability and responsibility.” "

I generally agree with those statements, as opposed to these shameful ones.

"Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC charged on Feb. 16 that the CEO is “the merchant of death who made the Bushmaster military-style assault rifle used to rip up the bodies of the 20 children and six educators.”

Mr. O'Donnell then put Mr. Kollitides‘ photo on the screen and said, “Leave it up there for a while. I want this merchant of death to be stared at by a national audience for as long as possible.”

The New York Times published an editorial in January that said Bushmaster’s advertising caused criminal behavior, concluding that, “Given their financial success, gun makers have apparently decided that the risk of an occasional massacre is part of the cost of doing business.” "

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/14/bushmaster-ceo-reflects-on-newtown/

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