Respectfully in disagreement......
My appologies.
I, too, am a NRA Life Member. I, too, also agree that chatter among friends does little, while participation in national organizations matters most. We are players on the same team.
What I am saying is that we differ in opinions of how to achieve a means to an end. We both obviously do not wish to see our rights eroded away. I feel that acceptance of the S&W integral lock tells S&W that the consumer is OK with it.
Let me ask you this hypothtical question. Would you buy S&W "smart-revolvers" if the technology WAS perfected? Where would you draw the line? Would you say that it was just a "fact of life" again? or would you DO something about it? In any event, you appear to believe that accepting the lock and buying S&W's product does not "hurt the cause" and I believe that is does.
In my experience, general marketing practice dictates that when a consumer buys a product, it sends a message to the manufacturer that the consumer is OK with the product....AKA the consumer ACCEPTS the product. The manufacturer has no incentive to change it's product. If you buy the product, but disagree with something like the "lock", the manufacturer could care less. You have still purchased their product. End of story.
The S&W lock is not there BY LAW, therefore, fighting with legislators about gun rights does little to combat that directly. I guess that is the essence of my disagreement with you. The lock issue is not a disagreement with legislation, but a disagreement with something S&W has chosen to mandate for ALL. Why hasn't S&W allowed the consumer to decide what they want by offerring BOTH models?
Sorry to be in disagreement, but this is how I feel. If manufacturer's aren't pressured enough by the consumer, then the manufacturers will CAVE EVERY TIME to "political pressure" because that's what will hurt them the most.
By buying S&W's products now Simian, I believe you are "unintentionally" sending a message that you are in complete agreement with the lock. You have given S&W ABSOLUTELY NO INCENTIVE to change.
In my OPINION ONLY, I must stand my my original statement. "....consumers accepting guns with the lock also accept one additional level of erosion to the rights of law abiding gun owners." Good intentions or not, it is erosion nonetheless, and I choose to make my stand now and hope that others feel the same as I do.
MPI