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Sandy Crisholm (President of North American Arms) had this to say on NAA’s website:
Just when you thought the end of this life-threatening COVID pandemic was in sight, it’s become painfully clear that it is not. In fact, we’re heading in the wrong direction. What makes this realization even more painful is that, not withstanding our missteps regarding wearing masks, social distancing, economic shutdowns and the like, the end could have been in sight. If only more of us had embraced the simple protocol of getting vaccinated, we’d be well on our way to leaving this scourge in our wake. Instead, we’re back, smack in the middle of it and “life as we knew it” is still a distant dream.
I continue to believe in vaccinations. I believe they are far and away the most effective means of protecting oneself from contracting the COVID virus, AND is the key to eliminating the ongoing threat of the virus – and its increasingly more threatening variants – worldwide. I also believe that, if a vaccinated person DOES contract the virus, he/she/(they) will suffer far fewer and less severe symptoms that those who are not vaccinated. Is there any doubt?
Over the past few months, my thoughts about those who don’t believe in the value of vaccinations has transitioned from disinterest to sympathy to incredulity to contempt. I believe that those who don’t take advantage of the opportunities to become vaccinated are ignorant, misguided &/or selfish, or any combination of the three. Despite all the unarguable reasons in favor of getting vaccinated, there remains a surprisingly large number of people who stubbornly refuse to do so. Why? There seems to be a variety of excuses that are proffered, almost none of which hold any validity. I offer some of the more popular ones, in no particular order.
“I don’t believe the vaccines are safe”. How much data, gathered over what period of time, will it take to put this false narrative to bed?
“I don’t believe the vaccines are effective”. While there have been some, few instances of people contracting COVID after having been vaccinated, the effects they suffer are, almost without exception, an order of magnitude less severe than they would have been otherwise.
“I have already contracted the disease and so I already have some level of immunity and see no benefit from vaccination”. Right on the first count, wrong on the second; you can be certain that your immunity will only be bolstered with a vaccination.
“I am afraid of suffering side effects from the vaccination”. While some have reported this to be the case, there are stunningly few and the effects are modest/weak and very short-lived.
“My circumstance puts me at a heightened risk from being vaccinated”. I don’t know what circumstance that is; it most certainly does not apply to those attempting to become pregnant, for example.
“I have a history of adverse allergic reactions”. Maybe. That alone has a taint of legitimacy.
“I claim a religious exemption”. For the life of me, I can’t understand the basis of such a thing. What religion would advocate against something that will protect your life and that of others? Certainly none that I’ve ever heard of. Go ask the Pope.
“I can’t afford it”. Bullshit; it’s free.
“I don’t know where to find it”. Are you living under a rock?
“I’m a freedom-loving American and I simply don’t want to”. Ahhh, here we go. This is far and away the most frequent – and lamest – excuse. Even Donald Trump, the poster-child for the selfish exercise of frequently nonsensical individual freedoms (“I’m not wearing a mask because I don’t want to”.) has been vaccinated and has encouraged other people to do so as well (NB he’s also previously contracted the disease, above). As a member of a society, you have an obligation not to threaten the health and well-being of others, particularly when doing so comes at no risk or expense to you.
I’ll admit I enjoy no small measure of schadenfreude reading stories of those stubborn people who find themselves stricken and on death’s door, suffering from their earlier foolish decision not to get vaccinated. I look at it almost as a Darwinian effect, helping cleanse our gene pool. Excuse my lack of sympathy. Too bad. Completely avoidable. Didn’t have to happen.
I know that this is one of my more controversial and likely to be one of my least popular rants. I take this personally. There are individuals in my own family who are the subject of my (heretofore silent) disdain, as well as several other friends, as well as people on my team at NAA, people who I otherwise respect and whose company enjoy. Not so much so now.
I acknowledge that it’s your decision to make but, I’ll admit, I don’t have much regard for those who lack any sense or moral obligation to the greater community – and to there own friends and loved one whose health and safety they so cavalierly threaten.
Please get vaccinated. The life you save may well be your own – or mine. Please feel welcome to share your reactions with me at Sandy@NorthAmericanArms.com
If Sandy did, in fact, author this, what a great way to isolate your customers in the firearms world and make it clear to the public where you stand on freedom of choice and religion. Has he never read title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (discrimination in the work place on the basis of things such as religion) and since NAA is in Utah, does he not know Utah law regarding religious discrimination/harassment in the workplace?
His rant isn’t going to change any minds. Quite the opposite. Sometimes it‘s beat to just keep your mouth shut on controversial issues, as he is now open about he feels about his own employees and their choices, which like it or not, are protected under state and federal law.
If you’ve never heard of them (NAA), you still
most certainly have seen their guns in the stores. They‘re famous for their pocket revolvers
UPDATE: Sandy sent this out now:
I can’t describe the shock I felt when I did my daily audit of our Message Board and found the very new, very active thread which arose from a Soapbox that had been posted over a month earlier. You’ll have seen the number of comments which were left below the original post – four. Add to those the direct emails I received – five – and I thought that Soapbox had probably been overlooked by just about everyone, as I often feel. Usually my Soapboxes don’t deserve much comment. The current thread suggests otherwise in this case.
I am very sorry about some of the things I said, and not at all sorry about most others. I am very sorry about the harsh language I used in an attempt to make a point. I strongly believe in the point about promoting vaccinations, but I am very disappointed in myself for the unnecessarily inflammatory words I used in an attempt to make it and the disrespect it showed. How I expressed myself was rude and embarrassing. What hurts most is the respect I’ve deservedly lost amongst so many. I’ve spent the past 30 years attempting to earn it, and I understand the reaction from those who felt insulted by some of the language of my rant. I knew at the outset that I risked alienating some, to the degree that it would cost NAA some sales. That’s OK. I applaud those who express themselves with their wallet; I’ve done the same. But I am very sorry to those I insulted. It was unforgivable and I am profoundly sorry. I was rude and I apologize.
I’m not at all sorry about the debate between the exercise of individual freedoms, which I embrace, and personal/societal responsibility which I believe in. While I believe in freedom of speech, I understand, too, that I am constrained from yelling “Fire” in a crowded movie theater. While I believe in freedom of behavior, including swinging my fists freely, that freedom ends when my body is in close proximity to another. If you want to stand naked in the rain, knock yourself out, but if you want to do something that increases a threat to someone other than yourself, that’s a different matter. I believe in freedom but freedom is not without its limits. My views notwithstanding, you should note that I have not attempted to create a vaccination mandate at NAA. People who suggest that I don’t understand or appreciate individual freedoms are simply wrong.
I believe that I am largely protected from the risk of serious illness and death by having been vaccinated, and while breakthroughs continue to occur (infrequently), my bigger concern going forward is the likelihood of new, more threatening variants being spawned because we have failed to reduce the susceptible population when/while we had a chance. That is my ongoing beef with the unvaccinated.
As far as no longer buying mini-revolvers because you don’t like me, that’s your choice. I don’t think anyone ever made a purchase because they did like me. My suspicion is that most purchases are made because the product satisfied a purchaser’s wants/needs, which has nothing to do with my politics or intemperate language, for which I again apologize.
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