Gun companies lock up billions in sales, boosted by calls for tougher laws

[Rob L 3,811]

Almost half of the guns made in America are produced by three companies: Smith & Wesson, Freedom Group and Sturm, Ruger

December 3, 2015 7:00AM ET

by Ben Piven @benpiven

With more than 300 million firearms owned by U.S. civilians and at least 100 million guns produced by U.S. manufacturers in the last 25 years, the U.S. has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. With such a large market, the U.S. gun business is extraordinarily lucrative, generating around $8 billion in annual new small arms sales.

Though Glock handguns originate in Austria, Beretta is an Italian creation, and Uzi submachine guns come from Israel, the bulk of firearms in the U.S. come from domestic factories. And almost half of the guns made in America are produced by three companies: Sturm, Ruger & Co., Smith & Wesson, and Freedom Group. Combined, they sold about 40 million firearms over a quarter-century.

Lobbying spending by gun rights groups peaked in 2013, with the NRA leading in 2014 at $3.3 million.Center for Responsive Politics

A substantial percentage of the resources for the biggest lobbying groups — including the NRA, Safari Club International, Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights — comes from gun manufacturers. The NRA, for example, receives some $10 million a year from gun companies, according to a 2013 report by the Violence Policy Center, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit.

There have been 352 mass shootings in 2015 alone, including Wednesday's in San Bernardino that killed at least 14 people, and advocates for gun control blame spending by pro-gun groups for Congress's failure to tighten laws on gun ownership. These groups spent about $12 million on lobbying in 2014, and in the 2014 federal election cycle, gun rights groups spent $3.7 million, nearly all of that on Republicans.

Despite the public outrage over gun violence since the 2012 shootings in Sandy Hook, gun companies’ business has boomed this year. Investors generally expect sales jumps when politicians call for tougher gun laws, and the stocks of the two publicly-traded gun stocks have rallied. One has nearly doubled in price in 2015, while the other is up by over 50 percent. Here is a close look at the three largest gun makers in the U.S.

Ruger .45 semi-automatic pistols seen during the 142nd annual NRA convention May 4, 2013 in Houston, Texas.Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

Sturm, Ruger & Co.

This Connecticut-based company sells pistols, revolvers and rifles under the Ruger brand, for “hunting, target shooting, collecting, self-defense, law enforcement and government agencies,” according to its website. Some of its best-known products are Mini-14 rifles and Redhawk revolvers.

In 2012, Ruger launched a campaign to sell 1 million guns and pledged to give $1 from each purchase to the NRA, an organization that represents manufacturers, as well as gun owners, retailers, activists and its 4 million members.

Ruger achieved record sales of $588 million in 2013. Sales dropped in 2014 on declining demand and competitive pricing but have rebounded in 2015.

A .38 Special Smith And Wesson gun turned in for $50 at the Jefferson Parish Gun Buy Back Program in Louisiana.Julie Dermansky / Corbis

Smith & Wesson Corp.

Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson founded this company in Connecticut in 1852, selling the Volcanic rifle initially and then revolvers in the Civil War. Now based in Springfield, Mass., the company makes the 44 Magnum revolvers used by Clint Eastwood in the “Dirty Harry” films.

Like other manufacturers, Smith & Wesson has benefited in recent years from an increase in sales to young people, women and city dwellers purchasing guns for protection and recreational target shooting. Traditional gun buyers tended to be older, white, maleand interested in weapons for hunting. The company’s sales reached a record high of $626 million in 2014, a 50 percent increase over 2010. In 2015, first-quarter profits rose significantly to $17.7 million, partially boosted by an increase in accessory sales.

Smith & Wesson’s stock price has doubled from around $9 to about $18 per share since January. The company’s lobbying spending peaked at $360,000 in 2011; it decreased to $70,000 last year.

Detective Barbara J. Mattson holds up a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, the same model used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook School shooting.Jessica Hill, File / AP

Freedom Group

As the parent company of Bushmaster, maker of the rifle used by Adam Lanza in the 2012 Newtown massacre, Freedom Group, a privately-held conglomerate, has been under intense scrutiny. Cerberus Capital Management, the New York-based private equity firm that owns Freedom Group, has faced public pressure tounload its stake in the company.

George Kollitides II, the CEO, sits on the nominating committee of the NRA. The company also owns Remington Outdoor Co., which bills itself as “America's oldest factory that still makes its original product: guns.”

Remington’s profits surged 52 percent in the first year after Newtown, as consumers rushed to buy guns, fearing stricter laws. But since then, the company has struggled. Known for shotguns and rifles, Remington has reeled from a major 2014 recall, with the company promising to replace millions of triggers on reports of false firings. Last year, revenue dropped 20 percent to $1 billion, as analysts say rifle demand is less robust than demand for handguns.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Ow yes, the Adam Lanza gun. Because everyone needs one of these in case a lion or bear enters your house.

[Ban Hammer 13,636]

Ow yes, the Adam Lanza gun. Because everyone needs one of these in case a lion or bear enters your house.

actually, that would be a very bad choice for one to make.

the .223/5.56 round is a VARMIT round....not something you'd want to use on a large dangerous creature.

[JohnR! 5,495]

[Pitaya 2,577]

Almost half of the guns made in America are produced by three companies: Smith & Wesson, Freedom Group and Sturm, Ruger

December 3, 2015 7:00AM ET

by Ben Piven @benpiven

With more than 300 million firearms owned by U.S. civilians and at least 100 million guns produced by U.S. manufacturers in the last 25 years, the U.S. has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. With such a large market, the U.S. gun business is extraordinarily lucrative, generating around $8 billion in annual new small arms sales.

Though Glock handguns originate in Austria, Beretta is an Italian creation, and Uzi submachine guns come from Israel, the bulk of firearms in the U.S. come from domestic factories. And almost half of the guns made in America are produced by three companies: Sturm, Ruger & Co., Smith & Wesson, and Freedom Group. Combined, they sold about 40 million firearms over a quarter-century.

Lobbying spending by gun rights groups peaked in 2013, with the NRA leading in 2014 at $3.3 million.Center for Responsive Politics

A substantial percentage of the resources for the biggest lobbying groups — including the NRA, Safari Club International, Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights — comes from gun manufacturers. The NRA, for example, receives some $10 million a year from gun companies, according to a 2013 report by the Violence Policy Center, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit.

There have been 352 mass shootings in 2015 alone, including Wednesday's in San Bernardino that killed at least 14 people, and advocates for gun control blame spending by pro-gun groups for Congress's failure to tighten laws on gun ownership. These groups spent about $12 million on lobbying in 2014, and in the 2014 federal election cycle, gun rights groups spent $3.7 million, nearly all of that on Republicans.

Despite the public outrage over gun violence since the 2012 shootings in Sandy Hook, gun companies’ business has boomed this year. Investors generally expect sales jumps when politicians call for tougher gun laws, and the stocks of the two publicly-traded gun stocks have rallied. One has nearly doubled in price in 2015, while the other is up by over 50 percent. Here is a close look at the three largest gun makers in the U.S.

Ruger .45 semi-automatic pistols seen during the 142nd annual NRA convention May 4, 2013 in Houston, Texas.Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

Sturm, Ruger & Co.

This Connecticut-based company sells pistols, revolvers and rifles under the Ruger brand, for “hunting, target shooting, collecting, self-defense, law enforcement and government agencies,” according to its website. Some of its best-known products are Mini-14 rifles and Redhawk revolvers.

In 2012, Ruger launched a campaign to sell 1 million guns and pledged to give $1 from each purchase to the NRA, an organization that represents manufacturers, as well as gun owners, retailers, activists and its 4 million members.

Ruger achieved record sales of $588 million in 2013. Sales dropped in 2014 on declining demand and competitive pricing but have rebounded in 2015.

A .38 Special Smith And Wesson gun turned in for $50 at the Jefferson Parish Gun Buy Back Program in Louisiana.Julie Dermansky / Corbis

Smith & Wesson Corp.

Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson founded this company in Connecticut in 1852, selling the Volcanic rifle initially and then revolvers in the Civil War. Now based in Springfield, Mass., the company makes the 44 Magnum revolvers used by Clint Eastwood in the “Dirty Harry” films.

Like other manufacturers, Smith & Wesson has benefited in recent years from an increase in sales to young people, women and city dwellers purchasing guns for protection and recreational target shooting. Traditional gun buyers tended to be older, white, maleand interested in weapons for hunting. The company’s sales reached a record high of $626 million in 2014, a 50 percent increase over 2010. In 2015, first-quarter profits rose significantly to $17.7 million, partially boosted by an increase in accessory sales.

Smith & Wesson’s stock price has doubled from around $9 to about $18 per share since January. The company’s lobbying spending peaked at $360,000 in 2011; it decreased to $70,000 last year.

Detective Barbara J. Mattson holds up a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, the same model used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook School shooting.Jessica Hill, File / AP

Freedom Group

As the parent company of Bushmaster, maker of the rifle used by Adam Lanza in the 2012 Newtown massacre, Freedom Group, a privately-held conglomerate, has been under intense scrutiny. Cerberus Capital Management, the New York-based private equity firm that owns Freedom Group, has faced public pressure tounload its stake in the company.

George Kollitides II, the CEO, sits on the nominating committee of the NRA. The company also owns Remington Outdoor Co., which bills itself as “America's oldest factory that still makes its original product: guns.”

Remington’s profits surged 52 percent in the first year after Newtown, as consumers rushed to buy guns, fearing stricter laws. But since then, the company has struggled. Known for shotguns and rifles, Remington has reeled from a major 2014 recall, with the company promising to replace millions of triggers on reports of false firings. Last year, revenue dropped 20 percent to $1 billion, as analysts say rifle demand is less robust than demand for handguns.

Sounds like the American free enterprise system at its best, at work!

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Your (second, failed) attempt using this meme.

Cigarette sales are down, as are gun homicides. Except that gun homicides are down more.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

actually, that would be a very bad choice for one to make.

the .223/5.56 round is a VARMIT round....not something you'd want to use on a large dangerous creature.

So it's more of a gun for shooting elementary school students with than big game?

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

Our idiot in Chief might just work for the gun lobby. The most clueless president that ever lived, sure sells a lot of guns

[Rob L 3,811]

Sounds like the American free enterprise system at its best, at work!

Profit at the death of others?

[lostinblue 1,989]

Profit at the death of others?

Estimate: 200,000 to 400,000 deaths per year from preventable harm in hospitals

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/781687-john-james-a-new-evidence-based-estimate-of.html#document/p1/a117333

Talk about folks profiting off the death of others. No outrage ?

.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Please stop trying to compare apples to tractors. It's not the same thing. 150,000 deaths by flu, 200,000 deaths by mistakes for health care providers, 611,000 deaths from heart disease, 585,000 deaths from cancer.... I could go on, but it wouldn't matter. People choose where to put their outrage, and lately, it's against guns and against those who aren't PC.

Does it matter to them that the health and pharmaceutical industry is stealing us blind, putting more effort into treating disease than eradicating it? No. There is very little money to be made in wiping out disease. (until it's gone, the vaccines are off the shelf, and the disease resurfaces; THEN it's big bucks).

Here's a factoid that many here will criticize me for... gun homicides account for LESS THAN ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT of all deaths in the US each year. And yet, it's the smoking gun in the media today (pun intended).

Wanna know what SHOULD be a crime? Last year, my husband was in a car wreck. Totaled the car, and he ended up in the ER for two and a half hours. Only had a cut on his leg, really, no stitches. But the following week, we got a bill from the hospital for $49,857. Yes, FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for less than three hours of care, of which about 1.75 of those hours were spent waiting. In the letter, the hospital said our insurance refused to pay, and that the full amount was due by the end of next week. I nearly flipped. Called the insurance company, and was told everything was ok, that all the bills were paid. So I asked for a summary of all payments and the date they were made. When all was said and done, the insurance company paid the hospital just under $5K for his care. Roughly 10% of what WE would have been responsible for had we not had insurance.

To me, that SHOULD be a crime against humanity.

Sorry, I know that went way off topic, but the rant was raging within. We in America are continually focusing on the wrong issues.

Estimate: 200,000 to 400,000 deaths per year from preventable harm in hospitals

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/781687-john-james-a-new-evidence-based-estimate-of.html#document/p1/a117333

Talk about folks profiting off the death of others. No outrage ?

.

[smilesammich 10,727]

Please stop trying to compare apples to tractors. It's not the same thing. 150,000 deaths by flu, 200,000 deaths by mistakes for health care providers, 611,000 deaths from heart disease, 585,000 deaths from cancer.... I could go on, but it wouldn't matter. People choose where to put their outrage, and lately, it's against guns and against those who aren't PC.

Does it matter to them that the health and pharmaceutical industry is stealing us blind, putting more effort into treating disease than eradicating it? No. There is very little money to be made in wiping out disease. (until it's gone, the vaccines are off the shelf, and the disease resurfaces; THEN it's big bucks).

Here's a factoid that many here will criticize me for... gun homicides account for LESS THAN ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT of all deaths in the US each year. And yet, it's the smoking gun in the media today (pun intended).

Wanna know what SHOULD be a crime? Last year, my husband was in a car wreck. Totaled the car, and he ended up in the ER for two and a half hours. Only had a cut on his leg, really, no stitches. But the following week, we got a bill from the hospital for $49,857. Yes, FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for less than three hours of care, of which about 1.75 of those hours were spent waiting. In the letter, the hospital said our insurance refused to pay, and that the full amount was due by the end of next week. I nearly flipped. Called the insurance company, and was told everything was ok, that all the bills were paid. So I asked for a summary of all payments and the date they were made. When all was said and done, the insurance company paid the hospital just under $5K for his care. Roughly 10% of what WE would have been responsible for had we not had insurance.

To me, that SHOULD be a crime against humanity.

Sorry, I know that went way off topic, but the rant was raging within. We in America are continually focusing on the wrong issues.

good lord. yes, the price of healthcare in this country is a major problem. so is mass incarceration. so is the sad sad state of our public education system. SO IS GUN VIOLENCE. here in the adult world, we have to balance a multitude of heavy issues.

and honestly the only people i see outraged about political correctness, are reactionaries who have no class (or concept of cultural generation gaps)

[Boiler 46,240]

actually, that would be a very bad choice for one to make.

the .223/5.56 round is a VARMIT round....not something you'd want to use on a large dangerous creature.

Might be OK for a Mountain Lion?

But I would prefer my .308. Now if we are talking Black Bears something bigger.

We came across a couple of Moose the other day, now they are scary. I have spoken to a few people who have had OMG moments.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Boiler