An interview with Ruger's president: translating the legacy; A tenacious pro-gun fighter, Steve Sanetti is committed to the future of Ruger

Shooting Industry, Oct, 2005 by Russ Thurman

Steve Sanetti is a self-proclaimed gun nut who until becoming president of the company in 2003, was known as "Ruger's lawyer." Yet, he is more that a gun owner with a law degree. He has a deep passion for firearms, the industry and Sturm, Ruger & Co.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

SI: You've mentioned you woke up one day and were the president of Sturm, Ruger.

Sanetti: That's literally the way it happened. I'm still stunned by the whole thing. For a firearms enthusiast, a kid from Queens, to end up working for Bill Ruger and then becoming president of the finest American firearms manufacturer is still a dream come true. We have a lot of good people working at Ruger, who love firearms, love shooting and love Sturm, Ruger & Co. They are willing to work with me to move the company forward. They know I'm a gun nut and I'm in awe of their abilities. I learn something new every day. But I love learning, I love firearms and I love the firearms industry. It really is a dream come true.

SI: How did you get started in shooting?

Sanetti: I was born in Queens, N.Y. in 1949, and we moved to Hicksville, Long Island in 1955. One of my earliest memories of Hicksville involves my Dad and I shooting at crows in the backyard with my Hamilton .22. I am sure such activity would get us arrested today. At age 12, I acquired my first Daisy BB gun. This was during the early '60s, when the military surplus boom was in full swing. My dad and I embarked on acquiring as many inexpensive bolt-action military surplus rifles as we could, learning what could generously be called "amateur gunsmithing."

I received a RCBS Junior press on my 16th birthday and I got my first deer with a 165-grain .30-06 reload I had made and fired through a sporterized '03-A3 Springfield, for which I made the stock from a Fajen Blank. That was a very proud moment.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In 1967, I began college at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) where I must have shot reasonably well at our preliminary rifle instruction with the M-1 as I was asked to join the VMI junior varsity rifle team. In December of that year, I purchased my first Ruger pistol, a Standard Model .22. Its price had just increased from $37.50 to $41.50 and I was delighted to own it. I was a three-year varsity rifle letter winner at VMI and in my senior year, I became president of the VMI Rifle and Pistol Club. During summer training prior to commissioning in the U.S. Army, I received the Top Tiger Award for a high score with the M60 machine gun. As a reward, I got to carry it for six more weeks!

When I entered active duty with the U.S. Army, I was promoted to captain and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division where I qualified as an expert with the M16 and M1911.

SI: How did you become "Ruger's Lawyer"?

Sanetti: After leaving the Army, I went to work for a law firm in Bridgeport, Conn., because it had Ruger as a client. In 1980, I assisted in a significant product liability trial, which Ruger won. That led to Bill Ruger offering me a job as the company's first in-house attorney. When he hired me, he said, "You could be president of this company someday," a remark I thought was simply a standard enticement to get young persons to join the company.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

SI: What do you consider are your greatest accomplishments at Sturm, Ruger?

Sanetti: During my first 24 years, before becoming president of the company. I think my greatest accomplishments were in the firearm safety and litigation areas. I was able to use my gun knowledge to effectively defend the company and I also worked with Bill Ruger and our engineers to initiate a great number of firearms safety programs. None of our Ruger products manufactured during the last 32 years has ever been found to be "defective," "unreasonably dangerous" or lacking any appropriate safety devices, instructions or warnings by any court or jury anywhere in the nation.

During my years as the company's lawyer, it seemed at times my main job was to help lower Bill Ruger's blood pressure by spending long hours "talking guns." I firmly believe that's why he kept me around, since his distaste for lawyers was legendary.

Since I became president, and as a recovering attorney, I think my greatest accomplishment to date has been building our staff. Transitioning from Bill Ruger Sr. as the hub of the wheel and the rest of us as spokes to an actual functioning staff has been very rewarding. It's fostering a cooperative atmosphere where we all work together to meet the challenges and expectations laid down by Bill Ruger Sr.

SI: Last year, the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence presented you its Shooting Industry Award in recognition of your years of fighting anti-gun forces That's quite an accomplishment.

Sanetti: I'm, obviously, very honored. Whether it's fighting meritless product liability suits, the abuse of the court system by gun-control groups suing manufacturers or big-city lawsuits, this has been a team effort. The award really goes to all of us. We've won a lot of victories.