Nassau targets Lauer guns in move to support Bloomberg
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By The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 2:58 PM CDT
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- Nassau County officials are targeting the brightly colored handguns manufactured by a Wisconsin company that has used them to taunt New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
County Executive Tom Suozzi said in a statement Wednesday that he would work closely with the county legislature to ban the possession and sale of colored weapons from companies like Lauer Custom Weaponry.
The Chippewa Falls, Wis., company is selling the “Bloomberg Collection’’ featuring a paint kit of five colors — Brooklyn Blue and Manhattan Red among them. The company puts a painting of Bloomberg’s face on some of these weapons at gun shows to showcase the collection, but those are not available for purchase.
The gun company says the collection is its way of thanking Bloomberg for publicity he generated when he banned the paints in 2006.
“To think that this manufacturer would mock the efforts of Mayor Bloomberg to enhance police officer safety is an insult to all the dedicated law enforcement officers who sometimes have to make split second decisions on the use of deadly physical force,’’ said Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey.
Lauer, the only manufacturer of the DuraCoat paints, has seen sales increase since Bloomberg’s ban, especially on the East Coast, said Amy Lauer, operations manager for the company. “We got a lot of publicity from it,’’ Lauer said. “We had all these people calling us, wanting us to create more bright colors for them.’’
Bloomberg banned the use of paints on guns in 2006, saying the playful colors endanger police officers who must quickly determine whether guns are toys or real when someone brandishes a weapon.
Gun control has been a Bloomberg priority in his second term and is an issue he has used to gain national attention.
Here is an earlier story about Lauer Custom Weaponry:
Lauer names guns after NYC mayor
By EMILY FREDRIX / Associated Press Writer
MILWAUKEE — A tiny Wisconsin manufacturer is taking aim at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on brightly colored gun paints by naming its latest collection of colors after him.
Lauer Custom Weaponry’s “Bloomberg Collection’’ features five colors — one for each borough — and even uses the mayor’s face on some guns at its trade shows.
The gun company says the collection of colors like Brooklyn Blue and Manhattan Red is its way of thanking Bloomberg for publicity he generated when he banned the paints in 2006.
Lauer, the only manufacturer of the so-called DuraCoat paints, has seen sales increase since Bloomberg’s ban, especially on the East Coast, said Amy Lauer, operations manager for the company. It has about 12 employees in Chippewa Falls.
“We got a lot of publicity from it,’’ Lauer said. “We had all these people calling us, wanting us to create more bright colors for them.’’
So when they came out with the color collection — which also includes Bronx Rose, Queens Green and Staten Island Orange — about three months ago, they knew what to name it.
“Since all that publicity came from him, we called it the ‘Bloomberg Collection,’’’ she said.
She declined to say how much business increased or what the company’s annual sales were.
Bloomberg banned such paints in 2006, saying the playful colors endanger police officers who must quickly determine whether guns are toys or real when someone brandishes a weapon.
On Monday, Bloomberg said the ban was needed when asked his response to the Bloomberg Collection.
“Coloring a handgun to look like a toy is craven and beneath any honest businessman,’’ Bloomberg said. “By coloring these guns, a real one looks like a toy, and a police officer won’t be able to tell the difference. This is a tragedy in the making.’’
Gun control has been a Bloomberg priority in his second term, and is an issue he has used to gain national attention. As a result, other firearms enthusiasts have taken aim at Bloomberg, too.
Last April, a National Rifle Association magazine cover depicted Bloomberg as an octopus, saying in a caption: “How NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg extends his reach and his illegal anti-gun tactics across America.’’
A month later, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights group, organized the “Bloomberg Gun Giveaway’’ to thumb its nose at Bloomberg. He launched a series of out-of-state stings against gun shops suspected of allowing illegal straw purchases of firearms.
Lauer’s paint kits are mainly used by competition shooters, Lauer said, or people who want to personalize their weapons, especially women. The company is the only one of its kind to sell the paints, which are also available in colors like Uzi Green, German Red, Combat Black and Coyote Brown. According to the company’s Web site, any gun enthusiast can apply the paints with an airbrush.
A paint kit of the five-color Bloomberg Collection costs $34.95. A separate Bloomberg kit that allows users to paint a brick-and-mortar facade on guns, complete with graffiti versions of the borough’s names, costs $129.95. It includes an airbrush and other tools used to put the paint onto the guns, and the Bloomberg Collection of colors.
Bloomberg’s face appears in black on the guns of his namesake collection at trade shows. So far, no one has asked to buy a kit that would allow them to paint his face on their guns, Lauer said.
The company hasn’t sold too many units of the Bloomberg Collection yet, Lauer said, but it is becoming more popular.
Her father, Steve Lauer, invented DuraCoat and started the company around 2000. They started doing more traditional military colors like black and tan, but then people started requesting the bright colors. She said search and rescue teams wanted bright yellow, which would make their guns easier to spot.
The company has a shop in Chippewa Falls, which is about 100 miles east of Minneapolis and does all its manufacturing there. Through distributors and the company’s Web site, it sells its products worldwide.
Lauer said they’ve never heard from Bloomberg or his office, but they’re glad to get any mentions, even if they’re negative.
“We like our sales to go up,’’ she said. “Any kind of attention is good attention in our minds.’’
Associated Press reporter Sara Kugler contributed to this report from New York.
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