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April 6th, 2012
 When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the NY state budget into law last week, this had the effect of immediately eliminating the Combined Ballistics Identification System (CoBIS), New York’s ineffective ballistic identification database. (Importantly, the New York budget bill did NOT contain a microstamping provision.) The end of CoBIS is a major victory for law-abiding firearms owners throughout the state of New York. CoBIS was set up and launched in 2000 by then Gov. George Pataki. In the words of the New York Post: “Trouble is, the Pataki program NEVER worked. Despite the hundreds of thousands of spent shells submitted, not one criminal was ever captured using the extensive and costly-to-maintain database, state officials concede.”
July 5th, 2011
Proposed gun laws based on flawed technology were recently defeated in New York and California. In New York, A1157, a micro-stamping bill, was effectively halted in the New York State Senate. Meanwhile, across the country in California, the California Assembly Public Safety Committee voted down SB 978, a bill that would have required all air rifles to be brightly colored.
Micro-Stamping Blocked in New York Again
In New York, A1157, which earlier this year passed the General Assembly, failed to be voted on in the New York State Senate. This marks the fourth straight year that microstamping has been defeated in the Empire State. The proposed legislation would have required micro-stamping of handguns. This technology has not yet been perfected and it can easily be defeated by criminals. Requiring microstamping of all new handguns would force manufacturers to invest in very expensive machinery (or go out of business). Increased manufacturing costs would be passed on to the firearms consumer. To learn more about microstamping, read the NSSF Microstamping Fact Sheet.
Law Restricting Airguns Defeated in California
Last week, the California Assembly Public Safety Committee defeated SB 798, a bill that would have mandated that all airsoft and airguns (included Olympic-grade pneumatic air rifles) be brightly colored. In theory, this would help police officers distinguish airguns from actual firearms. In fact, because anyone can spray paint a firearm a bright color, this law would have jeopardized the safety of the public and especially police officers. AB 798 was defeated in large part because of opposition from law enforcement groups who understood the risk of criminals painting real firearms to disguise the weapons’ lethality. AB 798 is one more example of “feel good” legislation that would do more harm than good.
March 24th, 2011
 The Freedom Group, Inc. (FG) announced that Bushmaster Firearms Int’l production has been moved to the Freedom Group’s Ilion, New York facility, where Remington rifles (and other FG family brand firearms) are crafted. Bushmaster guns were previously built in Bushmaster’s Windham, Maine factory which is slated to close its doors at the end of this month, with a loss of 73 jobs. Freedom Group expects to create 40-50 new positions at the Ilion, New York facility as a result of the relocation.
The Freedom Group is one of the largest firearms manufacturers in the world. Among its product brands are: Remington, Bushmaster, DPMS/Panther Arms, Marlin, H&R, Parker, EOTAC, Mountain Khakis, AAC, and Dakota. A Freedom Group press release states: “The Bushmaster brand and products remain key strategic assets within the Freedom Group portfolio. The manufacturing relocation will have no impact on customers or the existing supply base”. John Trull, the Freedom Group’s Firearms Marketing VP, added: “We are committed to the Bushmaster brand, its core product offerings and bringing innovative new Bushmaster firearms to our customers.”
June 25th, 2010
 With the high cost of manufactured ammunition, the reloading market continues to grow, and Redding Reloading is growing with it. With the goal of doubling its production capacity, Redding has invested over $1,000,000 in the past two years in new equipment. Just this month, Redding added two more American-made CNC machines. These latest machines complete Phase One of Redding’s strategic growth plan.
Redding Expands Its New York Production Facility
At a time when some historic firearms factories (such as the Marlin plant in North Haven, CT) are shutting their doors, Redding is buying land and putting up new buildings. As Phase Two of Redding’s growth plan, the company is acquiring adjacent real property to expand Redding’s manufacturing facility. The planned physical plant expansion begins in late summer, 2010. This will add an additional 40% of dedicated production and warehousing space to the company’s current facility in Upstate New York. For more information, contact Redding Reloading Equipment, 1089 Starr Road, Cortland, NY 13045, or visit Redding-Reloading.com.
 CLICK HERE to download 2010 Redding Reloading Catalog PDF
June 15th, 2010
The NSSF warns that New York legislators may soon pass Senate Bill 6005A requiring microstamping on firearms. A vote on S. 6005A in the New York State Senate could happen “at any time”. According to the NSSF, New York City politicians, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, are trying to bully state Senators into voting for microstamping legislation. This is despite the fact that California cannot implement its microstamping law because no reliable, non-proprietary technology exists. We reported in January that California’s microstamping program, slated to take effect New Year’s Day (2010), is “Dead on Arrival” because the technology remains encumbered by patents. Read More About California Microstamping.
What Can Happen if NY Mandates Microstamping
In New York, anti-gun legislators are trying to force taxpayers to spend millions on expensive new high-tech scanning electron microscopes and patented bar code reading equipment in support of microstamping. Microstamping is a patented, sole-sourced technology that independent studies, including those from the National Academy of Sciences and the University of California at Davis, proved to be flawed and easily defeated by criminals in mere seconds.
The NSSF Cautions: “If Senate Bill 6005A passes in New York, firearms manufacturers would be forced to abandon the New York market rather than spend the astronomical sums of money necessary to completely reconfigure their manufacturing and assembly processes. In addition, this bill could result in hundreds of layoffs for New York workers as firearm factories consider moving out of the state. With Mayor Bloomberg and his cronies ratcheting up the pressure on key Senators, it is imperative that sportsmen, hunters and gun-owners [contact] their state Senator and urge him or her to oppose Senate Bill 6005A.”
Learn more about microstamping by viewing the NSSF Microstamping Fact Sheet.
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