Hi-Point Founder Tom Deeb Passes
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.29.16
Hi-Point Firearms announced late last week that the company’s founder and former owner, Tom Deeb, passed away on March 21 at the age of 65. According to Hi-Point, Deeb was in “semi-retirement” in Texas at the time.
“The loss that is felt by his family (several of whom work at Hi-Point Firearms), and his many friends, cannot be put into words. Tom was an extraordinarily smart and accomplished entrepreneur who built a company that still represents the fair practices and honest principles he implemented in establishing it,” Hi-Point wrote on Facebook.
Deeb founded Hi-Point in 1993, designing a line of budget-priced firearms that appealed to many who desired a gun for self defense, but could not afford more expensive firearms. Deeb himself grew up in a working class neighborhood and although he had a life-long passion for firearms, he always respected the guns that were made reliably, made well, and made affordable. Deeb referred to these firearms as the “blue collar” guns.
“I’ve had an interest in firearms since… forever. A Ruger Bearcat was one of my first handguns. I also liked High Standard pistols. They shot well—and I could afford the lower-end ones. They were working-people’s guns. That’s the market I’m looking for. I make ‘blue-collar’ guns,” Deeb told the American Rifleman in a past interview. “Ruger started out that way, making lower-priced guns that were a good product that won’t wear out. That’s hard with semi-autos. That’s why I put a lifetime warranty on mine.”
Hi-Point is well known for its lifetime warranty, which many of its fans often name as the best in the industry. No questions asked, whether its wear or tear, Hi-Point says it will repair or replace any of its firearms covered under the warranty. It is something that Deeb insisted on.
“Tom had an unwavering desire to always do the right thing, and this principle will be continued by the current Hi-Point owner Mike Strassell, who has been a business partner with Tom for 30 years,” Hi-Point stated.
Strassell was Hi-Point’s chief engineer before Deeb retired. and was the company’s primary designer. The company produces about 200,000 firearms annually today.
