Military Requests for Discounts

Friends, this is our statement on various groups of folks looking for discounts because they served as this or that……………………………

It seems that we live in a day where everyone feels they are owed a discount, be they military, first responders, etc.

For years, we offered discounts to military, retired military, first responders, and retired first responders, but we were inundated with fraudulent representations. We had folks claiming to be military and Ex-military and first responders by the thousands. We had to hire (and pay for) personnel to vet all these requests. It was very expensive, and every time we found folks who were making fraudulent representations (which was every day) just to get a discount, there was of course, no recourse for us to make them pay for all the time we spent vetting them. We would have gone broke if we had continued with this service, as our society is simply filled with liars who will say anything to save some money. As per usual, the good guys who were telling the truth ended up getting penalized because of the social imposters/thieves out there.

Also, we were getting so many requests for discounts that our dealers, who spend many thousands of dollars to stock their shelves with our products, were complaining to us that we were discounting so much that we were under-cutting them and if we were going to under-cut our own dealers, why should they pay to stock our products? This was a fair question, so we have since entered into an agreement with all our dealers not to give discounts on our ammo.

Allow me to explain my position on the matter of giving discounts to special groups.

My father was a combat vet in the Korean conflict and lived with the emotional scars and physical scars for life. The thought of asking for discounts never entered his mind for a few reasons: 1) he was not drafted but volunteered and understood the risks going in, so in his generation, folks actually took responsibility for their choices……it was his choice to enlist. He got paid by the taxpayer, for which he was grateful. He did not expect society to pay him more via discounts or any other method, and he would have stuck his boot up any vet’s ass that went about asking for discounts because they served in the military. Those were different days. The principle of personal responsibility seems to be lost in today's entitled society. In my youthful lessons, my father repeatedly said to me, “Tim, nobody owes you a damn thing”! “You must earn what you receive”. I have numerous special forces friends that I give ammo to for free, but I do that because they do not go around asking for a discount or for favors. They do not feel entitled but feel grateful for their career, and they have too much integrity to go around asking for free stuff because they did a job they volunteered for and were paid for! They have stayed in my home, and I have taken them hunting (I'm speaking of a few SEAL friends). I've hosted generals in my own home and have given them ammo, but only because they did not expect it or ask for it. But understand that when a vet or anyone else feels entitled to something (like a discount) it turns me off, and it does not have to be a vet, but anyone who feels entitled is in my mind a leach and a loser. I've worked hard for everything I have, and everyone should do just that. Yet, over the years, when folks need help, and they do not come to me feeling entitled (there’s a big difference between need and entitlement), I’ve donated well over a million dollars worth (maybe two million, I don’t keep score) in terms of discounts, free ammo, and cash donations. I’ve done this for churches, medical clinics, and folks in need of help for many reasons. I’ve not asked or expected anything in return, and I have never asked for others' help in my personal tragedies as it is my life and my responsibility, not anyone else’s. Folks these days go around thinking they are entitled to things, and when they push that on me, I say no. If you volunteered to do a job and the taxpayers pay you to do that job and you have other benefits at taxpayer expense, such as learning a valuable skill, pensions, and benefits, you have been paid for what you volunteered to do, and you should feel grateful for that, not entitled to more free stuff.

I will say that when vets return home very disabled, they and their families need help, and I have donated heavily to a couple of requests, BUT I DO NOT DO THIS TO USE IT AS ADVERTISING. Instead, I do it privately in order to help a person or people who need help.

In my opinion, our society is in a foot race to the bottom, and everyone feels entitled to stuff they did not earn but want others to earn it for them. Folks need to stand on their own two legs and quit feeling entitled, just like I have done all my life. I started working summers harvesting crops when I was only eight years of age in order to help my family. There are probably child labor laws against that these days, but I look back on it as a badge of honor. BTW, I have never had a special forces vet or a high-ranking military person from any branch request a discount or free items as they have too much integrity and a sense of gratitude to do so. Yet daily, I get dozens of requests for discounted ammunition because someone claims they once served in the military or as a first responder. I think being a father or mother is the highest form of service that can be given to society, yet I do not see fathers and mothers asking for discounts for that service, and being a father or mother does not pay very well, as we all should know. I could go on and on.

My best wishes go out to all humans. I hope that society in the US can return to greatness by standing up and being accountable and working hard as independent folks who make things happen through hard work, accountability, and industry because that is not where we as a society are today. Instead, too many folks want freebies, and they want such sometimes at the expense of their dignity and honesty.