A Red Ryder Christmas:
We bear glad tidings for the Ralphie Parkers of America on this, the official opening day of the Christmas shopping season: Santa may yet come through with that genuine Red Ryder BB gun. Even if it will come covered in warning labels instead of wrapping paper.That's Clinton butt girl, Ann Brown.
Two years ago we reported in this space how the grinches at the Consumer Product Safety Commission had taken aim against the Daisy Manufacturing Co. That's the company that makes the Red Ryder BB gun that Ralphie so desperately pines for in the cherished holiday film classic "A Christmas Story." Apparently the commission's departing chairman, Ann Brown, wanted to go out with a bang. The CPSC suit seeking the mandatory recall of 7.5 million Daisy air guns came just two days before her resignation.
Christmas is the time for miracles, however, and the good news is that the commission has just reversed itself in a 2-1 vote for a settlement that drops the recall demand. Commissioner Mary Sheila Gall, who was the sole dissenting vote against the initial filing, declared that in 30 years of government service, she had "never seen a more outrageous miscarriage of justice and abuse of the processes of public policy" than the CPSC action against Daisy. This time she was joined by the new chairman, Hal Stratton, who voted to settle after reviewing the evidence and concluding that the CPSC might not prevail on the merits.More on Daisy's penance by following the link including:
Finally, Daisy must affix more and bigger warning labels stating that the gun must--wait for it!--always be treated as if it were loaded.Ya think?
In fact, our suggestion is that Daisy include a video of "A Christmas Story" in each of its BB gun boxes. Not only would it be more fun than a warning label, it would undoubtedly be a lot more effective.Indeed.
