There is a fascinating article in the October issue of Conde Nast Portfolio about Kahr arms and its founder, Justin Moon, the son of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The elder Moon is the founder of the Unification Church, a group also known more derogatorily as "the Moonies."
The article is pretty fair in its description of some of the predominant ideas held in the gun community, citing self reliance and explaining the concepts surrounding self defense. The author, Christopher S. Stewart, acknowledges that he is not a gun person, but incorrectly describes gun rights as solely a conservative political concern describing himself as perceived as 'the democrat' (a moniker Moon uses to chide the author) while visiting the Shot Show in Orlando.
Where the article goes out on a limb is in it's speculation that the Kahr company is part of a Unification Church conspiracy to "presumably," in the words of the author, control its territory in a catastrophic contest between good and evil. I'm not sure that the evidence is contained in the article to support such an implication. Stewart summarizes comments by former members as saying "The gun business, along with food companies, real estate, and other holdings, will serve to protect the fortress and keep sinners at bay." That's a pretty big accusation without a whole bundle of support.
There is clear evidence that security in the Kahr factory needs to be increased. An employee illegally stole (one offense) and smuggled gun parts not yet stamped with serial numbers (a second offense), assembled guns from the parts, and sold (a third offense) the guns to other criminals (fourth offense). It's clear the employee was doing something illegal, and that the company should take measures to stop theft. However, if the religion were trying to use Kahr to build a personal arsenal, as the article's author implies, why would the company be at the shot show and in commerce selling legally produced and stamped firearms? There is no evidence that the company was facilitating the trade of illegal firearms.
The article is also a bit sensational, describing the company as manufacturing "some of the smallest and most lethal weapons on earth." Are they more lethal than a hand grenade? Are they more lethal than a radioactive pill purported to have been used last year to kill a former Russian spy? If the author replaced the word "weapon" with "gun," what makes a gun more lethal? Is it caliber, is it concealability, is it accuracy? A longer barrel is more accurate, and someone shooting a small gun is more likely to "pull" their shots, missing their target, than with a larger grip and longer barrel. This comment seems unsupported and irresponsible.
I had a run in with the Moonies when I was studying dance in New York in the 90's. I was hanging out in a park near NYU when a young man approached and asked me a number of questions - do I believe in diversity and equality, do I believe the world can become a better place? I did believe in all of these things, and so I accepted an invitation to a "student event" in a building just down the street. The guy I met was really nice and very smart. He had come from Germany to study at NYU, and I had studied German and enjoyed the opportunity to talk with him. We had a great dinner and the group moved into a slide show about issues around the globe. About five slides in the speaker said "And here's a picture of Reverend Moon meeting with members of Congress." As soon as I saw the slide I knew this wasn't a NYU student organization. The presentation went on about Moon and how he had founded this student organization. I was out of there as quickly as I could after the slideshow ended. The nice guy I met wanted me to go for a week to their upstate New York campground to learn more about the group, but there was no way I was going to stick around.
Does that group have anything to do with a scheme to use Kahr arms to defend the Unification Church in an apocalyptic crisis? I don't know. I know I didn't want to have anything to do with the group. There was a lot of pressure, and the 'no strings attached' communicated when I first met the guy in the park was a lot different than the message that night at their event. However, it seems unethical to imply that Kahr might be a part of an apocalyptic vision without clear evidence that weapons are being collected or that some kind of training is being conducted by the Unification Church proper.
For those of you who don't subscribe to Portfolio, the article is available on line. It is worth a read. I'm interested to hear what you think.
http://www.portfolio.com/careers/features/2007/09/17/Unification-Church