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Custom "Bloomberg" Paint Jobs for Guns
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 21, 2008
Modified Mar 21, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 21, 2008
Modified Mar 21, 2008
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Mayor Bloomberg's fight against the gun industry has now crossed over into the world of custom weaponry. The Daily News points out that a Wisconsin company is touting a new line of paints, "The Bloomberg Collection."
Lauer Custom Weaponry offers DuraCoat Firearm Finishes, which are "extremely easy" for an "average gun owner" to apply (Lauer also offers DuraCoat workshops). There's the "Bloomberg Collection EZ Camo Kit," where you can pimp your weapon with the names of the boroughs on brick, graffiti-style. And there's also the "Bloomberg Collection CamoPak" with " 1 oz. Manhattan Red, 1 oz. Bronx Rose, 1 oz. Brooklyn Blue, 1 oz. Queens Green, 1 oz. Staten Island Orange" paints.
Naturally, Bloomberg is not amused, telling the News:
"Making a quick buck by coloring a handgun to look like a toy is craven and beneath any honest businessman," Bloomberg told the Daily News. "By coloring these guns, a real one looks like a toy, and a police officer won't be able to tell the difference."
"Imagine an officer who comes upon a teenager pointing a pink gun into a crowd. If the gun is a toy, an innocent teenager may be killed - and others, too.
"Our police officers have a hard enough job as it is, and that's why we passed a law to prevent these deadly tragedies from occurring."
A Lauer employee explained why Mayor Bloomberg was targeted: "The mayor picked us out as being the pink-gun guys," back in 2006. The employee added the NYC paint colors are regular sellers and "ladies like it. They fashion their guns after their clothing."
Check out the website for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a Bloomberg-backed group. All the details of NYC's litigation against gun dealers who illegally sell guns is there.
Tagged
bloomberg
gun
mayor bloomberg
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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