I cannot have any sympathy for Mr Cooper, nor can I feel that his ejection from his executive post was not completely legal or deserved.
Had he donated as Mr Cooper, of whatever street, some town, USA, he may have gotten away with supporting who he pleased, but he decided that as Mr Cooper, President of Cooper Firearms, to support a party that is effectively working towards destroying his own customer base in the first place.
From a personal and business sense, all I can ask is "What the F*** was he thinking?"
After the aforementioned S&W debacle, and the Zumbo affair, to think that one could be the head of a firearms company and NOT have such donations seen and acknowledged, let alone the statements to reporters, and to not expect it to have a negative affect on the companies business, is simply irresponsible.
I think that the damage is done, and as long as Mr Cooper holds shares in the company, they are going to suffer, as there are too many that will not spend any of their money if they believe that any of it may turn around and be spent on furthering interests that are directly opposed to their own.
As an executive decision goes, this rates beyond stupid. To make a public stand, supporting the same people that would see your own industry die without a qualm, is both stupid, and a failure of his responsibility to his shareholders, and to his employees.
Dan Cooper is free to speak his mind, as well as to spend his money as he sees fit. As are all those that were former and no longer potential customers.
Any Charter rights that may apply in Canada, or Constitutional rights that may apply in the US, are only worth the paper they are written on in the event that the government is bearing down, which is clearly not the case here. This is simple economics. Insult the customer base, and the customers go elsewhere.
If I were a shareholder, or an employee, I'd be pissed. A kindergarten kid would have seen the connection between the action and the reaction.
Cheers
Trev (from Canada)
