A US manufacturer of precision guns, based in Utah, has turned down a $15 million deal to supply Pakistan with sniper rifles following concerns that these weapons could eventually be used against American troops.
Citing unrest in Pakistan and ethical concerns, an executive of Desert Tech said: “As a business owner you always want to be successful, but I think ethically and morally you want to go about it the right way and stick behind your founding principles.”
“At the end of the day, we feel our ethics are worth more than the bottom line,” Mike Davis, sales manager for the Salt lake City-based company, was quoted by the local newspaper, Desert News, as saying.
Desert Tech, formerly called Desert Tactical Arms, was one of three gun manufacturers shortlisted for the multimillion dollar gun supply to Pakistan rifles that can reportedly change caliber within minutes and shoot as far as 3,000 yards.
The company’s decision not to supply the rifles to Pakistan won immediate appreciation. Nicholas Young, the company president, posted the company decision on Facebook last Thursday to see if members of the US military agreed with it. By Friday evening, more than 1,000 people reportedly offered overwhelmingly positive comments.
Those supportive of the decision included Utah Army National Guard Col. Randy Watt. “I’ve got to admire Desert Tactical for potentially turning down what could have been a very lucrative contract in the interest of protecting American service members,” he told a television network.
“As a commander in Special Forces and having served multiple tours over there and being essentially very well-qualified to speak on terrorism and counterterrorism, I can tell you that our relationship with Pakistan is somewhat tenuous,” Watt said.
He referred to the activities of the Pakistani Taliban and the rift between Pakistan’s intelligence agency and Government, noting: “Any arms sold to Pakistan, there’s a risk that those arms would end up being used against American service members.”