ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJLA) – Montgomery County gun shop owner Andy Raymond says he’s had a change of heart after recent threats to his business.
- Rockville gun shop owner Andy Raymond puts on a special watch/bracelet in order to use a ‘smart gun.’ (WJLA)
Raymond was interested in being one of the first in the country to carry the “smart gun” – but now he says he won’t carry the weapon.
The smart gun has technology built in that allows it to communicate with a special watch or bracelet- the gun won’t operate unless it’s within 10 inches of that watch.
“I thought I was doing a good thing, in the sense of getting fence-sitters about guns into guns,” Raymond explained. “I didn’t mean to cause anyone any harm.”
However, Raymond says then an article from the Washington Post about his plans spread online Thursday, he was flooded with angry calls, e-mails and Internet posts.
He said one person even threatened to burn down his shop.
On his company’s Facebook page, one person wrote “horribly bad business decision, but it’s your business and you will unfortunately have to deal with the repercussions that this will have on it for that decision.”
Another person online wrote, “It’s absolutely despicable that you are going to take away the right of so many millions of citizens around the nation just to make a few bucks.”
Raymond says many called to express the concern that if this gun is sold in the U.S., legislation would go into place to require all guns to have similar technology.
Today, Raymond responded to those concerns:
“If they want to legislate it, that is the evil thing – the [smart] gun is not the evil thing.”
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