Industry Notes

Lynch Hummer, a $7.5 million Hummer facility in an upscale St. Louis suburb, has announced the opening of the world's first combined Hummer and firearms dealership.

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- The Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) have formed a strategic alliance to litigate the principles of the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (MFFA), passed by the 2009 Montana Legislature and signed into law by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Winchester Ammunition was recently awarded a contract by the Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security to supply a maximum of 200 million, 40 cal. rounds over the next five years.

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- The Second Amendment Foundation today accused MSNBC of using deceptively-edited video from a Phoenix anti-tax rally on Monday to invent a racial stereotype in its ongoing effort to demonize and marginalize American firearms owners as 'racists.'

McLEAN, Va. -- Shooters who purchase an FNP 9 or FNP 40 handgun with a flat dark earth (FDE) finish between Sept 1 and Nov 30, 2009, can receive a specially designed FN Shooter’s Pack with a Blade-Tech FDE molded polymer belt holster and a double magazine pouch.

In Arizona and several other states, it happens to be legal for people to purchase and carry these types of weapons without a permit. Gun-rights advocates say they are exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest; others who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

There’s a new breed of action rifle in Cowtown. Instead of the diehard lever gun of old, many Cowboy Action shooters looking to shave the last seconds off their time will soon be using a pump rifle. In the quest for speed in that game, top shooters are posting winning scores with the old Colt Lightning design, or clones thereof. Because top shooters use them, that means everybody wants one, whether or not they work better than the ol’ lever action mainstay.The all-blue AWA Lightning is available in a variety of calibers including .32-20, .38-40, .38 Spl., .44-40, or .45 LC. If you want it with an octagonal barrel in either the test rifle’s 20-inch length or with a 24-inch barrel, the price is $890. Russ Simpson, president of AWA, informed us that there were many options available for original Colt Lightnings, so the crescent butt plate here, and the buckhorn rear sight on the Beretta carbine, might have been found on originals. No originals, however, have been found or documented with color-case hardened receivers.

Remington has been notified by its supplier of 17 HMR ammunition that 17 HMR ammunition is not suitable for use in semi-automatic firearms. The use of this ammunition in a semi-automatic firearm could result in property damage or serious personal injury.

ACCOKEEK, Md. -- Benelli's latest consumer offering--the MR 1 rifle--uses the ARGO (Auto-Regulating-Gas-Operated) system developed for the M1014 rifle used by the United States Marine Corps.

MADISON, NC – Remington’s Premier Copper Solid Rifle, Premier Copper Solid Sabot Slugs and Premier Disintegrator Varmint lines of ammunition have been approved by the California Department of Fish and Game for use in the hunting zones within the range of the California condor, pursuant to its July 2008 law prohibiting ammunition containing lead in those areas.

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation has launched a new grant program to strengthen existing target shooting programs and help form new collegiate club and varsity teams in shotgun, rifle and pistol.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation reports that according to the most recent Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Collection Report released last week by the Department of the Treasury, firearm and ammunition manufacturers paid more than $109.8 million in the first calendar quarter of 2009; up 43% over the same time period reported in 2008.