No Cause for Shame Bushmaster Firearms workers take pride in their firm despite news of sniper weapon’s origin

The maker of the semiautomatic rifle allegedly used in the sniper attacks advertises its products as “the best by a long shot.” Bushmaster Firearms of Windham has grown from a tiny upstart that was in bankruptcy 24 years ago to the nation’s largest producer of the civilian version of the M-16. The company anticipates sales of $36 million this year.

“We’re known for quality and accuracy,” said Allen Faraday, vice president of administration and human resources for the company, which expects to manufacture 50,000 high-powered rifles this year.

The company’s 80 employees continued production Friday, a day after learning that an XM-15 they had made was linked to John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, in the sniper shootings around Washington, D.C.

Owner Richard Dyke, who holds his tie in place with a Bushmaster rifle pin, told workers they had nothing to be ashamed of. The gun could have been produced by any number of manufacturers, he said.

“We hope they keep their chin up and their head up,” Faraday added Friday. “We don’t want them to feel they’ve done anything wrong.”

The XM-15 is a semiautomatic rifle that costs $900 to $950. It is sold through distributors, not directly to the public.

Sales soared before the Clinton administration ban on assault rifles was adopted in 1994. But Dyke said more important factors behind the company’s growing sales have been contracts for government agencies, as well as sales of guns to other countries.

Bushmaster rifles are used by the Navy Seals and Army Green Berets, as well as the Secret Service, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Border Patrol and Drug Enforcement Agency, and countless smaller law enforcement agencies. The company also sells its rifles in 38 countries.

Law enforcement officials have the option of buying fully automatic rifles. Civilians can buy a single-shot version. Both weapons use .223-caliber bullets, the type used in the sniper attacks.

Bushmaster got its start selling a scaled-down rifle that was small enough to fit in a military pilot’s cockpit.

When Dyke bought the company in 1978, bringing it out of bankruptcy, the company began to focus on rifle parts. Eventually, it began focusing more and more on building the rifles themselves.

“It’s better built. It doesn’t malfunction. It’s built of such good quality that it has a long life. When a law enforcement officer’s life is on the line, it’s not going to let them down,” he said.

Dyke, a political veteran who has expressed strong pro-gun views, served as George W. Bush’s finance chairman for about two months. He resigned abruptly in 1999, saying he didn’t want “anti-gun people making an issue out of it.”

His company was one of several makers of assault weapons that were sued by a Los Angeles police officer wounded during a high-profile gun battle with bank robbers armed with such assault rifles in North Hollywood. One of the guns was a Bushmaster that was modified to become a fully automatic rifle.

The company, along with others, was sued again after a Bushmaster was seized from the vehicle used by a white supremacist accused of killing a mail carrier and rampaging through a Jewish community center.

On Friday, the company was again under attack, this time by the Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence, which expressed concerns that Bushmaster is not participating in a national ballistic fingerprinting program.

Dyke said experts disagree over the effectiveness of ballistic fingerprinting, which looks at the unique marks left on slugs and spent casings after a weapon is fired. The problem is that the marks left on the bullets could change after the gun has been fired many times, he said.

He suggested such evidence could be inadmissible in court. “If it can’t be used in a court of law, what good is it?” said Dyke. “It’s more political rhetoric from gun control activists whose mission in life is to remove all weapons.”

Proponents disagree, and say it’s an important tool for law enforcement authorities. “It’s time that Bushmaster and other gun manufacturers around the country step forward to do the right thing,” said William Harwood, president of Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence.

Dyke said he doesn’t see much common ground for gun control activists or those who support the right to own guns. Both have their positions, and both will defend them.

“We’re very proud of our company. We think we do a lot of good in the world. The ones who hate us, hate us. The ones who love us, love us. And that probably won’t change because of this,” he said.