One month ago TFB reported that CZ were in negotiations to acquire Colt, a story that has now developed with an official statement. CZG (Česká zbrojovka Group SE) and Colt Holding Company LLC have signed an agreement which means that CZG will acquire 100% of Colt, including the Colt Canada Corporation. In total, the combined group will have revenues in excess of $500 million per year, and CZ’s production capacity in the United States and Canada will get a significant reinforcement. 

Hot off the presses – It appears that Arizona based Ammo Inc is in non-binding talks to acquire the online firearms auction site GunBroker. The preliminary information surrounding the buy can be found below, but the final details and a finalization date are still to be determined. We’ll keep you updated as additional news is released.

Canadian media outlets have reported that a member of Canada’s elite Joint Task Force 2 was wounded in the leg when his pistol allegedly misfired. The accident occurred last November when the operator was training with a newly purchased SIG Sauer P320. The variant of the Canadian P320 procured is unknown.

At 6AM this morning a team of FBI agents were executing a court-ordered Federal search warrant in Miami, Florida when a shooting took place which left two agents dead and three others wounded. The suspect was killed during the shootout.

The beleaguered gun rights organization, The National Rifle Association, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to restructure in the state of Texas. Over the past few years, the NRA has come under fire for alleged financial mismanagement and the target of lawsuits and other civil actions. In August, the New York Attorney General announced intentions to dissolve the NRA under a fraud and abuse investigation. The NRA bankruptcy petition is part of a plan to reorganize outside the state of New York.

Colt, one of the oldest and most venerable names in US firearms manufacturing may be on the verge of being acquired by one of Europe’s leading brands.  Česká Zbrojovka better known as CZ are well regarded for for their classic CZ 75 pistols, their bolt actions and most recently their new assault rifle BREN series as well as the popular CZ Scorpion EVO pistol calibre carbine. The details of any possible CZ Colt acquisition are still unofficial.

In what may go down as a Christmas miracle, the ATF has rescinded the notice pertaining to weapons with stabilizing braces. The potential rulemaking would have had a massive effect on both individual owners as well as the firearms industry, redefining pistols as rifles using a new set of criteria. The withdrawal comes after tens of thousands of comments were posted to the official notice and dozens of representatives signed on to a letter to the ATF in opposition to the proposal.

Preliminary ATF documents published by the Prince Law Blog may show a move to classify firearms outfitted with pistol braces as items controlled under the National Firearms Act (NFA). If the move is formalized, it could potentially affect hundreds of thousands or even millions of gun owners in the United States, forcing them to make a choice: remove their pistol braces and destroy them, register their guns as NFA items or change the barrel length to anything over 16 inches. The revised look at the way pistol stabilizing braces are categorized is not necessarily a surprise. For years the ATF has scrutinized the configurations of certain braces, announced that a brace cannot be legal shouldered and most recently issued a cease and desist letter to Q, LLC regarding the brace on the honey badger pistol.

We have been following the development of the Bundeswehr’s ongoing efforts to procure a rifle for some time, now it has emerged that C.G. Haenel’s headquarters in Suhl have been visited by investigators on the orders of the Dusseldorf Regional Court. Investigators have reportedly moved to secure evidence for the patent infringement case between Haenel and Heckler & Koch.

According to documents sent to TFB from an anonymous source, the ATF investigation into the Polymer80 and the Buy Build Shoot kits appears to focus on three main elements. First, the ATF states that the Buy Build Shoot kits are firearms, not just parts. Second, because these kits are considered firearms, Polymer80 did not follow the regulations guiding the transfer of handguns from an FFL to individuals. And third, a number of the Polymer80 Buy Build Shoot kits were shipped from Polymer80 to prohibited persons. The affidavit in support of the Polymer80 warrant application to search for and seize evidence related to the investigation is detailed, in part, below.

Earlier today TFB reported on a story in the Wall Street Journal stating that the ATF had apparently conducted a search warrant at Polymer80 Inc, a company known for producing 80% firearm kits and related parts. These 80% builds, often referred to as “Ghost Guns” by media outlets, presumably because they can be built into firearms without needing to visit an FFL, have long been a topic of debate. This morning, an anonymous TFB reader provided additional information pointing to the ATF visiting end users and requesting the forfeiture of certain Polymer80 kits.

Nevada-based firearm company Polymer80 was raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE or ATF) yesterday in an apparent move against so-called “Ghost Guns”. Polymer 80 builds kits, with tools and a bit of skill, can be turned into a firearm receiver. Traditionally termed 80% receivers because they are missing a critical 20% of the features needed to be a working firearm, media outlets and others unfamiliar with guns and manufacturing technology have given these kits the name “Ghost Guns”. The headline Polymer80 Raided by ATF is not really a surprise at the end of 2020 – the incoming administration has signaled a crackdown on “Ghost Guns” as part of new policy changes

Last month we reported that SIG Sauer had been awarded a major contract to provide the US Army’s new Direct View Optic (DVO) which will be used on the current M4A1 carbine, replacing the venerable ACOG. An award notice valued at $77,168,400 was posted in September.

We were all hoping this headline wouldn’t come, but as of the morning of Friday, October 30th, it’s official. the 2021 SHOT Show is Cancelled according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, after previous indications that the event would go on with some modifications such as more exits and entrances, masks, and social distancing. Unfortunately, many in the industry suspected that the writing was on the wall for this cancellation. The massive and ever-growing list of dropped events that have plagued 2020 had already begun extending into next year. The full text of the NSSF’s announcement is posted below.

The German government has withdrawn their order for 120,000 Haenel MK556 rifles. Last month C.G. Haenel were awarded a major contract to replace the Bundeswehr’s G36 service rifle. The Haenel MK556 was selected over the Heckler & Koch HK416 and HK433. Heckler & Koch subsequently filed an appeal of the decision and today it seems the contract has been withdrawn following investigation.

SIG Sauer Electro-Optics have been awarded a major contract to provide the US Army’s new Direct View Optic (DVO) which will be used on the current M4A1 carbine, replacing the venerable ACOG . An award notice was posted on Sam.Gov at the end of last month with the value of the contract listed as $77,168,400.

Firearms Manufacturer Q LLC announced today that it was issued a Cease and Desist by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. The ATF’s letter notified Q that the Honey Badger pistol is now considered a Short barreled rifle (SBR) and ordered them to immediately cease production of the firearm unless it is registered on an ATF Form 2, declaring that they are manufacturing an NFA weapon.

The story about America’s oldest gunmaker continues. In our article published a few days ago about the Remington assets being divided Roundhill Group, LLC was mentioned as one of the successful bidders. Today it was made official that they have purchased Remington Firearms, and that the purchase includes “all long guns, shotguns, pistols, the firearms manufacturing facilities, museum and giftshop.” So the question everyone is asking themselves is who are the people behind Roundhill Group? The Press Release gives some information and, probably most importantly, their intentions with Remington seems real and genuine. Hopefully they have the knowledge and skills to take Remington into the future.

Long Live the Lever Gun! Earlier this week we covered how the Remington firearms company was being divided up amongst various bidders in massive asset liquidation. Chief of interest among those potential acquisitions was the sale of the Marlin brand to Sturm Ruger. Ruger has now had its offer accepted and the acceptance of that order comes with some good news for lovers of the Marlin brand of products.

Glock have announced that the US Coast Guard have selected and already begun to field the Glock 19 MOS as their new sidearm. The Glock will replace the venerable SIG P229DAK currently in service. The number of pistols to be procured has not been disclosed.

Long-lived firearms manufacturer Remington Arms has been divided up amidst its bankruptcy auctions which started shortly after its second bankruptcy filing earlier this year with the intent to sell assets. The Remington asset bids have recently been revealed with some surprising results with perhaps some looming consequences for some of the more popular firearms from Remington.

One week after the German Ministry of Defence confirmed that the company C.G. Haenel and their MK556 Assault Rifle had been chosen we finally have an official statement from the company.

Heckler & Koch released a statement earlier today addressing the Bundeswehr’s selection of the C.G. Haenel MK556 over HK’s HK416 and new HK433 rifles.

Following on from the surprising news of yesterday, that  C.G. Haenel MK556 rifle had won the German Army tender to replace the Heckler & Koch G36, confirmation has now been officially announced.

After almost six decades with Heckler & Koch, the German Bundeswehr appears to have selected a new supplier for its assault rifle. TFB has followed the process closely and while the decision had been delayed we knew that a decision from the was due this autumn. We also knew that regardless of the outcome of the German Army’s choice the result would be of great importance for decades to come.

This morning, August 14th, 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down California’s law against magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Those who have been following this case for some time may recall that back in March 2019 the Honorable Judge Benitez temporarily struck down California Penal Code section 32310. This is the section of California law that relates to magazine capacity limits. Specifically, it makes it illegal to have any “large-capacity magazine”.  Punishments ranged from a $100 fine per magazine up to a year in county jail. That ruling resulted in “Freedom Week”, also known as the California Airlift or the Great California Magazine Rush, before the ruling was stayed pending a hearing by the 9th Circuit.

After an 18 month investigation, the office of the Attorney General of New York has announced their intentions to dissolve the NRA based on allegations of financial fraud and abuse. The NYAG lawsuit claims that the gun rights organization and some of its leadership were involved in financial misconduct of millions of dollars. The organization has suffered criticism over the last few years after reports of alleged lavish spending of membership funds and donations. Most recently, the 2020 NRA Annual Meeting was cancelled due to pandemic concerns.

Over the past couple of years, India’s military has embarked on its most serious attempt to modernise its small arms to date. One of the key early successes in this effort was the selection and procurement of over 72,000 SIG Sauer 716i 7.62x51mm rifles in February 2019.

It appears that what many of us were predicting finally happened yesterday: GLOCK Gen4 guns are no longer being produced in favor of the Gen5 GLOCK pistols. Residents of California and other more restrictive states have nothing to fear: the Gen3 GLOCKs will continue to be manufactured to support those customers. In addition, the GLOCK Gen4 models chambered in .40S&W will begin a transition to Gen5 production later this year. A brief statement from GLOCK as well as the Gen5 differentiations can be found below.

Patriot Ordnance Factory, or POF-USA, started in Frank DeSomma’s garage in 2002. Over the last eighteen years he has grown the company to become an industry leader in piston-driven ARs and more. Tragically, on the way home from his office yesterday, June 18th, 2020, the 57-year-old entrepreneur and former aerospace engineer died in a car accident. Today, POF-USA shared the following message via their social media outlets.