In the Heller decision (2008), the U.S. Supreme Court reiterated that the Second Amendment protects the ownership of firearms that are in “common use.” This critically acknowledges that firearms and related products evolve as companies use new technologies, materials and ideas to invent. The Second Amendment, after all, didn’t just protect 18th century firearm technology; it allowed the marketplace to do important research and development and for the citizenry and their local, state and federal government to benefit. The fact that the cutting edge of firearms technology can shoot off in directions old laws never foresaw is inevitable—so, it seems, is the predilection of gun-control types to try to ban anything new.
This brings us to this video interview with the founder and CEO of Sellmark, James Sellers. Like many firearms-related companies, Sellmark’s brands make their reputations with innovation that gun owners want (or, perhaps, didn’t know they wanted until they saw it).
“We started in 2000, so this is our 25th anniversary, but it really wasn’t until 2007, when we launched Sightmark, that we started developing and designing optics. In those early years we felt like—this should resonate with those who understand this freedom—that all the major companies were overly focused on traditional bolt-action hunting rifles,” says Sellers. “The AR-15 wasn’t really getting the attention it deserved yet. I directed the company’s efforts at making the AR-15 as accessible, functional and accurate as possible.
“So, we set out to create the best optics and we really found there is a great opportunity to make red-dot sites that perform at extremely high levels. We had several big innovations, such as advanced optical systems without parallax, and we worked on internal mechanisms to make the adjustments hold better for recoil.
“We now have about 150 patents. I would say that our success really comes from a marketing-discipline background, focusing on what the market needs, telling good brand stories and, of course, creating the best possible products.”
For more, watch this video with founder and CEO of Sellmark, James Sellers.
