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Sportsman’s Warehouse CEO Speaks Out on Cooper Firearms Controversy
By Bill Schneider, 11-04-08
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Anybody who has been following the cyber-firestorm over pro-Obama statements and campaign contributions made by Dan Cooper, president and co-founder of Cooper Firearms of Stevensville, Montana, knows that as part of the collateral damage, life has gotten hectic at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
After the story broke on October 28 in USA TODAY and became the subject of my column on NewWest.Net five days later, gun owners angry with Cooper besieged Sportsman’s Warehouse’s 66 superstores and corporate headquarters with threats of a boycott if the company didn’t stop selling Cooper’s products. Then, gun owners angry with gun rights activists calling for the boycott went into those same stores threatening their own boycott if America’s Premier Outfitter didn’t continue selling Cooper products.
You got to feel for Sportsman’s Warehouse, obviously caught in the middle of a controversy they didn’t create, so I called CEO Stuart Utgaard. He was anxious to clear it up for us.
When I asked him why Sportsman’s Warehouse canceled Cooper’s orders it the first place, he said that wasn’t true. No orders were canceled, Utgaard insisted, and he challenged anybody at Cooper Firearms to produce a canceled order.
The whole story was fiction, he said. “Nothing has ever changed for us. This is a lot of hullabaloo about nothing.”
It’s business as usual at Sportsman’s Warehouse, Utgaard explained. “We currently have about $160,000 in Cooper products in inventory, and it isn’t selling well. We’ve had more product on order for 18 months that hasn’t shipped yet, so none of this really matters.”
All this happened long before Dan Cooper made his remarks, he noted.
“This whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” Utgaard said. “Larry Knight inappropriately expressed his personal opinion like it was the policy of Sportsman’s Warehouse.”
(Knight, vice president of sales, had been quoted on gun blogs saying he had canceled orders, and this same information also came to me confidentially, but now, it appears as if Knight overstepped his authority.)
“We don’t take sides on political issues,” Utgaard emphasized. “We want to sell to both Republicans and Democrats. Sportsman’s Warehouse treats Coopers rifles like any other product and will continue to do so.”
But, he pointed out, “Coopers is a very small player in the firearms industry. Their product is less than 0.2 percent of our firearms sales, and he probably hurt the sales of his own product. We’re already long on his product, and he just made us longer.”
“If Dan Cooper wants to back Obama, he is free to do so,” Utgaard emphasized. “We are not trying to impose our wishes on him. If some customers don’t want to buy his guns, that’s their choice to make. Thank God we live in a great country where you can express your opinion.”
[End of article]Cheers to that, thanks for the update.
And to re-post my thoughts from a comment thread yesterday.
Buy. Cooper. Guns.
You will be glad you did.
Again, ANY publicity is GOOD publicity! I had never even HEARD of Coopers. Now, I'm interested in OWNING one. First rule of gun saftey: don't shoot your MOUTH off. You just might shoot your own NUTS off in the process! I propose a new logo for Coopers. Cooper Firearms, a REAL American company! Like it? ME TOO!
Comment By Binky Griptight, 11-04-08Utgaard said “Larry Knight inappropriately expressed his personal opinion like it was the policy of Sportsman’s Warehouse.”
Sounds like Vice President of Sportsman's Warehouse should lose his job!
It may sound big and muscular to say that anyone who wants to back Barack Hussein Obama is free to do so, but this statement had to have been made in ignorance of the truth: Obama has the worst record in the Senate for opposing guns and he will put every gunmaker/seller out of business if he can. But don't take my word -just watch this gun and hunting hater. He also intends to ban the ownership of handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc; and anyone who doesn't know this must be living with his head up his pants leg for the past two years! He will also tax ammo with a 500% increase!
Comment By Dale Murray, Pueblo CO, 11-05-08I stopped shopping there a few years ago when Sprtsmans Warehouse refused to send knives I had ordered to Colorado, stating they were restricted items which they could not ship to Colorado. I checked with all levels of our lawenforcement and found no existing ordnances or laws that prohibited the knives.
Comment By steve palazzolo, 11-05-08the sportsman's warehouse can sell all their inventory to the brady campaign.i can guarantee that every catalog or flyer i see will go directly to the trash at home or work.
Comment By Andrew Karlsen, 11-05-08Bill, thanks for the followup article. I think that business management and politics ought not cross paths too often, sounds like Sportsmans Warehouse is a well run company. I have always liked cooper rifles, don't own one though, little pricey.
The blowup over Cooper firearms seems silly, all these folks lining up with wacky conspiracy theories about having guns taken away. President Obama will not infringe on second amendment rights in any way. Do your own research. Any legislation he has supported has been focused on keeping guns out of the hands of drug dealing gangsters with past convictions. The NRA lobby makes up BS and their minions repeat it in a million places online; even after being repeated in a million places BS is still BS. If you want to respond with links don't link to more BS. Link to actual legislation President Obama has supported that infringe on 2nd amendment rights, you will not find any.
I have an Elk tag to fill and will not be near a computer again until Sunday night, later.
The following quote is straight off Barack Obama's website:
"Millions of hunters and shooters own and use guns each year. Barack Obama believes the Second Amendment creates an individual right, and he respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms. He will protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport, and use guns."
Barack Obama is our president and law-abiding gun owners have nothing to fear. So, why don't you fearlessly head on down to Sportsman's Warehouse and check out a Cooper Firearm? What a shame it would be for fear to destroy your neighbor's employer.
Brink Kuchenbrod
MontanaOutside.com
If you saw it on a web site, it must be true
Comment By A McBeth, 11-05-08We shall soon see what legislation Obama supports as President. The Brady boneheads were jumpjng for joy he was elected and they want to ban everything that goes bang. Remember Janet Reno? AG for Bill Clinton. She said: "Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the goal."
Comment By liver eetin, 11-06-08Sounds like the Jim Zumbo affair all over again...
I'm so glad to share the woods and ranges with these "useful idiots".
I own two Cooper firearms...they are not all they are cracked up to be. My 32year old Winchester shoots a damned sight better. As for Sportsmans Warehouse is concerned, I work there as a second job, the guys in my department are great but overall the store has SERIOUS logistical problems.
Comment By karen, 11-27-08WELL I DONT KNOW WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT, STU UTGAARD IS NOT THE OWNER OF SPORTSMAN'S WAREHOUSE, THEY WERE SOLD TO UFA LIMITED OUT OF CANADA. THE WHOLE COMPANY IS NOW THEIRS NOT STU UTGAARDS.
Comment By dave, 12-04-08Yea, I agree with Lee P. if you think the Obamanation is going to protech our Constitional rights to barring firearms but then sets forth a 500% amo tax.....then you had better get good with a bow because a weapon is no good with out ammo......forever loading ammo....but don't forget....keep the arrow's flowing and load up you'r quivers.
Comment By Jimbo, 12-11-08I really liked sportsmans....5years ago, you could go in there and they had anything you needed, recently, the last 3 years, there inventory went in the tank, not sure why, am very interested to see how the new company does, now that stu sold out, am out of a job building them!
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