edit: link corrected
Tony Vega who is the owner of Code Red firearms which manufactures AR-15 components, posed in a photo op with Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, during an illegal gun buy back program, which Code Red helped sponsor. Instead of returning the illegal firearms to their lawful owners, the police are destroying them and this is what Tony had to say about that, "I really could not care less what happens to these guns or who brings them and / or if they are kept, destroyed or returned."
Code Red is now scrubbing their Facebook page of all evidence but members of ARFCOM saved some of the pages & comments before they were deleted. Take a look for your self, that's Tony in the middle and he actually has his arm around Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Originally Posted By seanc_wa:
i sent him a quick message:
7:59pm
ME
deleting comments and blocking people. you made a bad move. enjoy the consequences.
8:02pm
Code Red Firearms
[my name] ARFCOM IS less than 1% our business. Deleting rhetorical banter helps with the housekeeping. you permission to repost.
8:05pm
ME
ah ok. then im sure you will not even notice. good luck joining the other side and helping disarm the citizens. and promoting theft.</div></div>
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">To the AR15.com community,
On behalf of myself and the employees of Code Red Sports, I can assure you that all of us at the Code Red family take your input and views very seriously. I cannot tell you the sense of pride all of us felt whenever a positive review of our lowers and customer service appear on your forums. It lets us know we were doing things right.
Many of you have contacted me and other Code Red employees directly to voice your opposition to my personal involvement in a February 2, 2013 firearms “buyback” sponsored by the City of Miami. First and foremost, let me assure you that neither I nor Code Red will ever participate in any such buyback program. But secondly, I would like to clear the air and dispel much of the false information regarding the motives for Code Red’s participation.
Anyone who knows me understands that I am a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms, and of course, the right for civilians to own AR-15 pattern rifles and other modern sporting rifles. I have been in this business long before the 2008 and 2012 sales booms; I am not a “carpet bagger” as some have implied in the forums. Code Red not only manufactures AR-15 lowers, but is also a licensed Class III manufacturer, meaning we can make, sell and transfer NFA items such as full auto machine guns, suppressors, SBRs, etc. For anyone to say or think that Code Red and I are not on the side of AR15.com’ers in both body and spirit is simply ludicrous.
To be frank with AR15.com’ers, prior to today I had always believed that municipal gun buy-backs were a waste of tax payer money, in that they probably had no effect on reducing crime—but I had never been exposed to the idea that such buy-back programs actually hurt the gun rights movement, or encourage firearms theft. I just saw them as feel-good, harmless measures. Keep that in mind as I explain what led to my participation last weekend.
Many of my critics are not aware of the fact that prior to the gun buyback, I had been having ongoing, lengthy face-to-face discussions with the Mayor of Miami in an effort to convince him to soften his position with respect to AR-15 and other semi-automatic rifles, as well as magazine capacity limits. South Florida is very much blue country (and Florida voted for Obama in the 2012 election), but the Mayor is actually very open minded on the topic of gun rights and he is willing to listen. Certainly it helps that Code Red is a positive economic force in Miami-Dade County. So frankly, because I did not see any harm to the gun rights movement in participating in the buy back, I thought that Code Red’s participation would help build that bridge with the Mayor and further convince him, his staff, and his supporters that AR-15 manufacturers and owners are good and honorable citizens.
Some of you have sent me very thoughtful and polite explanations as to why municipal buybacks directly and indirectly harm our freedoms. In all honesty, these are intelligent arguments that I had not heard before, or certainly not fleshed out in as much detail and support as some of you provided. For that reason, I apologize for having participated, and give my word that neither I nor Code Red will do so again.
I understand that some of you have solemnly sworn never to buy a Code Red product. I can only ask, on behalf of my employees, that you reconsider in light of my apology and explanation above. I would also ask you to keep in mind that throughout this shortage, Code Red has kept its prices reasonable in order to build a long term relationship with you. It is one thing to bad mouth me, which arguably I deserve, but quite another to punish my employees who are living their dreams of working in the firearms industry, and had nothing to do with the events of last weekend.
Yours always,
Tony “the Scorpion” Vega</div></div>
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1435520...html&page=1
Tony Vega who is the owner of Code Red firearms which manufactures AR-15 components, posed in a photo op with Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, during an illegal gun buy back program, which Code Red helped sponsor. Instead of returning the illegal firearms to their lawful owners, the police are destroying them and this is what Tony had to say about that, "I really could not care less what happens to these guns or who brings them and / or if they are kept, destroyed or returned."
Code Red is now scrubbing their Facebook page of all evidence but members of ARFCOM saved some of the pages & comments before they were deleted. Take a look for your self, that's Tony in the middle and he actually has his arm around Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Originally Posted By seanc_wa:
i sent him a quick message:
7:59pm
ME
deleting comments and blocking people. you made a bad move. enjoy the consequences.
8:02pm
Code Red Firearms
[my name] ARFCOM IS less than 1% our business. Deleting rhetorical banter helps with the housekeeping. you permission to repost.
8:05pm
ME
ah ok. then im sure you will not even notice. good luck joining the other side and helping disarm the citizens. and promoting theft.</div></div>
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">To the AR15.com community,
On behalf of myself and the employees of Code Red Sports, I can assure you that all of us at the Code Red family take your input and views very seriously. I cannot tell you the sense of pride all of us felt whenever a positive review of our lowers and customer service appear on your forums. It lets us know we were doing things right.
Many of you have contacted me and other Code Red employees directly to voice your opposition to my personal involvement in a February 2, 2013 firearms “buyback” sponsored by the City of Miami. First and foremost, let me assure you that neither I nor Code Red will ever participate in any such buyback program. But secondly, I would like to clear the air and dispel much of the false information regarding the motives for Code Red’s participation.
Anyone who knows me understands that I am a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms, and of course, the right for civilians to own AR-15 pattern rifles and other modern sporting rifles. I have been in this business long before the 2008 and 2012 sales booms; I am not a “carpet bagger” as some have implied in the forums. Code Red not only manufactures AR-15 lowers, but is also a licensed Class III manufacturer, meaning we can make, sell and transfer NFA items such as full auto machine guns, suppressors, SBRs, etc. For anyone to say or think that Code Red and I are not on the side of AR15.com’ers in both body and spirit is simply ludicrous.
To be frank with AR15.com’ers, prior to today I had always believed that municipal gun buy-backs were a waste of tax payer money, in that they probably had no effect on reducing crime—but I had never been exposed to the idea that such buy-back programs actually hurt the gun rights movement, or encourage firearms theft. I just saw them as feel-good, harmless measures. Keep that in mind as I explain what led to my participation last weekend.
Many of my critics are not aware of the fact that prior to the gun buyback, I had been having ongoing, lengthy face-to-face discussions with the Mayor of Miami in an effort to convince him to soften his position with respect to AR-15 and other semi-automatic rifles, as well as magazine capacity limits. South Florida is very much blue country (and Florida voted for Obama in the 2012 election), but the Mayor is actually very open minded on the topic of gun rights and he is willing to listen. Certainly it helps that Code Red is a positive economic force in Miami-Dade County. So frankly, because I did not see any harm to the gun rights movement in participating in the buy back, I thought that Code Red’s participation would help build that bridge with the Mayor and further convince him, his staff, and his supporters that AR-15 manufacturers and owners are good and honorable citizens.
Some of you have sent me very thoughtful and polite explanations as to why municipal buybacks directly and indirectly harm our freedoms. In all honesty, these are intelligent arguments that I had not heard before, or certainly not fleshed out in as much detail and support as some of you provided. For that reason, I apologize for having participated, and give my word that neither I nor Code Red will do so again.
I understand that some of you have solemnly sworn never to buy a Code Red product. I can only ask, on behalf of my employees, that you reconsider in light of my apology and explanation above. I would also ask you to keep in mind that throughout this shortage, Code Red has kept its prices reasonable in order to build a long term relationship with you. It is one thing to bad mouth me, which arguably I deserve, but quite another to punish my employees who are living their dreams of working in the firearms industry, and had nothing to do with the events of last weekend.
Yours always,
Tony “the Scorpion” Vega</div></div>
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1435520...html&page=1
