Thy Lord and Thy AK-47
His father preaches peace, and he makes guns
By Thomas Farragher, Boston Globe Staff, 03/21/99
WORCESTER - To his church, he is the sinless child of the
''True Parents,'' a scion of an apostle of peace. But his
business card could say something else: Justin Moon, gun
maker.
At the end of a gritty industrial strip here, sandwiched
between a highway and a graveyard, the son of the Rev. Sun
Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed messiah who claims to have
conversed with Jesus and Moses, is making small pistols
that pack a punch.
The Harvard-educated Kook Jin ''Justin'' Moon is the chief
executive officer of Kahr Arms, whose products are viewed
as finely crafted weapons by gun enthusiasts and as
shameful symbols of hypocrisy by critics of the Rev.
Moon's Unification Church, which preaches peace and love.
''To me it raises a serious question about the sincerity
of the church's message,'' said Tom Diaz, author of
''Making a Killing,'' a critical look at the gun
manufacturing industry. ''Is their message world peace, or
is it about the ability to make a buck?''
Justin Moon, who declined to be interviewed but gave
written responses to questions submitted by the Globe,
said his company took root from his study of military
history and his enjoyment of recreational shooting with
family and friends.
''Like most tools, weapons are neither good nor evil,''
the 28-year-old Moon wrote. ''That is determined by the
user and the purpose for which he or she uses the tool ...
My father is a clergyman, but that does not mean that my
occupation makes a statement about the church.''
Indeed, Moon and officials of the church founded by his
father insist that Kahr Arms is independent of the
Unification Church. A Virginia holding company for some
of the Rev. Moon's businesses, One Up Enterprises Inc.,
said it does not release financial information and did not
answer questions about whether it is affiliated with the
gun factory.
But corporation papers and interviews with former members
familiar with the Moon family's businesses indicate that
Kahr Arms and its corporate parent, Saeilo Inc. of
Blauvelt, N.Y., have been components of the elder Moon's
far-reaching commercial network.
''While Moon's name does not appear on any business
documents by virtue of his position as the `messiah,' he
has total operational control, especially in a business
that's run by his son,'' said Larry Zilliox, a Virginia
private investigator who specializes in the Moon
organization and was the first to link it to the gun
business. ''There's a lot of interlocking relationships.''
Justin Moon's relationship with gun-making, ex-members
said, fits into a familiar pattern of paternal indulgence
by Sun Myung Moon, who built his religious sect into an
international empire in the last 25 years. When one son
expressed interest in rock music, his father bought him a
New York recording studio, they said. When other children
showed a passion for equestrian events, the Rev. Moon
purchased a horse farm. ''Basically, he indulged his
children like a monarch,'' said Donna Collins, a longtime
church member who knew some of the Rev. Moon's children
before she left the organization in 1992. ''They're
considered to be the `true children' without sin. Whatever
they wanted, they got.''
What Justin Moon wanted, after graduating Harvard magna
cum laude in 1992 with an economics degree, was a career
in firearms. He said he designed Kahr's first pistol
prototype, holds six patents for features of its design,
and leads a company that is ''profitable and financially
stable.''
One former church member familiar with the financing for
Kahr Arms said the Rev. Moon agreed to invest $5 million
in the enterprise after a formal presentation from his son.
''Moon was very proud that his son created this gun,''
said the former church member, who spoke on condition of
anonymity. ''The argument was that it was going to be good
money. And the father bought it.'' Last month, Kahr
acquired Auto-Ordnance Corp., whose signature weapon is
the Thompson submachine gun - more commonly known as the
''Tommy gun,'' used by gangsters to mow down foes during
1920s-era shootouts. ''Our acquisition of the
Auto-Ordnance line was a business decision intended to
enhance the value of our company by enabling us to more
efficiently turn over our assets,'' said Justin Moon,
whose firm made 7,771 guns in 1997, according to the most
recent federal firearms reports.
While he is preparing to enter the machine gun business,
Moon already has made a name for himself in the gun world
by manufacturing the pocket-sized 9mm and .40-caliber
handgun. The ''pocket rockets'' are turned out here in a
noisy cinder-block factory - a low-slung place of drill
presses, cardboard cases, and green industrial drums.
Kerby Smith, handgun editor for the Los Angeles-based
Handguns Magazines, called Kahr's product a quality
firearm that is popular as a second weapon or an off-duty
gun for law enforcement officers. ''They are extremely
well-machined,'' Smith said. ''Its selling point is that
it's not a cheap gun. For someone who has a concern about
the ability to carry a concealed weapon, the Kahr serves
that purpose excellently.''
Those who study the gun industry - and the mortal effects
of its products - say Kahr's line is helping to meet a
demand for smaller and more powerful handguns.
With 30 states now allowing concealed weapons, gun makers
have begun promoting large-caliber pistols that can fit in
the palm of the hand. ''Wound for wound, they're making a
kind of gun that is more likely to do more serious damage
than a smaller Saturday night special,'' said Dr. Garen
Wintemute, a trauma surgeon and director of the Violence
Prevention Research program at the University of
California-Davis. But Moon, whose company employs about
200 people in five states, said his gun is for the good
guys.
''Our firearms are designed primarily for law enforcement
officers as a backup pistol and also for licensed citizens
seeking a gun for personal defense against those who would
criminally threaten them,'' wrote Moon, whose company's
pistols range from $400 to $1,500. ''We produce
high-quality, precision firearms that have been tested and
approved by US law enforcement agencies for use by their
officers.'' Moon said it is no more ironic for a member of
the Unification Church to run a gun factory than it would
be for a member of a synagogue or a mosque to operate a
defense company.
But critics of the church said Moon's gun business is
another incongruity for an organization that often has not
practiced what it has preached. Sun Myung Moon, the
79-year-old Korean evangelist, was convicted on federal
tax-evasion charges in 1982 and spent 12 months behind
bars.
''The gun business is just another example of this
hypocrisy,'' said Herb Rosedale, a New York lawyer who for
20 years has been active in helping people involved with
religious cults. ''There is no concept of the necessity
for consistency or accountablity.''
Chris Corcoran, director of public affairs for the
Unification Church of America, said any business founded
by the Rev. Moon - which he said does not include Kahr
Arms - has been centered around his goal for world peace.
''While some of our church members may be opposed to the
manufacturing of guns, it is not inconsistent with church
teaching,'' Corcoran said in a statement. ''Unification
doctrine teaches non-aggression while supporting the right
to defend one's self and defend others against evil. In
this sense, we hold in common with other faiths that it is
not a violation of religious principles to invest in
legitimate arms industries.''
Steve Hassan of Somerville, a former Unification Church
member who specializes in therapeutic intervention for
cult victims, said the church's efforts to distance itself
from the gun business while defending Kahr Arms are
typical of its rationalization.
''They're still very deceptive, and they still have a very
different agenda from what they tell people,'' said
Hassan. ''In this case, they now call themselves the World
Family Federation for Peace and Unification and they're
selling guns.''
Justin Moon, in his written statement to the Globe, said
he doesn't understand why his occupation should draw
unusual notice.
''I am proud of Kahr Arms, our employees, and our
product,'' he wrote. ''I am, also, proud to belong to the
Unification Church, and I do not believe there is any
contradiction between my religion and my work.''
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