Smith & Wesson to Acquire Crimson Trace
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a leading manufacturer of firearms and a provider of quality accessory products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Crimson Trace Corporation (Crimson Trace), the industry leader in laser sighting systems and tactical lighting for firearms, for $95.0 million, subject to certain adjustments, utilizing cash on hand.
Crimson Trace has long been a key supplier of laser sighting systems for Smith & Wesson. For more than two decades, Crimson Trace has provided consumers, military units, and law enforcement officers around the globe with the world’s largest selection of award-winning laser sight and tactical light products. Crimson Trace offers more than 225 products and is widely recognized as the world’s leading brand of laser sights for firearms. Its award-winning innovations include the Lasergrips®, Laserguard®, and Rail Master® platforms. The company’s product line also includes the Defender Series®, Lightguard®, and its new LiNQ™ wireless activation system. Based in Wilsonville, Oregon, Crimson Trace operates from a 50,000 square foot , leased facility where it engineers and manufactures its products.
Crimson Trace was founded 22 years ago and has organically generated a ten year compound annual revenue growth rate in excess of 10%. The company maintains a product development team that has an established track record of launching high-quality, innovative laser sighting products. As a result, its products maintain a premium position with hundreds of independent retailers as well as large sporting goods retailers, including Cabela’s, MidwayUSA, Nation’s Best Sports, and internet retailer Optics Planet, Inc. Continue reading
Anti-Gun “Celebrity” Blames NRA for Criminal Killing LEOs with Their Own Guns
The tragic war on police continued today after an incident in Michigan in which a criminal being led to jail stole a firearm from a deputy and used it to kill two law enforcement officers and wound a third.
Then, like clockwork, the war on guns continued as a former child star took to social media with a profanity-laced tirade. Not tirades against criminal behavior. Not tirades against killing police. Tirades against the NRA. It is disturbing to think that someone could have such a sick, depraved mind that they could not only make such an absurd leap, but do so while someone’s family member has just been viciously murdered.
It is apparently the National Rifle Association’s fault that this bad guy broke the law, got arrested, was going to jail, and – on his way there – stole a gun from a deputy and executed a deadly attack on law enforcement officers. Aside from biased media and the rabidly anti-gun politicians telling them that it is so, it is unclear how someone could come to the conclusion that the NRA is some big, bad boogeyman who can posses evil people to carry out evil acts. As the “I am the NRA…” bumper stickers indicate, the NRA – or, the “gun lobby,” as the MSM is fond of calling Second Amendment supporters – is made up of its members. You, me, your hunting and shooting buddies. So, by extension, Wil’s vulgar rant is against… you. This is your fault.
Shame on you! Continue reading
Facebook Nixes Florida GOP Candidate’s AR-15 Giveaway
A Republican running for Congress in the southern U.S. state of Florida set out to host a contest to give away an AR-15 rifle to someone who lives in his district, but Facebook has since shut it down.
Greg Evers, who is running for the open seat in Florida’s 1st district in the state’s western panhandle, announced the contest Sunday, a week after a gunman in Orlando, Florida killed 49 people. The mass shooting brought calls for increased controls on who can buy a gun, but sensible Americans, like Evers, have said terror attacks show the need to preserve a person’s right to obtain the weapons for defense.
“With terrorism incidents on the rise, both at home and abroad, protecting our constitutional rights has never been more important,” he said. “With all that’s happening in the world today, I’ve never felt stronger about the importance of the second amendment in protecting our homeland than I do now.”
Evers tried offering contest entries to people who liked his Facebook page and share one of his posts and plans to pick a winner for the AR-15 rifle on July 4. However, less than two days into the contest, Facebook pulled the posts and Evers posted the following update: Continue reading
House Democrats Launch Sit-in to Demand Gun Reform
Michael Bowman, VOA
Contributors: Katherine Gypson, VOA; GunLink Staff
For a second consecutive week, Democrats in the U.S. Congress commandeered a chamber to demand action on Gun Control.
House Democrats took to the floor en masse Wednesday, led by John Lewis (D-GA), and pledged to remain there in a “sit-in” until legislation is brought forward to stem carnage from firearms.
“Over the last 12 years, gun-related crimes claimed more American lives than AIDS, war and illegal drug overdoses combined,” Lewis said in a letter to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan announcing the protest. “We urge you to lead the House into action and work with both sides of the aisle to pass common sense solutions to keep American children and families safe.”
Republicans initially responded with gavel-banging and demands for order on the floor. When Democrats refused to disperse, Republicans recessed the chamber and turned off the microphones. Although lights continued to shine, proceedings ceased to be televised, because video is fed from the chamber only when it is in session.
Democrats responded by launching their own broadcasts, using the mobile application Periscope on their cell phones. A non-profit U.S. cable outfit that covers congressional proceedings (C-Span) began broadcasting the Periscope feeds. Continue reading
ATF Releases U.S. Firearm Trace Data for 2015
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) released today firearm trace data for all individual U.S. states and territories for calendar year 2015. Trace information provides investigative leads to law enforcement and can link a suspect to a firearm in a criminal investigation. Firearm traces also help identify potential firearm traffickers, and detect in-state, interstate and international firearm trafficking patterns, including the sources and types of crime guns.
ATF’s Violent Crime Analysis Branch produces this annual report using trace information compiled at ATF’s National Tracing Center (NTC), the nation’s only crime gun tracing facility. The NTC provides critical information that assists domestic and international law enforcement agencies to solve firearm crimes, detect firearm trafficking patterns, and identify trends with respect to intrastate, interstate and international movement of crime guns.
In 2015, there were 190,538 firearms recovered and traced back to a purchaser in the United States, an increase of more than 20,000 firearms recovered and traced in the previous year. The majority of the traces involved 9 mm (more than 55,000) and .22 caliber (more than 35,000) firearms. The top three types of firearms traced last year were pistols (more than 150,000 traces), revolvers (more than 44,000 traces) and rifles (more than 41,000 traces).
The released firearm trace data offers a description of firearms recovered and traced in each state along with the source states of the firearms recovered.
In addition to the number of recovered and traced firearms per state, the report includes recovery location information, the average time it took from when a firearm was purchased to when it was recovered in a crime, and the criminal offense associated with the firearm.
To access the complete 2015 firearms trace report, visit ATF’s online statistics page at https://www.atf.gov/about/firearms-trace-data-2015.
ATF Publishes Open Letter Law Enforcement on 41F Policies
The BATFE recently published an open letter to Chief Law Enforcement Officers (CLEOs) regarding the January 41F ruling (fmr 41P) which makes changes to the way in which NFA applications are handled for legal entities and individuals.
In part, the letter specifies “that a copy of all applications to make or transfer a firearm, and the responsible person questionnaire, if applicable, be forwarded to the [CLEO] of the locality in which the applicant, transferee or responsible person is located (“CLEO notification”)” and that the ruling “eliminates the requirement that an applicant obtain a certification signed by the CLEO before the transfer or making of an NFA firearm may be approved.“
The letter goes on to explain that there is no action required by the CLEO upon receipt (or lack thereof) of the paperwork – to include even confirming receipt of the documents. Further, the letter says that it is up to each CLEO to determine how they dispose of or retain (and whether or not they do either).
Of immediate concern are several potential issues regarding this lackadaisical hands-off approach to record keeping and privacy mandates. One concern would be with how an applicant would prove that they met the new CLEO notification requirement if there is no acknowledgment of receipt by the CLEO, and what future repercussions might be. Application denials? Revocation of approved applications with forced surrender of the firearms? The ATF has already proven that they are not above such tactics in the recent Form 1 Machine Gun debacles, which are still in litigation. Or worse?
The second concern would be how the CLEOs are protecting applicants sensitive information that is contained in the notification paperwork. As the $200 cost associated with making or transferring NFA firearms ($5 for transferring AOWs) is not a fee or a price for goods or services sold but, rather, the tax paid for making or transferring the item, the application could well be considered a tax document. This document details the what firearms are being made or transferred, at which physical address, and – for many applicants – their home address, photograph, fingerprints, signature, and other sensitive information. This information could potentially be problematic if it fell into the wrong hands, which is not outside the realm of possibilities when the CLEO is able to simply toss your notification paperwork into the trash bin for dumpster divers to find or leave it laying around on a desk at the PD for petty crooks to have a look at as they are brought through.
As if identity theft wasn’t enough of an issue, without any mandated safeguards on how this information is to be protected, consider the possibility of a motivated criminal coming to Joe Gunguy’s house at 123 Anystreet Lane to steal the expensive 7.5″ Noveske 5.56 AR-15 pattern rifle to use on the streets. If this firearm is so much more dangerous than an off-the-shelf firearm that it requires owners to to register them and pay an extra $200 tax on them and notify the government when we travel with them, does it make sense for the CLEOs to treat the information about those weapons so recklessly? Or is this just another spotlight on the absurdity of the NFA in general?
The full text of the letter is here. Further discussion of the open letter to CLEOs is available on Joshua Prince’s law blog.
