by Sean Oberle
[email protected]

December 13, 2001

Last week I asked you readers to call Beretta USA, Accokeek, MD, and lend your support to that company against political attacks from Gun Industry Watch, a front for anti-gun First Monday, which itself is a part of Americans for Social Justice. (See third item in my December 7 article: What�s the Connection?.)

You�ve done a great job. Supportive calls to Beretta are overwhelming the attacks by roughly 50-to-1.

Background: Gun Industry Watch attempted to orchestrate a phone in campaign to Beretta USA General Manger Steve Parsick because Beretta is selling a limited-edition 9mm pistol with patriotic engraving and giving $50 per sale to September 11 charities in New York and Washington. Gun Industry Watch alleged that Beretta is exploiting the attacks, and encouraged people to call Parsick to attack Beretta�s charity and tell him how bad guns supposedly are.

I spoke with Parsick�s assistant Vicki, December 12, and she confirmed that encouraging calls were �overwhelming� the attacks. She estimates that your supportive messages are outpacing the anti-charity diatribes by roughly 50-to-1.

She told me to convey Parsick�s appreciation to all of you who called.

While the attacks have been few, she described to me what I consider cowardly and immature action on part of the anti-charity callers. Some refused to give their names, and some slammed down their receivers when she explained to them that she needed to record their names so as not to consider them crank callers and register their complaints.

Not only were Gun Industry Watch�s anti-charity efforts a bust, its latest action, in my opinion, exposed its followers to be immature cowards.

By the way, if you haven�t called Parsick yet, do so and tell him you support his company�s charitable actions (301-283-2191 ext 1204).

Sean Oberle is a Featured Writer and gun control analyst for KeepAndBearArms.com. Reach him at [email protected].  View other articles from him at http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/Oberle.