Coonan, the premium pistol purveyor, is trumpeting their new association with Evolve. The organization bills itself as a “group of gun owners, gun store owners, moms, professionals, leaders, and NRA members” with a goal of creating “a new American gun culture where everyone is responsible for saving lives.” In their press release, Coonan says their goal is to encourage people to be ‘responsible gun owners, not dumbasses.’ That’s always good advice which Coonan could have benefitted from themselves. Maybe it would have kept them from being taken in by an obviously anti-gun false flag operation and proudly announcing the fact to the world . . .
Like the laughable American Rifle and Pistol Association, Evolve was founded by opportunists in the wake of Sandy Hook, led by Jon and Rebecca Bond. Jon, a former ad man and marketing maven, is chief tomorroist at Tomorro LLC, a New York “value accelerator.” That’s about as much marketing-speak as I could cram into one sentence and still keep my breakfast down. Rebecca’s a contributing editor at Architectural Digest. As the New York Times’ Joe Nocera described the operation back in Evolve’s infancy,
Here is Jon and Rebecca’s big idea: They want to create an anti-violence organization — a “brand,” they call it — that will appeal to gun owners and nongun owners alike. “When you talk to gun owners, if your purpose is to make them feel bad, they will push back,” said Jon, “and you will lose them.”
“But,” chimed in Rebecca, “when you reframe the issue as ‘how can we save lives?’ the conversation shifts. Responsible gun owners and nongun owners both want to save lives. They have that in common. The end goal is to save lives.”
So the idea is, rather than beating people over the head Brady-style, Evolve will take more of a kid gloves approach to showing gun owners how misguided they are.
As advertisers and marketers, they had both worked with the liquor industry, and they had seen how outside pressure — from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, for instance — could change the larger culture so that once-acceptable behaviors became unacceptable. They had also seen how the industry had ultimately participated in safe drinking campaigns.
Of course! Get the NRA and gun companies to participate in gun safety campaigns! Why didn’t they think of that?
As they explained all this to me, Jon and Rebecca were joined by their friends Bob Barrie and Stuart D’Rozario, co-founders of the Minneapolis advertising agency Barrie D’Rozario Murphy, whose conference room they were all using. Another friend in the business, Claudine Cheever of Saatchi & Saatchi, was participating by phone.
Bob and Stuart were among those Jon and Rebecca had contacted early on. Stuart had flown to New York, where, over a long breakfast, they had devised a name for the brand:Evolve. If you put an “R” before and after the word “evolve” — which, indeed, they did when they designed the logo, in the lightest of type — it spells “Revolver.”
Clever. So they’re a gaggle of current and former ad execs taking a modern marketing approach to…what? Their Facebook page makes it quite clear. Evolve exists…
to unite concerned citizens working toward common sense reform. We are about action. We understand that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms—just not ALL arms.
Ooooh, ‘common sense gun reform’. There’s a new slant on the civilian disarmament push. With fresh ideas like that, it’s a wonder Jon Bond washed out of the ad game. Still, they intelligently don’t make clear exactly which guns they’d place on the verboten list. We’ll give you three guesses what the first targets are, though, and the first two don’t count. Here’s Coonan’s press release:
GUN MANUFACTURER TEAM UP TO SAVE LIVES.
Evolve, the gun responsibility not-for-profit has teamed up with innovative pistol manufacturer Coonan Inc. to open a new dialog: Become a responsible gun owner, don’t be a dumbass.
Evolve wants gun owners to lead the conversation around responsible gun ownership and toactively engage in initiatives that reduce gun violence. Coonan Inc. is the first firearms manufacturer to work directly with such a group. The legendary gun designer, Dan Coonan, has never been afraid to tell the public the hard truths. In his words, “I totally support and endorse the message of Evolve. To save lives and to work for a society with less gun violence. We need all citizens, gun owners or not, to come together and support a mutually beneficial and inclusive message to affect not only gun violence, but all forms of violence. We should not live in a society where people feel that they have to be armed to be safe, or that their house must be a fortress to be secure.” On the topic of home security, Dan Coonan says, “Get a dog “. The Coonan .357 Magnum Automatic slogan is “Looking for your first pistol? This isn’t it.”
Upcoming videos featuring Dan Coonan, will answer your questions about firearms, gun safety, and gun violence. The series also picks up on Evolve’s theme “Don’t be a Dumbass”. Evolve co-founder Rebecca Bond explained: “ I grew up in Minnesota in a Military family. I strongly believe that we can all help curb unnecessary gun violence without compromising our constitutional rights, by re-emphasizing and adopting a code of responsible behaviors. I applaud Dan and all the people at Coonan Inc. for taking a stand on a difficult and controversial topic.”
We would love to hear your concerns and questions about firearms, gun ownership, and gun safety. Please send them to: [email protected]. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard in this new and exciting nationwide dialog.
Why was Dan Coonan taken in by these transparent frauds? And why now? Can they really be that slick? Maybe Coonan’s internet connection was down and he couldn’t use his Google Fu for a little due diligence. Is this a case of a 1911 maker throwing assault weapons modern sporting rifles under the bus figuring that will keep his own business safe? We’d like to think not.
Whatever the case, here’s a clue for the company going forward: any friend of Joe Nocera’s is no friend of Americans’ gun rights.
[UPDATE: Coonan has responded in the comments below. New post here.]
[UPDATE 2: Coonan has doubled down.]
[UPDATE 3: Coonan’s Statement Clarifying EVOLVE Relationship]
Coonan manufactures FAL receivers too.
What a bunch of dumbasses.
Yeah, and back when I was building FALs, their receivers weren’t well thought of. Can’t imagine that the Coonan pistolas have ever sold all that well – and negative publicity won’t help.
I am so confused
So am I.
Now WHEN did these smurfs arrive from the planet Xenon?
I quit reading as soon as saw “common sense”. I can’t stomach that phrase anymore.
With friends like these….
“to unite concerned citizens working toward common sense reform. We are about action. We understand that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms—just not ALL arms.”
WRONG ANSWER MOTHERF*CKER. What you’re advocating is based on progressive ethics; ethics that are fundamentally statist in every way. We reject them accordingly. Ethics shift with time and popular opinion and they go wherever the wind blows. Liberty-loving citizens have values. Values are fixed; they don’t get set aside simply because they become unpopular. They aren’t susceptible to societal pressure or emotion. They are not open to “discussion” or debate unless such a dialogue involves the repeal of existing firearms laws. We will not “compromise” and we are not interested in any “common sense solutions” whatsoever. At least not by your definition.
Whereas your code of ethics becomes more and more corrupted over time by your slavish devotion to government power, our libertarian values only grow stronger. 99% of the time, liberty is the best answer; the concept becomes more powerful as time and society present it with new challenges. Gay marriage? Liberty is the answer. Government intrusion? Liberty is the answer. WOD? Liberty is the answer. Corporate and media censorship? Liberty is the answer. Government too expensive? Liberty is the answer. Like all great ideas, it’s becoming more and more pervasive. Where your statism is losing ground, liberty is once again on the rise. It is too quantifiably effective to ignore… and it is too stout to be brushed aside by duplicitous fools such as yourself, Mr. Bond.
Newsflash: We are the pro-RKBA citizenry. We are *not* a gang of vapid simpletons to be manipulated by self-styled elites. Even the name of your organization betrays its true intent. Your progressive arrogance will be your undoing. NONE of us will support you and we will confront you at every turn. Soon enough the NRA will see your organization exposed as the thoroughly dishonest freak show that it is. When that happens it will be destroyed, just like the American Hunters and Shooters Association.
So enjoy whatever pittance of profit you can squeeze out of this while you can. Your attempt to Jedi-mind trick gun owners has already failed. We are the people of the gun. Have at us. We are not going anywhere and we are not afraid.
Big Gov….for the children.
Well, I did want a Coonan… not anymore though.
I finally saved up the cash and have actually been shopping for a coonan 357 for the last few weeks. I really wanted one for the longest tiime. I am no longer looking to buy one now…. Guess I’ll take that cash to a company that deserves it.
Desert Eagle makes a .357 semiauto also, but there are lots of difficulties getting a long, rimmed revolver round to feed properly into a semi auto. I’d look into the 357 sig if I were you. It has similar ballistics but its not the 357 magnum. Its the 10mm necked down for a .357 bullet. Thus it was designed for an auto from the start, and is much more reliable.
This has to be a miracle. I had a deal going for one of the new Coonan Compacts tomorrow. And I just so happened to run across this article tonight. What are the odds of that just happening? About the same as me not cancelling the deal as soon as the shop opens in the morning. I’ll just buy something else ……….and from a shop that doesn’t even sell Coonan firearms!
To be honest, I’d never heard of Coonan before today, but then again I have never been in the market for a 1911-style pistol chambered in .357 magnum, either. Whoever this fellow is, we need to express our disapproval politely, but clearly and persistently.
Let the bankruptcy court explain our problem with him; financial failure might wake the guy up.
I’d never heard of Coonan before today.
That said, from Evolve’s mission statement, I don’t recall “—just not ALL arms” being anywhere in the Constitution I read. Do I have a deprecated copy?
To be fair, the Constitution and the BoR are pretty hard to read when politicians continually wipe their collective butts with them every day.
Yeah, the brown smudges stink, just like their motives.
One more name to ad to the list of people and organizations I don’t do business with
So it’s Progressive ‘gun reform’ then?
Who would have guessed?
I’m waiting to see the ‘Sustainable Development’ (code word for UN Agenda 21) used as well.
I met the Coonan guy at the 1984 SHOT Show once, he did not seem like a twit; what state is he from?
Dazed and Confused.
Just called my FFL and cancelled my order on one of these, citing their support of Evolve. I let them (Coonan) know as well. I was heavily interested, but now I will be getting a Desert Eagle in .357 instead.
That’s the best way to get the message across!
“We should not live in a society where people feel that they have to be armed to be safe, or that their house must be a fortress to be secure.”
I agree 100%. But until that day comes, I will arm myself and my fortress just to be on the safe side.
But not with ANY weapon you make, what a moron.
“We should not live in a society where people feel that they have to be armed to be safe, or that their house must be a fortress to be secure.”
So we should Hope for Change? Is there any burnt-out Socialist trope these PPL will not trot out?
That presumption drives me nuts. I came from a non-gun background and did not go out and buy a gun because I felt unsafe. I bought a gun because I thought target practice sounded like a fun thing to do, and I wanted to exercise my rights.
If anything makes me feel unsafe it is people using their irrational fear of guns to project and presume incompetence or ill intent on my part. Pushing for gun bans and a culture where guns are unacceptable is tantamount to saying that nobody is trustworthy. And they say gun owners are paranoid!
Went to their webpage, under contact us you can leave a brief message. I let them know exactly what I thought of their association with this and any other anti-gun group, and that as long as they associated themselves with them I would never buy a single product from them.
From one vet to another;
You know, I started to do just that, but when I started to type in my e-mail, I thought better of sending electronic correspondence containing any sort of PII to them, all things considered.
I used a spam email address with my first name and last initial – that is all the info you really have to give to send a message – all the other stuff is optional.
1) We will crush this.
2) There must be an all out offensive by all pro-2A groups to get kids interested in firearms and to create, organize, and sponsor family welcoming firearm events. Getting kids enthused about firearms is how we survive for the long term without having to do holding actions against every new gun-grabbing group that pops up.
This (second point).
Not just kids, but all responsible adults personally known to the The People of the Gun (collectively). Voters need to be informed, and we’re the ones to inform them.
…as others, I’d never heard of Coonan before today. Went to the site – they sell silver bullets. Silver bullets! Custom-signed!
Whatever…
Products for the ruling elite, who will be able to buy them no matter what gun laws are imposed on us little people. Dan Coonan has chosen his side.
Can I get one with some garlic or holy water in it too? I don’t want to be switching mags when a vampire/werewolf attack occurs.
Well said, sir. I laughed out loud at my computer.
There should be an all-out embargo of Coonan and drive it sales into the dirt and don’t stop until it files bankruptcy.
This makes me wonder: have any of the thousand or so recent firearms community boycotts actually had any impact on their targets? I see 2A people calling for boycotts all the time, but do they actually work? Cheaper Than Dirt is still around. Dick’s isn’t gone. Starbucks’ bottom line isn’t going to even notice. Have we ever put anyone out of business?
Guns were just small portion of dicks. CTD survives because price is king any nobody knows how much their sales have slumped. Coonan is vulnerable since it is limited products and size and depends on a good rep.
I live close enough to their retail store. I went in recently, just to see what was going on. Looking at the shelves and the emptiness, they are hurting. Looking at the catalog, they are hurting. The sales staff was all but tripping over themselves to help me find what they had. They are also still high with their ammo prices.
Isn’t it possible that CTD’s lackluster sales have more to do with their high prices and crappy inventory than with any boycott? If they had a truckload of .22LR for sale at reasonable prices, how long do you think it would sit on their shelves?
Those are just the high-profile examples, too. During the panic in the early part of this year, there were calls to boycott some company or other every week. So far, I have yet to hear about anyone in any firearms related business going bankrupt as a result, from the giant superstores to one-man shops.
Boycotts are useless unless 1.) you tell everyone everywhere about it and 2.) you can get coverage using all media. As the line from Dr. Strangelove goes: “What good is having the ultimate weapon if nobody knows you have it?”
“Looking for your first pistol? This isn’t it.” I think a good number of people are going to decide that a Coonan isn’t their next pistol either. Or a pistol to own, ever.
I can almost understand this marketing tactic, as this is a specialty gun for a small audience. It puts off a lot of people, but plays to the ego of those who are more likely to buy their product, namely gunnies looking for something unique (like a semi-auto .357), and have the disposible income to afford it. Unfortunately, many of their target audience pay attention to gun rights, which means they are well and truly in the deep doo-doo.
I’ve fired his 1911 in .357 and it’s quite a handful. Hand loads are really needed.
As for associating with these people it’s a free country and that’s his business. If you like Coonan products buy them. Or not.
Gentleman,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. That statement was not a part in any of our discussions.
Unfortunately, the EVOLVE Facebook page is run by interns and the current communication is abysmal.
Rest assured that this matter will be handled as quickly as possible.
Dan was brought into this discussion to move towards a civil gun safety discussion…never a gun rights
discussion.
I am on this and will be back to you soon. In the mean time, I respectfully request that cooler heads prevail here. I will have a reaction from Dan Coonan as soon as possible.
Dave Dietz
Director of Marketing
Coonan Inc.
Hope you got a big enough bucket to bail all the water out of that sinking ship David.
I think “sinking ship” might be overstating it a bit. Sounds like a public relations snafu, and they were on it within the hour. We’ll see.
As you said Matt, “we’ll see.”
the only “Snafu” was getting caught, And it isn’t about any intern. Here is the founder of Evolve’s client list:
http://workingassets.com/Recipients.aspx
Bloomberg. Mayors against guns. The utterly debunked anti science anti gun right nuts at at “Mother Jones ‘Investigative'”
David, I’d save yourself some time and energy and just start looking for a new job instead. Coonan just ruined their reputation by joining forces with a gun control group and calling those who support the Second Amendment “dumbasses”.
@ Dave Dietz
“Dan was brought into this discussion to move towards a civil gun safety discussion…”
Maybe the NRA can help you with that, since that was the basis for their formation and existence.
You may want to reconsider calling the people who support the right that gives rise to your company’s ability to sell products in this country to its citizen “dumbasses.” I will never purchase any of your products.
Good luck spinning your way out of THIS one, Mr. “marketing genius”! That said I HAVE THE WAY.
Simply apologize, drop all contact with “rEVOLVEr”, explain that you made a mistake and were “taken in” by a good sounding line, and ask for mercy from your customers.
Or don’t and watch your bottom line plummet. It up to you, but remember, gun owners have long memories, and we make special efforts to remember betrayals.
Fool me once shame on YOU, fool me twice, shame on ME. We seldom grant people KNOWN for backstabbing free access to our 6. We are funny that way…
it’s articles like these that always make me ask “Who is paying for all of this?” these people obviously have very little to gain from this venture….or do they? is this just another manifestation of a million here, a million there bloomberg seed money? it never ceases to amaze me how hard people will work to destroy the constitution.
My thoughts exactly; the Bloomberg – MAIG Billion Dollar ‘Club’ by itself doesn’t seem to be getting the job done, so maybe a more subtle “under the table” ‘I’m your friend” approach is being floated.
The trouble isn’t really their message, it’s that it’s so obviously disingenuous. I think pretty much everyone can agree that there are, and should be, limits on the kinds of weapons that civilians can use (keep reading please, I’m not heading where you think). It’s pretty hard to maintain a civilized society when you have people running around with RPGs, land mines, and grenade launchers (case in point, Somalia, Afghanistan, Congo . . .take your pick). Where we disagree is where that line should be drawn. Unlike some (poking the bear here), I do believe that the NFA restrictions (while poorly thought out and badly administered) are fundamentally a good idea. At it’s most basic, asking people to jump through some more arduous hoops to acquire NFA items (I’m thinking mostly silencers and fully automatic weapons here) means that the people who end up with them are the kind of people that A) really want them and B) are law-abiding citizens who have no intention of using them for criminal activities. This is borne out by the fact that not a single legally-acquired NFA item has been used in a crime.
There is a space for discussion about gun violence, but it cannot start from a place of ignorance, absolutism, or dishonesty. Both gun rights supporters and gun control supporters need to evaluate and be honest about their true goals before anything meaningful, useful, or just can come out of this “debate”.
That being said . . . I’m not holding my breath.
I respect your opinion but you will find that most people think that
“arduous hoops” is not compatible with “shall not be infringed”
🙂
While you may not like them, I think realistically we’re given the choice between regulation and a total ban, which I don’t think anyone here wants. The battle to fight there is not regulation vs no regulation, but making sure that the process is clear, fair, and efficient. Currently it satisfies none of these.
Why do you feel short barrels and silencers require arduous hoops? Why do you feel the need for more government incursion into private citizen’s lives?
It’s unfortunate that people feel so insecure in there person that they need regulations to keep themselves under control. The weapons have nothing to do with the state of things in Somalia and similar places.
“I think realistically we’re given the choice between regulation and a total ban”
Nope; that’s a false dichotomy. The Second Amendment is a prohibition upon the federal government in the supreme contract through which the People agreed to be governed. The People do not have to accept regulation. The People do not have to accept a total ban. If the People get their collective head out of their behind, they can once again have their 2A, ‘shall not be infringed’, protection against the federal government. It’s not unrealistic. However, if the American people continue to allow the federal government to ignore the Constitution then the American people will get the government that they deserve.
Play the appeasement game if you want but don’t expect government to stop there. Incrementalism is what government does and does very well. A man only has a lifetime whereas government has many, many lifetimes. Government will win any war of attrition. We won’t secure our liberty and that of generations to come by channeling Neville Chamberlain.
Kumbaya my lord, kumbaya…
It would be nice if this could be discussed without hyper-partisan politicking, but yeah…don’t hold your breath.
It doesn’t help that (r)evolve(r) is so coy about “changing gun culture” and what their “just not ALL guns” statement really means.
Given the way Gun Control, Inc., the mainstream media, academia, the entertainment industry, and the Democratic party have slept in the same incestuous bed for so long, it’s going to take more than a clever logo and slick messaging to sway gun owners in general. They’ve more than earned our distrust.
–“At it’s most basic, asking people to jump through some more arduous hoops to acquire NFA items (I’m thinking mostly silencers and fully automatic weapons here) means that the people who end up with them are the kind of people that A) really want them and B) are law-abiding citizens who have no intention of using them for criminal activities. This is borne out by the fact that not a single legally-acquired NFA item has been used in a crime.” —
That is logical fail (it is called a tautology). Gun crime when up after the NFA, it is probably the most absurd and useless law ever passed. And as far as you know lots of NFA item have been used in crime because the DOJ does not report it at all. are you saying anyone would know if a legally acquired suppressor had been used in a crime?
And there are at least 3 known instances of an NFA firearm used in crimes, all murders of passion. 3 in 80 years, out of apx. a million guns. Not a bad record. But this is still inaccurate, and so anything from this poster should be viewed as potentially made up, since it contains reference to “facts” that are just made up.
“(keep reading please, I’m not heading where you think)”
Uh, yeah you were. You arrived at the anticipated destination. Re-read the WHOLE Second Amendment and ask yourself how it and your post could possibly be in agreement. (Hint: Your posted view is contrary to the 2A. To continue to impose what you support and still be constitutional would require a constitutional amendment.)
Oh face it, it was only a matter of time before this generations William B. Ruger reared his ugly head.
But at least Bill Ruger’s guns are more than just overpriced gimmicks…
Don’t be a dumbass; don’t buy a Coonan.
UPDATE FROM COONAN’S FACEBOOK PAGE (regarding the “We understand that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms—just not ALL arms” part of Evolve’s credo):
“Gentleman,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. That statement was never a part in any of our discussions. Rest assured that this matter will be handled as quickly as possible. Dan was brought into this discussion to move towards a civil gun safety discussion…never a gun rights discussion. We are addressing this and will be back to you soon. In the mean time, I respectfully request that cooler heads prevail here. I will have a reaction from Dan Coonan as soon as possible.”
Tick, tick, tick…
The stream on their Facebook page is schizophrenic. There actually is some good stuff there, but they also uncritically repeat a lot of slanted and even overtly anti-gun garbage.
Their value statement sounds great, but the devil is in the details.
How do they reconcile “the right to keep and bear arms — just not ALL arms” with “we don’t want to ban guns”? If there are some guns they don’t want people to own, then they’re going to have to ban those guns, no way around it.
They don’t want to deny rights to responsible gun owners — but who decides what “responsible” means? Does responsibility entail putting up with tyrannical nonsense like the NY Safe Act and the farrago of nonsense that even California’s Governor Moonbeam was sensible enough to veto?
They say they want to change “the gun culture”…but I don’t think they understand what gun culture is. They’ve got it mixed up with thug culture (which is about violence, not guns) and the over-publicized negligence of a minuscule minority who do stupid things with their guns. The real gun culture doesn’t need some oh-so-cleverly named group of ad executives to tell it how to behave. It’s about responsibility, skill, self-reliance, and saving lives — AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN.
As much as I like the thought of a gun-oriented group that avoids polarized political partisanship, I’ll take a pass on (r)evolve(r). While I wouldn’t call them a false flag operation, it’s clear to me that they don’t really understand gun owners or the fundamental rights that are at stake.
Agreed!
Thank you Ing!
Marketing executives. Again.
Modern marketing has become a sort of secular transubstantiation, a firm belief that weasel words and slick graphics can really, truly transform a cow pie into caviar.
Sure would be nice to have even one savvy marketing outfit in *our* corner; savvy like the people who create the Geico commercials; lite, funny and memorable.
So, this is what it looks like when a company commits suicide…
Laugh!
Remember ” Divide and Conquer “, best to stay with the best , proven, powerful, the one and only NRA.
The “—just not ALL arms” language is gone from EVOLVE’s Facebook About page.
*raises eyebrow* Yes it is… I’ll be curious to see what they and Coonan have to say for CYA on this one now. I think I’m going to need some popcorn, because it’s going to be an epic comedy.
Especially since this is their Twitter profile: “Evolve is a place where gun owners and non-owners come together to save lives as seen on Piers Morgan. #responsiblebehavior #letsEvolve #gunsafety #Followus”
Well, even though that language is gone, it’s crystal clear what EVOLVE stands for, and they have no credibility. Even though EVOLVE’s masked their approach, Coonan should dissociate themselves or risk being tarred with the same brush.
As I described Evolve in another post – a loose coalition of unemployed con artists. Marketing executives my foot. Having a Facebook page doesn’t make anyone a marketing executive. Evolve may claim to be allied with a number of organizations, but do any of those organizations know about the alignment?
Props* to the logo!
If the mere suggestion of responsible gun policy raises your blood pressure you need to calm down.
*”proper appreciation or respect” or if you are a total dork, “kudos”
Props to the logo? I guess marketing does work… on people who don’t read. If you read anything on this page you would see this group is an obvious construct of people with ulterior motives.
The logo represents the founders position that all any “responsible gun owner” needs is a revolver.
“Victoria” is probably the logo designer herself. these “viral marketing” people like the evolve founders astroturf and sock puppet like mad
Ofc they sock puppet. All good criminals know that shills are necessary, to keep the suckers in their rigged game…
One might even say that shills are their stock in trade.
@ Victoria
Fair, but as for me, I’ll ‘call a spade a spade’ every time regardless of the logo.
It’s not like we haven’t all seen logos and names misrepresent the true intentions of the entity or its proponents in recent times.
MAIG
Affordable Care Act
I could go on, but you get the point.
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, walks like a duck…
There is every reason to be suspect.
All hail the mighty logo!
Is this what we’ve come to? It is a nifty logo, I’ll grant you that. But a logo does not a message make.
I perused the Evolve — or, as their logo would have it, (r)evolve(r) — website and Facebook page. The website is a hollow shell papered over with mainstream news articles that (being mainstream news) are all slanted against guns. The value statement is full of contradictions, and so is their Facebook page (I commented on that above).
The Evolve people don’t really know anything about guns or the already existing culture of millions who use guns safely and responsibly. And they don’t care to. It’s a slick message with no visible principles and no substance where it counts.
As far as I’m concerned, (r)evolve(r) can make a permanent exit through the nearest (r)evolv(ing) door.
Don’t feed the troll.
Just give her some Midol.
Oh Coonan, your automatic .357 held so much intrigue, but I will have to pass. Marketing snafu or not, the fact that anyone in your organization gave these loons the time of day is damming in and of itself. If you want to advance gun safety, there’s this little organization called the National Rifle Association, maybe you’ve heard of then, who has been promoting gun safety for a really long time. I woukd suggest trying to cozy up to them, FAST.
Hmmm. I’m a gun owner, and a nongun owner.
In addition to my guns, I own many things which are not guns.
Hmmm…
How the hell are you going to bring yourself together man??
why does it always have to be “us versus them”? Why can’t we focus on the things we want to get done in common?
Because one of the primary things that “them” wants to do, is make it harder and harder for “us” to buy, own, and use firearms. Death (of a right) by a thousand small cuts is still a death.
Actually the evolve people are specialists in “us vs them.” Look at their client lists, they are groups that specialize in scapegoating
The answer to your question is as plain as the nose on your face. It’s because we don’t hold anything in common. “Shall not be infringed” doesn’t mix at all with what they’re peddling; let alone “a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state” and those goals they have revealed thus far.
This is one of those situations where the different parties share no common ground. Individual liberty holds all of the cards. The only way to get what the other side wants is for the individual to lose freedom. The other side has absolutely nothing to give in exchange. It’s a typical leftist swindle; they want to take something for nothing in return.
How come we never start our own false-flag anti-gun organizations, with the intent of covertly promoting the 2nd Amendment?
Because slick marketing (which is nothing more than skilled lies) is an inherently dishonest philosophy, and legal gun owners are honest almost to the point of stupidity. We cannot even fit the giant lies that are now termed “marketing” in our heads, let alone admit that that is what their side is BASED UPON!
In order to believe in their message you have to ignore reality.
FIrst off, in order to reduce “
gunviolence” they would have to attack the root cause. Guns are not the cause, they are just a tool used by people. The root cause of most deaths is gang related shootings in certain neighborhoods in certain cities. Asking a good gun owner like me in a safe town to come up with solutions to the problem is in essence saying that I am the problem. I would definitely say I am not the problem. I am a responsible owner and do not contribute to gang violence. I don’t live in that world and I never will. Find a way to stop prevent gang violence and then you will have a solution to most of the deaths. Banning guns means gang members will switch to knives. Ban knives then they will switch to whatever else is available because the root of the problem has not been solved.Even if you solved all gun murders, you will still have mass killers and you will still have murder. You can not solve the human condition. People will still murder each other even though it is illegal and that is not 100% preventable.
Suicide will still occur with or without guns. Taking guns away won’t solve suicides. Would fatalities from attempts go down? Maybe. Are you going to then make it so regular people can’t adequately defend themselves because people commit suicide with guns? I know I wouldn’t want anyone to not be armed when they want to.
I am sure they want to ban “assault weapons”. That goes without saying. Yet they again would be divorcing themselves from reality. They are the least used weapon in crime. Just because a mass killer used or tried to use one does not mean we punish the millions of lawful owners who use these firearms for a multitude of functions. Just as we don’t remove peoples 1A rights for lying daily on Network News and other forms of media.
These people don’t really want to solve the problem. They want to just remove guns from civilian ownership so that murders are performed by other means. It also means that more people will become victims as they are unable to effectively defend themselves. I am sure they are cheerleaders for incremental gun rights infringement.
I mostly agree with your post but want to highlight ‘the problem’. ‘The problem’ as they frame it, and as some in the firearms community accept, is not actually the problem. The real problem is that we’ve had generations of disarmament by the government and generations lacking in first hand experience around firearms. Thugs are expecting an unarmed people as common. Many young people today didn’t grow up around firearms so they are clueless about firearm safety. That’s ‘the problem’ and these anti-gun groups don’t like the real solution to the real problem… “shall not be infringed”. Allow the left to continue to misrepresent ‘the problem’ and their ‘solutions’ will always miss the mark. A return to arms being a central part of our mainstream culture would dry their faux-problem up in one generation. Instead, they propose more ‘solutions’ that will only exacerbate ‘the problem’ as they state it.
It’s amazing how many people are ready to “tank” Coonan Arms because of a report that originated from a very left wing organization. Don’t be sheep people! Gun rights advocates should be supportive of one another while the left wing attacks the Second Amendment. And Coonan Arms is one of the biggest gun rights advocates in the industry. Dan Coonan has been supporting shooters for a very long time (especially youth and female shooters). Give Dan Coonan a chance to respond. Do you really think a person whose passion is firearms and who makes his living in the firearm industry (Dan Coonan) is going to have any shred of anti-gun opinion?! Come on people, wake up! You’ve played right into the hands of the anti-gun group. Cancelling orders and possibly putting a firearms manufacturer out of business is EXACTLY what the anti-gun groups are hoping to achieve.
Dan can fire “dumbass” Dave Dietz and cut all ties with EVOLVE. That would be a good start.
Tick, tick, tick…
JGus, Coonan is the one that posted it on their webpage and FB… Evolve hasn’t said anything about it at all.
Well hey there, Dan Coonan. Sorry, but you royally screwed it up and no amount of BS will change that you willingly allied with an anti-gun group with the intent of infringing on our rights in order to try and sell more of your pistols (because when the evil 10-and-up round magazines and scary black rifles are banned, there’s not many other options).
Yep, that how they work.. Give COONAN a bit to come to thier senses. I personally know Dan Coonan & he would never give in to something that would destroy him , his comany or his employee’s.
being a FUDD and saying you *ARE NOT* has consequences…
you listened to a liberal and thought we dont know them.. and the ways they DO stuff.
Dan Coonan..you’re an idiot..
We ARENT idiots, we also dont have to buy your products
simple as that…go away, your words mean jack crap from here on in..
go.. away
“My goal, and the proposed goal of the relationship with EVOLVE ( http://evolvetogether.us/ ), is to shift the single-pointed focus of gun related violence and the social/economic/political aspects that are promoting a culture of violence in this country.
Evolve is intending to bridge the gap between the extremely large number of people that are caught in the middle of this debate and shift the focus of the debate to the root causes of violence, as well as promote firearm safety and responsible ownership.
The first step is to start a common dialogue between gun owners and non-gun owners. We at Coonan, Inc. support that dialogue and want to help nurture that growth in the proper direction.”- Dan Coonan, Ammoland, under the headline; “Dan Coonan Responds to TTAG Article ‘Coonan Throws In With False Flag Gun Org Evolve’”
THIS does not sound like propaganda from the left to me. DOES IT TO YOU?
“THIS does not sound like propaganda from the left to me. DOES IT TO YOU?”
Yes, it does actually. A property owner doesn’t sit down and ‘have a conversation’ with a thief about how much that thief can steal from the owner. The answer to the gun grabbers is a simple “No!” and “move the hell on”. One of the LAST groups that should be doing something like this is a firearm manufacturer. They’re either stupid or they actually believe in gun control. Either way, this free individual has no use for them. Leftists are masters of propaganda and right to keep and bear arms protections will only suffer if these organizations are given even a modicum of clout. What Coonan did was foolish or a sell out or both; a foolish sell out..
Evolve wants responsible gun ownership!!!! ????
Just who are those people that are not responsible gun owners:
“CRIMINALS AND MENTAL HEALTH CASES”
Law abiding responsible gun owners are not the ones doing the killing.
Evolve = Dumb and Dumber
How many more children have to die before they pass a law requiring all CRIMINALS, WOULD-BE CRIMINALS, AND THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES turn in all of their weapons within 24 hours !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do it for the children !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“when you reframe the issue as ‘how can we save lives?’ the conversation shifts.”
That depends on whose lives we’re talking about. Frankly, I don’t think that Rebecca gives a sh1t about mine. Or yours.
I care about your life, Ralph, if for no other reason than you haven’t gotten around to giving me the recipe for your Cornbread Sage Stuffing.
I’ll leave you a copy in my will.
No, wait. Then you’ll have a motive . . . .
Eh, your humor is enough reason to keep you alive.
funny that Dan Coonan was wiling to TRY to talk to me on the phone to save his sales.. and his receptionist was TRYING to get me on the phone with him.. nice try.
I WONT BUY A COONAN PISTOL
I suppose a measured response would just take all the fun out of a knee jerk reaction, wouldn’t it?
The appropriate response, if they were truly hoodwinked, would be to can the marketing director and say “we got taken, we’re sorry.” Instead, Coonan’s comment that we shouldn’t be “dumbasses” reeks of Fudd-ism, which is how we slowly but surely lose our RKBA (how do you like CA now you silly Fudds?). With friends like these…
And time passes. Tick, tick, tick…
Hmmmm. Still going on about fudds, even when its off-topic.
One tactic of the clever leftist gun-grabber who thinks he is smarter than everyone else is to post as a sock-puppet, to pretend to be what he is not,
and start fights, to divide gun owners up, by calling names.
How exactly did the Fudds, cause California to do… what?
I mean, Hey- I get the idea – that you trying to lay something on the evil Fudds.
This is what is known as a strawman argument, so that i have to react, to knock down the strawman, and thus give the empty claims credibility.
What I propose instead is that you write an article, with facts, and send to Robert or Dan for editing and determine if its worthy of discussion.
I still wont support assholes who enable gungrabbers, ESPECIALLY if they are gun makers.. deal with it
Their Facebook page makes it quite clear. Evolve exists…
to unite concerned citizens working toward common sense reform. We are about action. We understand that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms—just not ALL arms.
Funny. I don’t remember there being any exceptions or exclusions (or provisions for) listed in the US Constitution as to what arms we citizens can and cannot own.
On the topic of home security, Dan Coonan says, “Get a dog “.
As opposed to buying a firearm for home defense? Or in addition to and as part of an overall plan to protect your home and family?
Because it kinda sounds like he is telling readers that may be wanting to buy a firearm for self defense to not do so. Instead get a dog? Why? Because a firearm is dangerous? Or firearms are not good for home defense?
Did I read this wrong?
I am sick of he BS from everyone who hates the Constitution. Why can’t people just tell the plain truth about what they want to do..?
Oh yeah, because the ones who want to trample over the rights of the American people would be found out. So it is always better to be a sleazy, elitist moron and lie to push agendas to screw the country.
.460 Rowland conversions are/were the nail in the coffin for coonan…almost any 1911 and any G21 can do with 1. barrel 2. spring (buffer good to add).
Coonan is 1. expensive 2. limited/no availability 3. special design 1911
buh bye
I was looking for a 357 replacement, and this was at the top of my list until I read about their agenda…. No thanks; Glock 20 is looking more & more appealing.
I almost bought a Coonan. I’ll buy a 10mm instead from STI or Kimber.
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