Smith & Wesson chief did time for '50s armed heists

[CatWoman]

Jonathan J. Higuera
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 12, 2004 12:01 AM


At 74, James Joseph Minder has had a professional career many would envy.

He is board chairman of Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., parent company of the famous gunmaker. He also ran a successful non-profit agency serving delinquent and disabled Michigan youths for 20 years before retiring to Scottsdale in 1997.

But he also is a former convict who spent 15 years in prison in the 1950s and 1960s for a string of armed robberies and an attempted prison escape. News articles in the Detroit News said he was known for carrying a 16-gauge, sawed-off shotgun.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0212minder12.html

[Turbineguy]

1. 16 Gauge?

What a wus!

[demsrule4life]

2. Dupe

Posted on entry 13 of todays guns in the news.

[MrBenchley]

3. Amazing, isn't it?

How do you like the claim that they didn't check this bozo out in any way before making him chairman of the board?

Clearly, the gun industry is in dire need of a congressional investigation into its practices.

[demsrule4life]

4. Sounds like to me

he paid his time to society and got his shit together. Guess that dont mean a thing.

[DoNotRefill]

5. Wait a minute...

I thought that S&W was the RESPONSIBLE gun manufacturer, the DARLING of groups like the Bradys and VPC, the one which agreed to the cop-out plea with a bunch of people for protection from lawsuits by adopting a bunch of bullshit policies, that was supposed to "revolutionize" and "set the new standard for" the US arms industry until customers began a highly sucessful boycott of their products, et cetera, which caused other gun manufacturers to tell S&W and the Government, in impolite terms, to "fuck off".

I PROUDLY no longer own a single S&W product, even non-gun products, because they can kiss my ass for selling out like they did.

[MrBenchley]

6. Gee, seems like the whole industry is corrupt

but that's no surprise, considering the scum they run with....DeLay, AshKKKroft, David Duke.....

[DoNotRefill]

11. Oh, wait!!!

What about the 1997 Tea Garden ceremony that S&W took part in? Does that mean Clinton is "scum" in your book, too?

[MrBenchley]

12. Gee, you mean the agreement S&W went back on?

I meant the usual scum shouting "gun rights"...you know, turds like DeLay, AshKKKroft and Cheney......

[DoNotRefill]

18. didn't Clinton campaign on the premise....

that he didn't want to take guns away from law-abiding gun owners?

[MrBenchley]

20. B-b-b-b-but Clinton!

Didn't the gun lobby lie their asses off about him and call him the most anti-gun president in history? Charlton Heston wanted to lynch Al Gore and said so out loud.

[MrBenchley]

7. By the way....

"the DARLING of groups like the Bradys and VPC"
Try not to be surprised that this RKBA claim is hooey too.....

http://www.vpc.org/press/0003smit.htm

[DoNotRefill]

10. Hmmmm....

http://www.gunlawsuits.org/features/press/releases/archive/031700.html

I think "DARLINGS" isn't too strong of a word...

[MrBenchley]

13. TOO frigging funny...

They weaseled out of a lawsuit and that makes them "darlings?"

[DoNotRefill]

19. isn't that Brady press release....

pretty goddamned glowing?

[MrBenchley]

21. Not hardly....

But I guess if you're desperate, you can pretend "This agreement is a floor, not a ceiling, for future discussions," Henigan said. "The cities will continue to aggressively pursue their litigation against other manufacturers, distributors and retailers." is some sort of backhanded praise.

[DoNotRefill]

26. backhanded praise?

the word "other" is operative here....that means that S&W will NOT be aggressively pursued, doesn't it?

[MrBenchley]

30. Because they weaseled out of the suit....

at the time in an agreement they later reneged on.

[RoeBear]

31. They 'reneged'...

...because of a new administration. One anti gun loons allowed to happen.

[DoNotRefill]

34. allowed....

or enabled?

[MrBenchley]

35. They reneged because the GOP is a bunch of crooks

and in the corrupt gun industry's pocket.

And I guess that's primo RKBA "logic" or whatever: Opposing instead of knuckling under to an extremist splinter group equals "allowed to happen."


""Were it not for your (NRA) active involvement, it's safe to say my brother would not be president of the United States," the younger Bush said.
Oh lord, I guess we're all in the open about the special interests' involvement with elections."

http://www.philosophistry.com/archives/2003/04/000266.html

[FeebMaster]

9. Smith & Wesson

was bought out from Tompkins PLC, the company that made the agreement, by Saf-T-Hammer in 2001. As I understand it, other than incorporating the integral lock that Saf-T-Hammer designed into all their guns, they have largely ignored the terms of the government's agreement.

[NorthernSpy]

8. pessimistic essentialism rears its ugly head

He was a thug once, so that's all he can ever be -- no matter how much he changes his life and tries to be a decent person.

Gee, with some of the "liberals" we have in this country, who needs Ayatollah Ashcroft?


Mary

[alwynsw]

14. Ain't that the truth! AND dupe

[MrBenchley]

16. He's a thug who makes guns....and turns out to be an ex-con

"who needs Ayatollah Ashcroft"
Scumbags like this do...that's why they paid NRA life member AshKKKroft all that blood money.

[alwynsw]

22. Do you have a clue as to the duties of a board member?

As a rule, board members only look to the strategic direction of publicly traded companies. You won't find him on the assembly line.

What's the problem with someone who's served their timegoing for the best job(s) they can get. Would it be better if they receded back into the corrections system?

[MrBenchley]

23. As it happens I do...

and part of it involves looking into what sort of "specimen" they put on the board...or name its chairman. In this case, maybe they liked the way he handled himself in the shower room at the country club.

"What's the problem with someone who's served their timegoing for the best job(s) they can get"
No argument here...seems like an stickup bandit fits right in with the scum in the corrupt gun industry...

[slackmaster]

25. I wish to thank CatWoman

For starting one of the most entertaining threads ever in the J/PS forum.

:toast:

[demsrule4life]

27. I have learned that the word civil rights

does not exist for some liberals.

[CatWoman]

LOL

When I came across the story, the irony kicked me in the rear :hi:

[CatWoman]

28. LOL

When I came across the story, the irony kicked me in the rear :hi:

[RoeBear]

Did it kick you in the rear...

...twice?

[CatWoman]

33. that double post was weird

it happens sometimes........

[alwynsw]

32. Once again, he served his time

therefore he is entitled to hold any job not barred him because of his conviction. I'd not be overjoyed to have a convicted felon on my board, but if he had the necessary ability to serve the best interests of the company and its investors, I would be remiss in denying him the seat.

[slackmaster]

24. Tell it to your Congressional representatives

Clearly, the gun industry is in dire need of a congressional investigation into its practices.

Hooting and hollering about it on DU forums isn't going to make that happen.

[Adams Wulff]

15. Oh big deal! So the guy spent some time in R&D, so what?

of course i'm kidding!

[MrBenchley]

17. Hey, it's market research

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