Possible Purchase of Freedom Group

The Truth About Guns has posted a couple items about a potential buyout of Freedom Group by Global Digital Solutions ("GDS") (here and here). The general consensus is that GDS intends on introducing "smart gun" technologies. The general consensus is also that GDS will fail miserably--even if they do produce a workable "smart gun," no one will buy it.

That is so 19th Century. The modern business model is not based on making innovative products that people want--it is about crony capitalism. It is about using the government to force people to buy your product, and quash competitors. It is about receiving government subsidies. Think "fluorescent and LED light bulbs," "low-flow toilets," "efficient cloths washers," "no-spill California compliant gas cans" and numerous other products that are both terrible and expensive, but we have no choice but to buy them because the government has made any other option illegal. Think "Solyndra" and "GM" and other heavily subsidized companies and industries. That is what GDS is hoping for--a mandate requiring the purchase of "smart guns" and a fat subsidy so that even if no-one will buy their product, they will have at least made money from the deal and stuck the taxpayer with their losses.