Remington is closing its Ilion, New York firearms factory after 208 years of operation — more than two centuries. Over 300 jobs have been lost with operations moved to Georgia. Get the full story from this Fox News video. Ilion’s Mayor, John Stephens, is interviewed. He notes that the factory closure will have a huge negative impact on the city’s tax base and budget and the “nostalgic and historic loss is a bigger burden to bear”. City, county, and state officials are now “actively working on a re-use for the facility”.
Founded in 1816, Remington Firearms remains one of the United States’ largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles. Several of the company’s strategic products will be manufactured in Georgia. The new headquarters will also become home to an innovative research and development center.
Remington Has a Storied History
Founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in New York, Remington is the oldest continuously-operating gun manufacturer in the United States. Prior to the re-organization, Remington sold more sporting rifles and shotguns than any other American company. Remington has developed more cartridges than any other U.S. company. And for decades Remington was the only American company that sells firearms AND ammunition under its own name. Now Remington ammo is produced in Arkansas, as a separate business. Remington’s ammunition business was acquired by Vista Outdoor, parent of CCI, Federal, RCBS and other major shooting/outdoor industry brands.
Share the post "Remington Closes Ilion, New York Factory after 200+ Years"
The current Coronavirus Pandemic may be the most significant event to impact the United States since World War II. The majority of Americans are now “sheltering at home” under State Executive Orders. Across the nation, schools, shops, restaurants, and countless businesses are closed. The virus continues to spread at an exponential rate in the USA, which now has more confirmed Covid-19 cases than any other country on the planet. Yes, according to official statistics, we have more persons infected than does China, where this scourge originated. (However, there is considerable evidence that China may be deliberately under-reporting COVID-19 infections and deaths).
For obvious reasons, this Pandemic has Americans concerned about their safety and their security. As a result, citizens across the country are purchasing firearms. There are lines outside the doors of some gunshops. The rush to buy guns has led to a historic spike in NICS firearms background checks.
Record Number of FBI Background Checks for Gun Sales
According to MSN News, “With most of the nation in isolation to halt the spread of coronavirus, officials are seeing a spike in gun sales….the FBI has seen a 41% increase in background checks compared to this time last year.” According to the FBI, 3.7 million background check were run by the FBI in March.
Click Image to Go to MSN to Watch Video (then Click Speaker icon for audio).
And Fox News confirms that we are seeing a huge spike in gun sales and background checks: “The FBI ran more than 3.7 million gun background checks on Americans under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in March, smashing the previous record as Americans armed themselves amid growing fears about the coronavirus pandemic. The NICS system ran 3,740,688 background checks in March, which is 33 percent higher than the previous record of more than 2.8 million, which was set in February. The February numbers were a 34 percent uptick from the same time in 2019. March’s background check numbers marked a 41 percent increase over March 2019.”
About the Numbers — There is NOT a 1:1 correspondence between NICS checks and gun purchases, because not all background checks involve an actual purchases. For example, some States run NICS checks for carry permit applications. It is estimated that at least 2.3 million March 2020 background checks were for firearms transactions.
Share the post "Gun Sales Soar — Record Number of FBI Background Checks"
This report from theU.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA)
As anxiety has grown around the COVID-19 pandemic in recent days, news reports from across the country have detailed how more and more Americans are embracing their right to self-defense and choosing to be their families’ ultimate protectors. Ammo.com reports, for example, that revenue from sales on its website increased 309 percent from February 23 through March 15, compared to a month before. Here are some recent media reports, tracking gun-buying trends:
The New York Times
Daniel Hill had never bought a gun before. But last week he was in Larry Hyatt’s gun store in North Carolina picking out two of them: a 9mm Taurus handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. His motivation: the coronavirus.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
At gun shops, cash registers rang more like Christmas Eve than St. Patrick’s Day as firearms and ammunition sales soared through the roof Tuesday. Shop owners and managers cited customers’ concerns about home defense related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Arizona Republic
People in the U.S. are preparing for total anarchy amidst the growing COVID-19 concerns. Fear and panic are driving the gun-buying frenzy. Whatever the reason, gun sales are up everywhere — but particularly in states like California, New York and Washington that have been hit hardest by coronavirus, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The Denver Post
Some shops are selling twice as many firearms as on Black Friday while Colorado residents grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic, disruptions to daily life and an uncertain future.
USCCA President Says New Gun Purchasers Should Get Training
The USCCA recommends that ALL new gun buyers receive training on the proper use of firearms, including essential safety procedures. USCCA President and Founder Tim Schmidt was recently a guest on Fox News with Tucker Carlson. Schmidt declared that: “Now more than ever, people understand they need to be their families’ first line of defense.”
Schmidt noted that gun ownership and self-defense demands responsibility. He encouraged all Americans — particularly first-time gun owners — to educate and train themselves: “So many — 90% — of these people buying guns have never owned guns before. They’ve probably never even touched a gun”. Schmidt said that proper training is vital for these new gun-owners: “I personally think that firearms ownership is a natural-born right of free people. But with that right comes a tremendous responsibility, and that responsibility is to be trained. [If you] just bought a gun for self-defense, get training.”
Share the post "Americans Seek Firearms for Protection in Challenging Times"
There are tough times ahead for Remington. Fox News reports that: “Privately-held Remington Outdoor is now at risk of declaring bankruptcy after a collapse in sales and profits. Saddled with debt, the historic gun manufacturer is short on avenues for escape.” (LINK). Fox News adds:
“The rifle and shotgun manufacturer’s third-quarter sales plunged 41% as demand for firearms dried up. That led Remington to report adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization that were 78% lower year over year. Over the first nine months of 2017, the company has produced a $60.5 million net loss, compared to a $19.1 million gain in the prior-year period.
And with its credit rating in the trash bin, the future is bleak for ‘America’s oldest gunmaker’. Today, debt on the company’s books has ballooned to almost $1 billion[.]”
Financial analysts report that Remington’s earnings decline will further harm the company’s already poor corporate credit rating. That means Remington must pay even higher interest rates to borrow money, further bleeding cash and decreasing profitability. This, in turn, accelerates the momentum towards filing bankruptcy. Fox explains: “With the firearms and ammunition manufacturer burning through cash as a result of falling sales, S&P expects it will undertake a restructuring within the next year.”
Other large American gun industry companies have seen their stock value drop dramatically this year. Vista Outdoor (Savage, RCBS, CCI etc.) is down 62% since December 9, 2016, while American Outdoor Brands (Smith & Wesson) has dropped 36%.
Remington Has a Storied History
Founded in 1816, Remington is the oldest continuously-operating gun manufacturer in the United States, and remains one of the USA’s oldest commercial enterprises. Even with its present difficulties, Remington still sells more sporting rifles and shotguns than any other American company. Remington has developed more cartridges than any other U.S. company. And it is the only American company that sells firearms AND ammunition under its own name.
The Remington enterprise was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. In 2016 Remington celebrated 200 years of history. American Rifleman TV explored the history of Remington Arms Company in a TV special which focuses on many of the company’s most noted firearms. Here is a preview:
Share the post "Remington May Face Bankruptcy Reports Fox News"
Well the lady did it… Taya Kyle (Chris Kyle’s widow), triumphed over Bruce Piatt, reigning NRA World Shooting Champion (see below). Using Tracking Point “Intelligent” firearms, Taya won the much-publicized American Sniper Shootout, hitting every one of the 29 targets (Piatt hit only 58% of his targets). In the process, Taya earned $500,000 for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. Here’s a Fox News Video covering the event, which was held Saturday, December 5, 2015 in Mason, Texas.
This unique competition pitted a novice shooter armed with Tracking Point’s rifle systems against a World Champion-level shooter in a head-to-head competition. There were 29 targets total, with a variety of shooting scenarios and distances.
Taya Kyle Earned $500,000 for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation.
To the surprise of many in attendance, Taya Kyle, the widow of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, soundly beat the reigning WSC champion. She hit every one of her targets, while Bruce missed more than 40%. Taya used Tracking Point’s precision-guided M600 and M800 firearms, while Bruce competed with M4A1, M110, and M2010 basic military rifles. Bruce certainly was motivated. Had he won the Shootout, he would have received a $1,000,000 prize. But, in the end, it wasn’t even close. Taya hit all the targets, while Bruce hit less than two-thirds.
The competition involved an unusual course of fire. Outdoor Hub’s Daniel Xu reports: “The American Sniper Shootout was unlike most other competitions. The environment was built to imitate the layout of Sadr City [Iraq], where Chris Kyle made his famous 2,100-yard shot on an enemy insurgent. The competition itself reflected war-like conditions instead of traditional shooting competitions and both shooters were tasked with making difficult shots. The most difficult part of the shootout was when Kyle and her opponent had to make blind shots from cover, simulating a scenario in which soldiers had to shoot while under enemy fire.”
While the Tracking Point “precision guidance” system helped Taya aim and break the shot precisely, the Tracking Point system does not call the wind. The “operator” must still make a wind call, input wind speed and direction, and then the Tracking Point system, using internal ballistics tables, will adjust the aiming point accordingly in the scope’s viewfinder/reticle. Apparently the system works well enough to enable Taya to prevail over a very experienced shooter.
Bruce Piatt, 2015 WSC Champion
Bruce Piatt won the 2015 NRA World Shooting Championship (WSC). The WSC is a multi-discipline event involving pistols, rifles, and shotguns with targets out to 1K and beyond. Bruce competed against many top shooters including previous WSC winner SFC Daniel Horner of the USAMU.
Over his shooting career, Piatt has also won World and National titles in USPSA/IPSC, Steel Challenge, Bianchi Cup, Sportsman’s Team Challenge, Masters Pistol Championship, and the SOF Tactical 3-Gun disciplines.
Share the post "Taya Kyle Wins American Sniper Shootout"
The NFL has refused to run a self-protection-themed TV commercial from Daniel Defense during the 2014 Super Bowl game. Apparently it’s fine to display half-naked ladies, or sell alcohol products on national television, but anything related to the Second Amendment is off-limits. In refusing to air the Daniel Defense commercial, the NFL cited its League policy against promoting firearms. According to the NSSF, “It is league regulation and not federal law that prohibits the advertising of firearms or ammunition on NFL broadcasts.”
Watch Daniel Defense Commercial Banned from the Super Bowl by the NFL
If you watch the minute-long video above, you will see that it is pretty tame. It is all about a man taking individual responsibility for protecting his family. You won’t see guns being fired, in fact you won’t see any actual guns at all*. The message is subtle — if you care about your family’s security, you may wish to exercise your Constitutional right to own a firearm. That doesn’t seem extreme at all, but NFL decision-makers decided that this commercial was too controversial, and violated its ‘no guns’ rules.
Larry Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, criticized the action of the NFL: “It would have been interesting to see if the television ad that Daniel Defense wanted to run during the 2014 Super Bowl would have caused the hubbub in elite liberal circles that the National Football League clearly feared it would. It may well have, but we’ll never know, for sure, since the NFL decided that its ‘no firearms’ on its airtime ruling would stand after the video review.
While we are disappointed that the nicely-produced Daniel Defense commercial will not run on national television during the Super Bowl, we are very pleased to see the attention being paid to the decision of a major sport’s management that seems so out of touch with the pro-Second Amendment sentiments of so many football fans across the country. Conservative commentators have been busy scoring points. Nationally-syndicated Columnist Michelle Malkin, for example, wrote ‘The National Football League’s hypocrisy and selective decency standards reek like a post-game locker room’.” Here is a Fox News commentary about the NFL’s refusal to air the Daniel Defense commercial:
* The video does show the Daniel Defense logo with the silhouette of a rifle. Daniel Defense agreed to remove that rifle graphic, but the NFL still said “no”. As a Fox commentator explains: “This is really not about guns at all but [rather] the idea of guns, and how distasteful they are… to people in the media.”
Share the post "NFL Refuses to Run Daniel Defense Super Bowl TV Commercial"
SGT Sherri Gallagher, winner of the 2010 NRA High Power Rifle Championship at Camp Perry, was recently named the U.S. Army’s Soldier of the Year (SOY). SGT Gallagher, who comes from a family of champion shooters, is the first female to win the SOY Award. The Soldier of the Year competition is an intense 12-month event evaluating simulated battle operations, urban orienteering, first aid, marksmanship, and other soldiering skills. In October, 2010, Sherri beat a talented field of other soldiers at the final stage of the SOY Competition — the ‘Best Warrior’ event held at Fort Lee, Virginia.
Last week, Sherri appeared on the Fox News show Fox and Friends to discuss her Soldier of the Year accomplishment as well as her background in competitive shooting. SGT. Gallagher began shooting at the age of five, as part of America’s leading family of rifle shooters. Sherri’s older sister Michelle Gallagher, mother Nancy Tompkins, and step-father Mid Tompkins have all won major championships. Only two women have ever won the National High Power Championship. The first was Nancy Tompkins, and the second was her daughter, Sherri.
SGT. Gallagher Deploys to Afghanistan Soon
Sherri is getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan where she will help train Afghanistan National Army soldiers in marksmanship. As part of a U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) training group, SGT Gallagher will pass on some of the rifle skills that have made her a champion. As she heads off to the Afghan war zone, we wish her (and all U.S. Service personnel) a safe and successful deployment.
Bruce Piatt, 2015 WSC Champion
The NFL has refused to run a self-protection-themed TV commercial from Daniel Defense during the 2014 Super Bowl game. Apparently it’s fine to display half-naked ladies, or sell alcohol products on national television, but anything related to the Second Amendment is off-limits. In refusing to air the Daniel Defense commercial, the NFL cited its League policy against promoting firearms. According to the NSSF, “It is league regulation and not federal law that prohibits the advertising of firearms or ammunition on NFL broadcasts.”
Last week, Sherri appeared on the 
