“Gun manufacturers are very determined to flout the spirit of these laws, and they can do that because the laws are too technologically specific,” said Lindsay Nichols, federal policy director for the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “We need legislation that is broadly written so that it’s harder to circumvent. State legislators are scared to death to pass that type of bill, which is why we need Congress to pursue restrictions that can stick.” The Democrat-controlled House passed broad legislation to ban assault weapons in July, but it hasn’t advanced in the Senate, where Republicans have enough votes to block it.
A camouflage vest packed with rifle magazines hangs on the wall of Edward Newman’s office, just off Dark Storm’s factory floor. In a series of interviews, he was transparent about the firm’s origins.
“We found ways to provide a product that the consumers wanted and complied with state law,” he said. Newman credits booming demand for the AR-15 style rifle and what he calls an untapped market for firearms that comply with tougher state laws for making his company one of America’s fastest-growing gunmakers. …
[New York Assemblyman Thomas] Abinanti and his colleagues envisioned saving lives by limiting the number of rounds a shooter could fire before having to pause and reload. That’s why they focused on banning removable magazines that could be preloaded and replaced quickly. But Dark Storm sells a $34.95 “re-loader” that’s made by another company; it can refill a fixed magazine in seconds.
The lawmaker said he plans to ask New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate weapons designed around the state’s law and find ways to close any loopholes. He also might propose banning reloaders in New York state.
“This is a clear attempt to evade the intent of the legislation,” Abinanti, a Democrat from Mount Pleasant, said, referring to Dark Storm’s rifles. Newman says the firearms comply with the state’s restrictions. And banning reloaders wouldn’t stop mass shootings, he says. “It just becomes a slippery slope where they would desire to just ban everything.”
The NSSF, the largest US gun industry lobbying group, says Dark Storm and others are hardly skirting the law. “These are companies that are helping their customers to comply with the law,” said Mark Oliva, the group’s spokesman. “It appears to me the lawmakers that are displeased are expressing sentiment over poorly-drafted legislation or frustration that they cannot infringe on Constitutionally-protected rights.”
— Jason Grotto and Michael Smith in Small Gunmakers Find State Weapons Bans Offer a Lucrative Niche