Rifles made in the Q-C help protect Olympics

A Milan gun manufacturer is gleaming with its own American pride after learning that its rifles are being used to protect the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Royal Air Force soldiers assigned to guard the Olympics are armed with LMT L129A1 Sharpshooter rifles made by Lewis Machine & Tool Co. The guns are known for their high accuracy over long ranges.

According to Karl Lewis, the company’s founder and president, the weaponry was identified in a story in the Daily Express newspaper. “Some of our colleagues over there saw it in the paper in Great Britain and sent it to us,” he said.

Lewis said the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense has been a customer of Lewis Machine since 2009. His company has delivered more than 1,500 rifles produced at facility in the Milan Industrial Park over the past three years.

“But we usually don’t know the specifics of how the weapons would be used,” he said.

The Ministry of Defense had contacted Lewis Machine before the Olympics and said it “had a requirement for security and protection and gave us another order for more,” he said.

As it turns out, Lewis added, “part of those are being used to protect the Olympics and the athletes.”

Lewis launched the company in 1980 as a one-person operation after learning the trade at Springfield Armory in Geneseo, Ill. Today, Lewis Machine employs about 135 people and runs a 24/7 operation.

Since the company’s beginning, it has provided elite weaponry to U.S. military, law enforcement and government agencies. The company makes three basic platforms of rifles as well as other weapons, including grenade launchers, tear gas and flare gas.

Monica Sipp, the company’s sales and marketing director, said Lewis Machine employees are proud of their history of assisting the nation’s soldiers and law enforcement officials. “We are equally proud that our products are being used to protect the Olympics, an event which fosters global unity,’’ she said.

The gun manufacturer expanded into the international market six to seven years ago, Lewis said. In fact, he added that the company received “good news” this week that it is being awarded a contract by the Danish government.

While Lewis said the hope is that no one has to use their guns, “it makes you feel a little spring in your step knowing what you’re doing helps protect the Olympic community. We’re very proud of what we do, whether it is for the Olympics or some of the other countries we support.”

Sipp agreed, adding “It seems unthinkable that anyone might want to disrupt the Olympic Games but unfortunately, the threat of terrorism is ever present in today’s world.”

According to Lewis, the company philosophy is simple — “Failure is not an option.”

“Police officers, soldiers and other brave defenders who use our products need to know that their weapons will not fail them,”  he said.