The news headline reads like a sad country song. The Nashville-based guitar maker has made news, but for a much different reason than you might suspect.
On August 24, federal agents stormed Gibson Guitar’s facilities in both Nashville and Memphis, seizing guitars, computers, and records. Manufacturing ceased for the day, as all employees were sent home while agents executed their search warrants. The reason for the raid: allegations that Gibson was using illegally-harvested hardwoods from Madagascar used to create fretboards for its guitars.
Pat Nolan criticizes the SWAT team raid on Gibson Guitar as an “outrageous use of the raw power of the state.” In an article published by National Review Online (NRO) Nolan warns that, “Once the government focuses its power against a business, the ‘target’ faces an all out onslaught on its very existence.”
Nolan sees this raid as part of a growing trend toward overcriminalization of American life. Nolan is a leader in Right on Crime, a group of leaders working to reform criminal justice.