Publisher, Fran Zankowski Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief, Caitlin Rockett News Editor, Will Brendza Food Editor, John Lehndorff Contributing Writers: Dave Anderson, Emma Athena, Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Shay Castle, Angela K. Evans, Mark Fearer, Jodi Hausen, Karlie Huckels, Dave Kirby, Matt Maenpaa, Sara McCrea, Rico Moore, Adam Perry, Katie Rhodes, Dan Savage, Alan Sculley, Tom Winter SALES AND MARKETING Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Carter Ferryman Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman CIRCULATION TEAM Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer BUSINESS OFFICE Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer June 9, 2022 Volume XXIX, Number 39 Cover, Sephora Puma’ Cobra As Boulder County's only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holds-barred journalism, and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county's most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. Read the print version, or visit boulderweekly.com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you're interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper. 690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO, 80305 p 303.494.5511 f 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2022 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
Fear, despair and gun profiteering by Dave Anderson
T
he week before the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school massacre, Daniel Defense posted a photograph on Facebook and Twitter, showing a little boy sitting cross-legged, an assault rifle balanced across his lap. “Train up a child in the way he should go,” the caption reads, echoing a biblical proverb. “When he is old, he will not depart from it.” The 18-year-old Uvalde killer bought his AR-15 from Daniel Defense. That rapid-firing semi-automatic is a civilian version of a military weapon. About 500 companies build them. All are basically the same gun. The competition is fierce. The temptation is to be the most edgy and macho outrageous. There’s an AR15 called the “Urban Super Sniper” and a QAR-15, alluding to the conspiracy theory Q-Anon. l
Ryan Bosse is a former senior executive in the firearms industry who has become a whistleblower. He recently told Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent that gun violence will continue to be a serious social problem. He said that 20 years ago the gun market was oversaturated and mostly confined to older white guys. There were market-planning discussions about getting your gun featured in video games and action movies. Unlike many consumer items which fall apart quickly or are consumed in one use, guns are durable goods. You can buy a gun that will last a lifetime. We are the only country in the world which has more civilian guns than people. There are far more gunsee ANDERSON FILES Page 8
JUNE 9, 2022
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