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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2009 - 10:45:21 AM |
Vindication!
R
onnie
Barrett has battled the LA County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles City
Council, the Los Angeles City Attorney, and various other governmental
organizations (usually municipal, sometimes county, occasionally state
but never national) in an attempt to establish his product -- a
shoulder-fired .50 BMG caliber rifle -- as a legitimate sporting arm
and NOT a "Terrorist Weapon".
He didn't always prevail, but he always won.
The Shooting
Wire today (July 17, 2006) reports that he personally has
been elected the "Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year", for his
accomplishment of starting with a garage-shop and building it
into an internationally acclaimed business.
According to the Shooting Wire:
In 1982, at only 28,
Ronnie Barrett had a gravel-floored garage workshop, a keen interest in
firearms and an inventor's drive. A self-taught engineer, Ronnie's
vision was to design, develop, manufacture and sell a unique .50
caliber rifle. Unlike other rifles in this caliber, his was to be
shoulder-fired. Colleagues initially questioned Barrett's bold idea but
Ronnie pressed forward improving his designs and perfecting the
manufacturing of his rifles. Ronnie persevered and in 1987 earned a
patent for his invention.
From the very beginning, customers loved his high-quality rifles and an
intense brand loyalty developed. But Ronnie had not only invented a
dependable rifle, he had pioneered a viable market for an entirely new
classification of rifle. Recognized as the world's premier manufacturer
of .50 caliber rifles, Barrett dominates this market and enjoys
customer allegiance approaching a cult following. Winning competitive
shooters, law enforcement officers and military members all depend on
Barrett rifles.
Civilian sport shooters were early adopters and they alone supported
his business in its infancy. Now government contracts play an
increasing role in Barrett's success. Sweden signed his first military
contract in 1989 and 50 allied countries now use Barrett rifles.
Thousands of Barrett rifles have been proven in battle and the U.S.
Military has developed new tactics that capitalize on his rifle's
unique capability. In 2005, the U.S. Army recognized his M107 rifle
with their coveted "Ten Greatest Inventions" award.
Once known only as a rifle inventor, Barrett is now known as an
accomplished businessman leading a highly profitable operation. Barrett
has secured his company's future by continuously reducing manufacturing
costs, motivating and training a top-quality workforce, and funding
research and development to create innovative products exceeding the
high expectations of a Barrett customer.
We discussed his on-going battle with Los Angeles here
(and here
and here)
last year, beating this "dead horse" mercilessly.
The story was that LA decided to outlaw his .50 BMG rifle. The LA City Council:
... voted to have the city
attorney draft an ordinance to ban the .50, and further, to instruct
the city's representatives in Sacramento and in Washington D.C. to push
for bans at their respective levels. Barret showed up
at the meeting, uninvited, and attempted to defend his product.
LA responded with what was essentially a
"La La La La -- I'm Not
Listening" attitude, regardless of the fact that the LA
Sheriff's Department had several of his .50 BMG rifles in their
inventory ... and even had at least one rifle in Barrett's for
scheduled maintenance.
Did I mention that a representative of the LA County Sheriff's
Department was present at the City Council Meeting, and testified
AGAINST Barrett's product?
When LA rejected his defense, Barret responded by declaring that rifles from California, and
especially from LA County, would be relegated to 'the back of the line'
and he would get around to servicing their requests 'whenever'.
Essentially, 'whenever' meant whenever the LA City Council learned to
urinate up a rope without suffering the Yellow Deluge. (They, the LA
City Council, either didn't care or couldn't learn the trick; their
SWAT teams, or whatever they call them, are pulling
all maintenance levels on
their .50 BMGs without recourse to the manufacturer.)
In the meantime, Barrett is currently being fetted by the Ernst &
Young Accounting Company as a person who was able to
"... embrace the entrepreneurial spirit
and determination necessary to achieve success."
In other words, stiffing the elitist hoplophopes in California not only
didn't ruin his business, it actually insured his entrepreneurial
success.
Take THAT, Bainbridge Scholars!
© Copyright 2006 by DOWN RANGE TV
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