by Eric Dorenbush – Green Eye Tactical
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Earlier this week, a Facebook post by the Oregon City Police went viral and resulted in severe backlash to the knife company Benchmade.
Right up front, I want to restate, as I have in the past, that Green Eye Tactical trains RESPONSIBLE citizens. That is how I look at it. I don’t care if you are civilian, LE, Fed, Military, or whatever we will offer the same high-level training. I provide no training for LE or Mil that I would not offer to civilians.
I base my position in the issue on the Constitution and its original intent. Period. I’m not a “but”er. You either believe in the Constitution, as written, within the purpose and frame of when the founders wrote it, or you don’t.
I do have a high degree of respect for our Law Enforcement Officers. They do a completely thankless job where they are underpaid, underfunded, undermanned, undertrained and under-equipped. And it is OUR fault as taxpaying voters and citizens. However, you are volunteering for a job where you are enforcing laws and protecting rights- and all that entails.
Just as there are people who I would not train, there are departments and agencies that I will not teach. One of my local departments are on my blacklist due to their ingrained positions on engaging someone for the mere presence of a firearm, whether it was legal use or not. Everyone has to search themselves and determine where they stand and what lines they will not cross. That’s mine. Your lines may be different, and that’s fine. It is your choice. /rant off.
Back to the issue at hand, in this post, the department thanked Benchmade for assisting in destroying confiscated firearms, in the Benchmade shop. There were also pictures of the destruction posted.
This post quickly spread on social media pages and has resulted in numerous boycott campaigns. The new leading 2a advocates, the Firearms Policy Coalition, even posted a screenshot of their FOIA request to Oregon City Police.
So, why is this such a big deal?
Well, if you have been following the news lately, there have been massive encroachments into many Constitutional rights across the country, including, in this case, the Second Amendment. Recently, Oregon narrowly passed their Red Flag laws- along with some other states. These laws allow for the immediate confiscation of firearms, without due process. These laws are a very sensitive issue in the industry today.
When we put things together and view the totality of circumstances, we see a police agency in a red flag law state destroying confiscated firearms. We have a popular company in the industry aiding them (interestingly, committing a federal felony in one of the pictures). This insight can give viewers the perception that the Police may have taken these firearms without due process in one of these red flag cases.
That might sound like a bit of a leap in logic, mixed in with assumptions- but there is more to the story.
As with most things, when someone calls attention to something, that thing gets looked into:https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000047693&cycle=A&fbclid=IwAR0YxWklPFmV9uCF7Cf2I4SvWyy0Ant_Y55ccxB6op1-7zP0LUO-jUQJQRI
It looks like starting in 2012, Benchmade increased political spending. They also ceased contributions to Conservative candidates and solely donated to Democrat candidates.
Benchmade donated to two primary state officials in 2017-2018.
The first is Rep. Kurt Schrader. He is the rep for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. He is not a pro-2a official. In 2012 he was quoted by The Oregonian as saying:
“However, while the immediate focus will inevitably be to ban certain firearms and magazines, the problems we have are more deeply rooted in American society.”, after the Connecticut school shooting.
If that 2012 date looks familiar, that is where Benchmade’s political contributions switched from small donations to Conservative candidates, to more substantial contributions to Democratic candidates.
The second contribution is even more puzzling than the first. That donation was to Senator Martin Heinrich of NEW MEXICO. I scrubbed through all of Benchmade’s business listings and couldn’t find any business interests in that state.
Martin Heinrich is an interesting name. He is not well known, but he was one of the names in the hat for Hillary Clinton’s Vice-Presidential candidate for the 2016 election. This guy has MUCH scarier views on the Second Amendment.
In 2018 the Albuquerque Journal as saying:
“It doesn’t matter if you have a folding stock, it doesn’t matter if you have a pistol grip … but it does matter how the action cycles and how fast they (the weapons) can throw lead downrange, and how many times you can pull the trigger before you’re out of ammunition, Those are the functional things that are at the heart of what makes these (guns) so dangerous compared to other firearms.”
Yeah, this guy wants to forget targeting cosmetics and re-define language restricting firearms to function, capability and effectiveness.
Read the interview to grasp the full extent: https://www.abqjournal.com/1153462/heinrich-hopes-to-influence-gun-debate.html
So, now when we look at the totality of circumstances, we see that Benchmade changed politics back in 2012. They supported two leading candidates, both anti-2a Democrats, one of which isn’t even in their state.
Oregon passes controversial Red Flag confiscation laws, and these laws are a very hot button topic in the industry today. Then Benchmade’s local police department asks Benchmade for help in destroying confiscated firearms, and they happily comply.
Both Oregon City Police and Benchmade have posted replies where they apologize or walk back the posts. I think that they are very telling also:
First off, the Oregon City Police’s wrote the post craftily. Pay attention to:
“We receive guns that are turned in from community members that they no longer want the guns and want them destroyed. We also have guns that are evidence and when a case is adjudicated the guns are ordered by the court to be destroyed.”
This post is a broad and general statement. It does not say “the guns in this picture” or “the guns in this post.” To excuse the pun, this raises some red flags immediately to me.
If criminals used these firearms in violent felonies (robbery, assault, etc.) I think most people wouldn’t be too upset. Equally, it is the property owner’s choice to do what they want with their property. So, if some gun owner doesn’t want their firearm anymore and takes it willingly to the police to have it disposed of, then hey, that’s your choice. I may not agree with it, but that’s your right. Regardless, what they are NOT definitively stating speaks volumes, at least to me.
Likewise, if you look at Benchmade’s response above (or in the gallery of pictures if you are on FB), it is utterly devoid of addressing the issue that has caused this uproar. They simply state:
“Oregon City Police requested the use of specialty equipment within the Benchmade facility to follow these requirements, and as a supporting partner of our local police force, we obliged the request.”
And then they follow up with:
“Benchmade is a proud and unwavering supporter of both law enforcement and Second Amendment rights.”
Yet they make zero statements quantifying what “rights” they support, nor do they address the gun confiscation issue. How simple would it be to state:
“We were assured by OCP that all firearms destroyed were used in violent crimes or destroyed at the owner’s request”?
Case closed at that point for me. You can’t hide behind policy or law if it is unconstitutional. You can’t hide behind “I was following orders” if that order was unconstitutional or immoral, period.
I reserved judgment when I saw this issue go viral before I had time to adequately research this issue, which is why my article here is late to the party. However, at this point, I feel that there is enough to make a statement on the subject.
Here it is:
Green Eye Tactical will no longer recommend Benchmade products. While Green Eye Tactical has never been contacted by or provided training for Oregon City Police in the past, they will be added to our Blacklist and will be ineligible for any Training, Consulting, or Advice in the future. If either Oregon City Police or Benchmade make definitive statements that clearly state their position on the pertinent issues (following policy doesn’t count), then we will re-evaluate this position.
It is my hope that other product suppliers, consumers, and trainers in the industry also make their position on the issue clear as well.
About Eric Dorenbush – Green Eye Tactical
Eric is a U.S. Army Special Operations veteran with Extensive combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has served in the 82nd Airborne Division and 1st SFOD-D as an Operator. He has been instructing Special Operations personnel, Law Enforcement, Military and Civilians since 2010. He is also an NRA certified instructor and a Texas Concealed Carry Instructor.
SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.
All decisions have consequences.
From what I can see in the picture, the “special equipment” they were using consisted of a table and an angle grinder. Benchmade couldnt tell them to just stop by Home Depot or Lowe’s with $50?
Bye Benchmade. You are now dead to me.
“Green Eye Tactical will no longer recommend Benchmade products.” BFD, guy. Never heard of ya’. More cool stuff for the rest of us! I’m sure the Oregon City Police Department will do just fine without your dime-a-dozen “high-speed” training, too. Look, folks… If ya’ wanna try to read into this issue more and find something that irks ya’, knock yourselves out. It must be nice to have that kind of free time. Bottom line: Benchmade did their local LEOs a solid by choppin’ up a few guns that were forfeit – either voluntarily or by court order – and jumpin’… Read more »
I think people are as upset at the democratic political donations benchmade has been providing. So, as you may still for now do in America, please keep on supporting, or denying financial support to, whatever company you chose, as will the rest of us.
I was in the market for a knife at the Portland Guns show this weekend. It was easy to pass over the Benchmade blades and spend my dough on something else. One thing that really took me by surprise were all the cheap Chinese knock-offs. There were very few higher end knives, Emerson, Reeve, Microtech etc.
piss on them,they’re over priced anyway!
I, Green Byte Watch Dog, will support Bench amde knifes.
I visited their web site and they have an excellent selection that one can configure.
Never have heard of them until now. Knives don’t hurt people or cause destruction or firearms by themselves.
JUST MADE MY NEVER-BUY LIST! Despicable! Always thought they were overpriced anyway.
Shame on Benchmade, I love my Contego folder and wanted a fixed blade. I will NOT buy another benchmade product.
I am more than happy with my ALL AMERICAN made firearm and hunting supporting knife by Whiter River Knives!
With the myriad natural right infringing laws on the books and now these “Red Flag Laws”, which you admitted in your article are confiscation laws without due process (excellently put), and since all police are sworn to uphold all laws in their city, county and/or state, and police are, in fact, enforcing that’s laws with such passion as to have killed at least one citizen, now more than ever, one cannot be pro 2A (natural rights) and support law enforcement. It is an oxymoron. The lines have been drawn and not by the 2A community. It is back and white.… Read more »
Who buys these expensive knives, anyway? I recently retired a Kershaw that I bought on closeout at Walmart for 10 or 20 dollars and carried daily and used extensively on the job for about 12 years.
I do. I’ve carried several. My current EDC is a Benchmade Indidel.
I was planning to buy a Crooked River. Not now. No Benchmade. Ever. Buh bye! Buh bye! Maybe the anti-gun Dick’s Sporting Goods will sell Benchmade knives, but I’ll never know because I’m never going in there again.
Always thought the company a stand up one guess i was wrong.
Adios Benchmade. Too expensive for what you get and now this. Mine are in a lake in the west. I and my team will never buy another bench made product POS again.
I have been eyeing up Benchmade for a while for not only their fixed blades but otf’s, well as all the cool folks say nowadays….#neveragain hahaha
See how Surefire donated to!
BENCHMADE
YOU HAVE A VIOLATION OF THE 1934 FIREARMS ACT {SHORTBARRELED SHOTGUN} ASK RANDY WEAVER ABOUT THAT ONE{HRT SNIPER KILLED HIS WIFE}
Nope, no way will I buy a Benchmade! There are all kinds of American made knives
TO THE OREGON CITY POLICE DEPT
WILL YOU FOLLOW ORDERS AND ATTACK LAW ABIDING AMERICANS WHO REFUSE TO TURN IN THERE LAWFULLY OWNED FIREARMS!
I WOULD TURN IN MY BADGE FIRST
Gun right extremist do have the right to object, but using ugly and mean language is very disrespectful. It makes no difference to me. Destroying weapons that have been confiscated is the choice of our law enforcement across our nation. Sell them or squash them up— fine!
Gun extremist: Do you believe that all of these guns one of your distant cousins? Like the little bugs in the “Men in Black”? Remember the movie? “Big bad bug has a soft spot!”
BIOOYA
My Benchmade knife is now at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico A CQC7,.I paid hard earned American money 30 years ago for what I thought was going to be a heirloom to my family. Carried it over 3 continents and it served me well. No fault of the tool ,but I put her to rest. FUCK YOU Benchmade! Back to a Emmerson, the original .
These guys are knife people–NOT gun people. Like the owner of CRKT–heavy-duty anti-hunting anti gun guy. It is just what it is–but we sure do not have to support them either.
Their donations to democrats was all i needed to hear.
Benchmade will disappear as a brand name and a new company owning its patents and copyrights will appear. Hopefully,
they will have issued golden parachute to any execs who supports antigun politicians, not cooperate with anti gun cops, and this new, more strongly pro 2A company will succeed and not get seduced or extorted by anti-gun forces.
This particular company has reinvented itself before, and hopefully will do so again, this time more loyal to its customer base.
Never buy another Benchmade knife again. All it takes is an angle grinder to destroy a gun and Benchmade could have said no but I guess their liberal politics got in the way.
Never owned a Benchmade Knife, and don’t plan to. Sticking with my Ka-bars, thanks.
Benchmade must be boycotted until they are put out of business. I do not want to hear any more nonsense about a so-called legal reason to destroy or confiscate guns.
Benshmade is done.
Please do not use the term “Democratic Candidates”. They are certainly Democrats, but in no way are they Democratic. Thank you.
Benchmade!! I’ve bought my last knife from you.
Your response? Elizabeth Watren night say you speak with forked tongue. Talk is cheap. $$ to any Democrat is treasonous. Support and defend the Constitution?
I won’t buy another Benchmade product. I’m unsubscring from your emails. Nice knowing you.
Absurd, overblown bullshit. The explanation by the police is complete and entirely within the practice of agencies across the country – when they are ordered by the court or requested by a citizen, they destroy firearms. That’s all that matters. We don’t have to like it, nor do the cops. A “higher authority” made the decision – go beat down the judge’s door. As for Benchmade in this particular instance, so what if they helped the police? People seem to expect them to say, “Hell no, officer, I don’t believe in cutting up guns. It’s UNAMERICAN!” But instead, they decided… Read more »
Cops are doing what they do (enforcing whatever law stupid or not it is the law–probably liberal democrat crap) –but the knife company that makes fighters, and of all things hunting knives (that need guns and hunters), etc Benchmark certainly do not need to help by cutting up guns–unless they really need the contracted money to do so due to lost sales–and if that is the case, wait until this gets through the gun and hunting industry.
So, when do you actually stand up for the 2nd amendment, after the “practice of agencies across the country” takes your guns away as well? What this is all about is not supporting red flag laws. If you think they’re good and it’s okay, China probably needs some more organ donors if you’re okay with Communism. I don’t think you really understand the gravity of the red flag law situation. All agencies do not support red flag laws across the country. I can tell you for a fact that Sheriff’s all across Washington state are rebelling against red flag laws.… Read more »
A statement from Benchmade might or should read: We at Benchmade at one time supplied fine knives to the American and free international sportsman. We now are proud to say we are the sole supplier of the world’s most expensive letter openers used exclusively by the Democratic Party of the United States. You can find our letter openers on any Democratic statesman’s desk. Talk about crapping where you eat…….
After reviewing and digesting this information, I have concluded two things. Benchmade made a grievous error in judgement, and I will never purchase any other product representing their trademark. Oh, a third thing, as I will discuss this with any and all people I encounter and reiterate my stance on Benchmade as yet another sellout on our 2A rights.
Who benefits from an outright ban on firearms? Knife companies, looking to supply those law abiding citizens who can no longer legally do so with firearms, a tool to use in the defense of their and their families safety. Why wouldn’t a knife company support anti 2A agendas when it eventually leads to them selling more product? This is short sighted thinking on Benchmades part, however, because one need only look to the UK for what happens after gun bans and violent crime with knives begins going through the roof… what comes next? Knife bans! This whole thing is ridiculous… Read more »
You are correct about what gets banned next after guns with the UK being a perfect example. The globalists want you to be a victim and taking every thing away from you that you could use to defend yourself and allow the invaders to attain any weapon they want is what they do.
Obviously, there’s a Democrat at the top of the company as they only are thinking short term.
CRKT and Zero Tolerance makes some nice knives using USA steel and manufacturing, though some of CRKT knives are made with Chinese steel. You need to look at the type of steel in the knife description. Also another good clue is if it’s cheap, it’s likely made with Chinese steel. Like most quality, you need to spend a bit more for it. I refuse to buy knives made in China or made with Chinese steel. At a gun show last year, I commented to a knife vendor, after looking at his knives, that I wasn’t buying because all his knives… Read more »
I had never heard of benchmade products before. I try not to buy things made in commie China so I wouldn’t give them a thought if I ever looked at one. They sure got a lot of publicity here though, just like the Hollywierd gang does. Negative publicity runs people off rather than bringing them closer. They made their bed, now they have to lay in it, or they could change their name and sell some other Chinese junk.
my Zero Tolerance is twice as beautiful as it was before I read this article. Hopefully the Bernie-ites &AOC’s adoring sheeple like $250.00 knives as they’ll be the ones doing business with Bit*hmade Knives. Unfreakinbelievably stupid move in the 2A climate we are in right now. Remember “ Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who don’t”
If those guns had serial numbers that could be traced back to a legal owner, they should not be destroyed, they should be returned to the owner. That being said, if they are serialised guns and are legal guns to be owned, they should be sold to the public. I can only think of a very few excuses to destroy guns. If they are unsafe to be used maybe. I myself recovered a firearm that had been stolen some 15 years earlier, long story short, when I picked it up from the sheriff’s impound, it was painted gold. The guy… Read more »
Plenty of other companies to do business with besides Benchmade, I will never buy another item produced by Benchmade as long as I draw breath!!
Can anyone say Zero Tolerance??
If there were such a thing beyond negative tolerance this would be it!!
Seriously considering destroying my Benchmade knives and sending them back to them in pieces!
Use your local knife shops “special equipment” and send pix to Benchmade.
They only support Democrats, as per last 2 elections. What’s that business model for when the Dems bring London type knife bans here? Just wondering how stupid are the officers of that company .Never owned any of their crappy knives, all the more reason not to now.
Since when are side grinders specialty equipment? I buy Buck or Kershaw anyway but Benchmade is now no longer even an option. What is wrong with the people on both coasts??
Hummm, a knife company that imports Chinese foreign made knives to begin with now destroys our firearms–just sounds really wrong! I think I will stick with my only all American made White River Knives forever!
Civilians are government employees not in the military. LEOs, Feds, and DMV clerks are all civilians. People who have to be productive and produce a profit for their livelihoods are CITIZENS. All those civilians live off the sweat of the citizen’s brow.
bitch-made: goodbye & good riddance. God help the patriots still living in ore-gone.
Whoever, at Benchmade, made this decision should be fired…right along with their Marketing VP for not having sense enough to know you don’t alienate your customers! This was a very stupid move on their part, demonstrating little understanding of their marketplace and who their customers are. This is what happens when you mix politics with business. They deserve what they’re about to get!
it is a very sad day for our country for sure… i see line upon line of white crosses in our national cemeteries most of them from fighting socialism in from or another… now we have a political party in our own nation that openly endorses socialism,a political party that would love to see us disarmed and incapable of resisting …so weather it be a police force, our own military…( God forbid..and yes i used that bad word GOD ) or some international body such as the U.N. so as to avoid conflict between the american people and our own… Read more »
What a crying shame Benchmade has some of he finest knives around, I have many but it will be a long time till I buy another unless the clarify their position.
I will never spend money with benchmade, supporters of dem/antifa scum
I have Benchmade and will be selling them. The nice thing about this is that there are, literally, thousands of manufacturers waiting to take their place. We can do the little guys a huge favor by searching them out and spending our hard earned $$$ with them.
The capitalists will sell us the rope that we hang them with. Benchmade will sell us the services to destroy the tools of freedom with.
Benchmade Knives claims to support the second amendment, and at the same time supports democrat politicians with donations. BS