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New Gun Policy Targets Law Enforcement Agencies


A gun company makes a major policy change that the Austin Police Association said is disappointing and unsafe. LaRue Tactical announced it will limit all gun sales to what citizens are allowed to buy. That means if lawmakers pass tougher gun laws on residents, LaRue will also apply those rules to police and sheriff departments.

LaRue Tactical, based in Leander, is known for selling guns and rifles to residents and law enforcement agencies across the country, including police and sheriff departments right here in Central Texas.

But for the first time since the company started more than 30 years ago, it has changed its gun policy. The Austin Police Association said it's concerned.

"I know there are probably some political reasons for that, but when it comes down to it, law enforcement is not part of the political process and we just hope this is not a trend," said Wayne Vincent, President of APA.

LaRue said because of several recent anti-gun laws, it will apply all new local and state legislation to law enforcement. So, if Texas lawmakers decide to ban citizens from buying assault rifles, LaRue won't sell assault rifles to police or sheriff departments either.

"We need to have our police officers adequately equipped," Vincent said. "It's a safety issue, not just for them but for the community."

Most Austin residents we talked with on Monday said they agreed.

"I think it's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard," said Dotty Zoller. "They're not in the business to direct politics; they're in the business to sell guns."

"Police need to have more power to protect the citizens than the average citizen," said Ozzie Gonzales.

But when you look at LaRue's Facebook page, where the company decided to make the announcement, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

The recent posting has nearly 5,000 likes and thousands of comments hoping other manufactures follow suit, to send politicians a message.

LaRue told KEYE TV it did not want to comment any further on its policy change. The Travis County Sheriff's Department told us they buy rifles from LaRue but did not want to talk with the media about the new rules.

Austin police would not comment where they buy their guns and Williamson County told us it does not buy firearms from LaRue.

By Katherine Stolp