Industry Notes

WILSONVILLE, OR -- Crimson Trace Corp. has secured an order to supply the Alameda County Sheriff Office with 1,200 Lasergrips for their Sig Sauer duty weapons. Deputy sheriffs from Alameda County will use the Lasergrip-equipped Sig Sauer side-arm as their primary duty weapon.

The upper assembly of the Fabrique Nationale Herstal SA (FN) FNC rifle is classified as the receiver of the firearm for purposes of the Gun Control Act, 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, and the National Firearms Act, 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation is passing its very successful Scholastic Clay Target Program to a newly formed foundation. With SCTP now of a size and scope beyond the NSSF's mission parameters, responsibility for its continuation and development is being entrusted to the newly formed Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF).

FORT SMITH, AR — Umarex USA has broken ground on a new 100,000+ square foot facility in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Umarex USA is part of Umarex Corporate Group, a diversified German-owned holding company whose holdings include Walther GmBH. Umarex plans to include a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing operation for its newly created U.S. entity, Walther Industries, Inc. in the new building.

The Michael Bloomberg-funded Mayors Against Illegal Guns announced it has sent a six-question survey to both John McCain and Barack Obama that focuses on the foolish and misguided steps the group says should be made to the existing NICS background check system. The coalition sent a similar survey to the major-party candidates during the primaries, but didn't get a response. Now that the field has tightened to two, the “mayors” hope they'll have better luck.

The 2008 Democratic Party’s draft platform confirms that the party still “doesn’t get it” about Second Amendment gun rights versus the Utopian fantasy that gun control laws will somehow make neighborhoods safer, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has said.

Brownells recently released Catalog #61 contains 576 pages filled with more than 36,000 total products, over 1100 of them are new.

Shooters who are looking to buy one of the better out-of-production guns should search Gunbroker.com for the Heckler & Koch P7 PSP 9mm. On Monday Aug. 4, there were 16 listings for the gun, with prices ranging from $0 on a brand-new auction (with reserve) to $1600 for a 'buy now' price on Auction # 106162335, due to expire today @ 10:23 p.m.

When Gun-Tests.com tested the Beretta AL391 Urika 20 Gauge in the magazine’s June 2008, the retail price was listed as a stiff $1350. But GunBroker.com auctions have the guns selling used for $400 below that. For instance, Auction # 106087392 had a “like new” 20 ga/28 in. for $830.

Remington Arms Company, Inc. announced that it has recently been awarded a $12 million contract from the US Army-TACOM (Tank-Automotive and Armament Command), for the purchase of M24 Sniper Weapon Systems (SWS) for use by the US and its allies.

2008 marks the 20th anniversary that the M24 SWS and its variants has been the 'standard' issue sniper rifle for the US Army and US Air Force.

Based on the Model 700 bolt action platform, like the USMC M40, the M24 SWS is considered the 'standard' by which other sniper weapon systems are judged.

It provides extreme accuracy out to 800 meters and can engage targets well beyond that distance, as well as low maintenance starting at approximately 10,000 rds. at the operator level.

Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit have scored some major victories recently. The following results are some of their accomplishments...

For the sixth consecutive year, The NRA Foundation has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities. Rated for efficiency and effectiveness, four stars is Charity Navigator's highest rating. In the past 15 years, the foundation has funded more than 11,000 grants totaling more than $72 million dollars, becoming America's leading charitable organization in support of competitive shooting, range development, education and training, and the second amendment. …