Firearms Maker Remington Arms Will Replace Triggers on Millions of Popular Gun Models

Firearms Maker Remington Arms Will Replace Triggers on Millions of Popular Gun Models
Remington Arms will replace triggers on millions of guns as a result of a settlement agreement reached last week in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo.

An Associated Press story on OregonLive.com said the nation’s oldest firearms maker will replace X-Mark Pro triggers on Model 700 and Model Seven rifles developed from May 1, 2006, to April 9, 2014. AP said XMP triggers on other models will also be changed.

Two class-action lawsuits said the rifles had faulty trigger mechanisms that could result in injury or death, according to AP’s report.

Click here to read the full story.

Remington issued a correction last week of CNBC’s reporting, saying the news source “erroneously reported that Remington Arms was recalling 7.85 million rifles.” Remington maintains the settlements are “not recalls … or any admission that the products are defective or unsafe.”

“This economic settlement provides an avenue for consumers, who have certain Remington rifles, to voluntarily have a new trigger installed,” the company said in a statement. “As noted by the Plaintiffs, the benefits provided by the settlement will not be in place until after court approval.”

Remington is in the process of opening a new $110 million gun plant in Jetplex Industrial Park in Huntsville. The facility will eventually employ about 2,000 workers.

By: Lucy Berry, AL.com

Court Could Decide if Missouri Must Allow Felons to Carry Guns

Court Could Decide if Missouri Must Allow Felons to Carry Guns
Lawyers for a convicted drug dealer will argue before the Missouri Supreme Court that a new state constitutional amendment means he can’t be prosecuted for carrying a gun, KMBC reports.

Marcus Merritt was charged in January 2013 with drug possession and for being a felon in possession of a revolver, rifle and shotgun. His attorneys tried to get the gun charges dropped, arguing that the law in effect when Merritt first was convicted only prohibited those convicted of “dangerous” felonies. They’ve also argued that a constitutional amendment passed in August requires strict scrutiny of any limits on gun ownership.

State Rep. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia and sponsor of the constitutional amendment, has filed a motion with the Supreme Court stating that the amendment was not meant to be construed that widely. Backers of the amendment say it was put forward to enhance gun rights.

By: Kansas City Business Journal

BB Guns Would Be Hot Pink under Police-Shooting Bill

BB Guns Would Be Hot Pink under Police-Shooting Bill
Toy guns in Ohio would have to be brightly colored under a bill intended to address police-shooting deaths.

Officers in Beavercreek and Cleveland this year shot and killed two Ohio African-Americans who were holding BB guns: in August, John Crawford III of Fairfield and, last month, Tamir Rice, of Cleveland.

State Rep. Alicia Reece, D-Bond Hill, on Monday introduced what she calls “John Crawford’s Law” with support from 13 Democrats. The bill would make it illegal for Ohioans to sell or openly expose a BB gun, air rifle or airsoft gun unless it featured bright colors. Areas that would be off-limits for openly carrying a BB gun include streets, sidewalks, front yards, parks, driveways, cars and schools.

“This legislation is necessary to make sure that a tragedy like the one that took my son John Crawford III’s life never happens again,” said a statement from John Crawford Jr., father of the man killed by police when he was holding a pellet gun he took off a shelf in a Beavercreek Wal-Mart.

None of the General Assembly’s majority Republicans have signed on to the measure, and it’s not likely to pass before the legislature’s session ends on New Year’s Eve.

Some elected officials have sought to take action following Ohio’s second such shooting this year, when 12-year-old Tamir was shot two seconds after a cruiser responded to a report that he was waving a real gun.

Gov. John Kasich joined Reece and other African-American Democrats Friday inlaunching a statewide task force to reform relations between police and communities, especially people of color. Attorney General Mike DeWine said he would instruct the Ohio Peace Officers Training Commission to make recommendations for changes in officers’ training.

State Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, also joined Kasich in launching the task force. Turner, whose son is a police officer, on Monday proposed using surplus money from the state budget to increase continuing education for police officers.

By: Chrissie Thompson, Cincinnati.com

Glock vs. Smith & Wesson: A Shootout for the Pentagon’s New Pistol Contract

Glock vs. Smith & Wesson: A Shootout for the Pentagon’s New Pistol Contract
For gun manufacturers, no customer rivals the Pentagon for prestige and revenue potential. That’s why, after years of anticipation, firearm makers are mobilizing for the U.S. Army’s imminent competition to replace the Beretta M9 pistol, the American soldier’s standard sidearm since 1985.

The procurement process for several hundred thousand new pistols formally begins in January and is expected to last about two years. Based on more than 15 years of reporting on the gun business, I’d identify the early favorites as a much-improved Smith & Wesson (SWHC), which enjoys a made-in-the-USA marketing edge, and the formidable Glock of Austria.

For a second opinion, I asked longtime industry consultant and former National Rifle Association organizer Richard Feldman for some snap handicapping. “Beretta starts with a 30-year history of supplying the Army, and that counts for something,” said Feldman, now the president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association, an advocacy group based in Rindge, N.H. “S&W, which lost a lot of police and civilian business to Glock in the 1980s and 1990s, has transformed itself into a modern firearm manufacturing enterprise with much better quality than in the past. Glock, barely in existence the last time this contract was up, is undeniably a powerful contender.”

“Oddly,” Feldman continued, “Colt, despite its iconic role in American firearm history, isn’t even a contender.” That won’t come as news to readers of Bloomberg Businessweek. We’ve charted the demise of West Hartford (Conn.)-based Colt under the control of latter-day private equity owners.

Pentagon officials have been talking for years about shelving the semiautomatic M9, made by an American unit of the Italian-owned Beretta. Daryl Easlick, a project officer with the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga., told the website Military.com in July that the Pentagon would replace its entire inventory of 9mm Berettas for something more accurate, lethal, and reliable: “It’s a total system replacement—new gun, new ammo, new holster, everything.”

Handguns are secondary weapons for rank-and-file infantry soldiers armed with rifles. Pistols are carried by certain officers, tank crew members, truck drivers, special operations troops, and others on the battlefield.

For years, front-line war fighters have complained that the M9′s 9mm round lacks sufficient stopping power. “The 9mm doesn’t score high with soldier feedback,” Easlick told Military.com. The Army and its sister services—the Marines, Air Force, and Navy—want a sidearm and ammunition round that will cause more damage, he said. “We have to do better than our current 9mm.”

In a sense, the military appears poised to go back to the future. The Beretta 9mm replaced a Colt .45 caliber model that had served as the Army standard for generations. The .45 round is larger and therefore deadlier than the 9mm. In the 1980s, however, the Pentagon decided to follow the lead of NATO allies that preferred lighter, less expensive 9mm ammunition.

Underscoring its determination to return the military pistol contract to American hands, S&W recently announced a joint venture with defense-contracting heavyweight General Dynamics (GD). Their handgun candidate will be based on a model called the M&P (for military and police). “This partnership combines General Dynamics’ proven legacy in manufacturing military armaments with Smith & Wesson’s extensive experience in designing and manufacturing firearms for commercial applications,” Tim McAuliffe, a General Dynamics vice president, said in a Nov. 24 statement.

Glock revolutionized the handgun marketplace beginning in the mid-1980s, when as an infant company it introduced the first modern large-capacity pistol made primarily from industrial-strength plastic, known as polymer. S&W and other manufacturers spent years trying to catch up to the innovative Austrian manufacturer founded by Gaston Glock in a garage workshop next to his suburban Vienna home.

Over the years, Glock has won the business of two-thirds of municipal and state police departments in the U.S., as well as federal agencies such as the FBI and DEA. A number of military special-ops units that choose their own small arms outside of the main Army procurement channels use the Glock, as well. The Austrian gun is known for its ease of use and reliability under adverse conditions.

An oddball factor could impede Glock, however. Its 85-year-old billionaire founder and owner is locked in a fierce legal wrestling match against his ex-wife, Helga, who helped him get the company aloft. She claims he cheated her out of her rightful share of the manufacturing empire, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in cash.

In a civil racketeering suit filed in federal court in Atlanta in October, Helga Glock accused her former spouse of theft, money laundering, and sundry other financial illegalities. Gaston Glock has denied wrongdoing and accused his ex-wife of disingenuously escalating their Austrian divorce hostilities to extract more money from him.

The merits of Helga Glock’s suit will likely take a while to get sorted out. In the meantime, though, the Pentagon might hesitate to engage with a foreign corporation alleged to have used shell companies to transfer firearm profits away from the U.S. and toward low-tax jurisdictions in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe.

By: Paul M. Barrett, Businessweek

Endangered Species List of Handguns

Endangered Species List of Handguns-January

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but here’s another list of guns expiring in January. For more DOJ Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale click the link below.

Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale

Sturm, Ruger & Co.	KLCR-357 (Black) 05450 / Stainless Steel; Polymer	Revolver	1.88″	.357 Magnum	1/2/2015
Taurus	941 (Black) 2-941021 / Steel	Revolver	2.03″	.22 Mag	1/3/2015
Sig Sauer, Inc. (Sauer, J.P. & Sons, Sig	P226 X5 Comp. (Stainless) / Stainless Steel	Pistol	5″	9mm	1/5/2015
Armscor Precision	Taylor’s Tactical M1911-A1-FS (Black) Std. Grip / Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/5/2015
Kahr Arms	PM4043N / Stainless Steel, Polymer	Pistol	3″	.40 S&W	1/5/2015
Sig Sauer, Inc. (Sauer, J.P. & Sons, Sig	P220R DAK (Blued) / Stainless Steel, Alloy	Pistol	4.4″	.45 ACP	1/5/2015
Glock	20C / Steel, Polymer	Pistol	4.60″	10mm	1/9/2015
Glock	17C / Steel, Polymer	Pistol	4.49″	9mm	1/9/2015
Kahr Arms	PM4043 / Stainless Steel, Polymer	Pistol	3″	.40 S&W	1/14/2015
Kahr Arms	CW9093 / Stainless Steel, Polymer	Pistol	3.5″	9mm	1/14/2015
Glock	38 OD / Steel, Polymer	Pistol	4.02″	.45 GAP	1/17/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9301 / Steel, Polymer	Pistol	4.08″	9mm	1/17/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9302 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	4.08″	.40 S&W	1/17/2015
Springfield Armory	PX9804L / Alloy, Stainless Steel	Pistol	3″	.45 ACP	1/17/2015
Smith & Wesson	22A-1 Gray Frame SKU 107412 / Alloy, Stainless Steel	Pistol	5.5″	.22LR	1/18/2015
Kimber	Pro CDP II / Stainless Steel, Alum. Alloy	Pistol	4″	.45 ACP	1/18/2015
Kimber	Ultra CDP II / Stainless Steel, Alum. Alloy	Pistol	3″	.45 ACP	1/18/2015
Kimber	Compact CDP II / Stainless Steel, Alum. Alloy	Pistol	4″	.45 ACP	1/18/2015
Kimber	Custom II / Blue Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/18/2015
Kimber	Stainless Gold Match II / Stainless Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/18/2015
Kimber	Stainless II / Stainless Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/18/2015
Kimber	Gold Match II / Blue Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/18/2015
Entreprise Arms	Elite P500 / 4140 Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 Auto	1/23/2015
Entreprise Arms	Medalist P500 / 4140 Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 Auto	1/23/2015
Entreprise Arms	Tactical P500 / 4140 Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 Auto	1/23/2015
Browning	Buck Mark Camper Stnls UFX, Adj. Sgt 051483490 / Stainless Steel; Alloy	Pistol	5.5″	.22 LR	1/23/2015
Browning	Buck Mark Camper UFX, Adj. Sights 051482490 / Steel, Alloy	Pistol	5.5″	.22 LR	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9612 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	4″	.45 ACP	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9647 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	4″	.45 ACP	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9221 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	4.08	9mm	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9222 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	4.08″	.40 S&W	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9121 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	4.08″	9mm	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9122 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	4.08″	.40 S&W	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9131 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	5.01″	9mm	1/23/2015
Springfield Armory	XD9622 / Polymer, Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/23/2015
North American Arms	NAA-22LR / Stainless Steel	Revolver	1.125″	.22 LR	1/24/2015
North American Arms	NAA-22MS / Stainless Steel	Revolver	1.125″	.22 Magnum	1/24/2015
Glock	G-37 / Steel, Polymer	Pistol	4.49″	.45 GAP	1/27/2015
Glock	22 – FBI 100 Yr. Commemorative (Blk) / Steel, Polymer	Pistol	4.49″	.40 S&W	1/29/2015
Kimber	Custom CDP II / Stainless Steel, Alloy	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/29/2015
Sig Sauer, Inc. (Sauer, J.P. & Sons, Sig	P239 (Blued) / Stainless Steel, Alloy	Pistol	3.6″	.40 S&W	1/29/2015
Phoenix Arms	HP22A (Nickel) / Alloy	Pistol	5″	.22 LR	1/31/2015
Phoenix Arms	HP22A (Nickel) / Alloy	Pistol	3″	.22 LR	1/31/2015
Phoenix Arms	HP25A (Blue) / Steel, Zinc	Pistol	3″	.25 ACP	1/31/2015
Phoenix Arms	HP25A (Nickel) / Steel, Zinc	Pistol	3″	.25 ACP	1/31/2015
Para USA (Para Ordnance)	CWX79R / Steel, Alloy	Pistol	3″	9mm	1/31/2015
Para USA (Para Ordnance)	CWX79RL / Steel, Alloy	Pistol	3″	9mm	1/31/2015
Para USA (Para Ordnance)	CWX79RN / Steel, Alloy	Pistol	3″	9mm	1/31/2015
CZ USA (Ceska Zbrojovka Fox)	CZ 75 SP-01 01152 / Steel, Poly	Pistol	4.7″	9mm	1/31/2015
CZ USA (Ceska Zbrojovka Fox)	CZ 75 TS / Steel, Alloy, Poly Trigger	Pistol	5.215″	.40 S&W	1/31/2015
CZ USA (Ceska Zbrojovka Fox)	CZ 75 TS / Steel, Alloy, Poly Trigger	Pistol	5.215″	9mm	1/31/2015
Dan Wesson	Commander Classic Bobtail / Stainless Steel	Pistol	4.3″	.45 ACP	1/31/2015
Dan Wesson	PM7 (Stainless) / Stainless Steel	Pistol	5″	.45 ACP	1/31/2015
Beretta	PX4 Storm Type G / Steel, Polymer	Pistol	4″	.40 S&W	1/31/2015
Beretta	96G-SD / Stainless Steel, Steel, Alloy	Pistol	5″	.40 S&W	1/31/2015

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