PA Bill Number: HB829
Title: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Description: An Act amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Last Action: Signed in House
Last Action Date: Jul 3, 2024
Another Company Caves To Anti-Gun Mob, Will Stop Gun Manufacturing :: 05/01/2018
Gun control groups, the Parkland activists and even banks have successfully put pressure on companies involved in the business of selling and manufacturing firearms. First, it was Dick’s Sporting Goods, stating it would no longer sell guns to anyone under the age of 21. Then the company started to destroy its inventory. Not too long after came Kroger and L.L. Bean. And of course, one can’t forget Fred Meyer and Walmart.
Now, another company is caving to the left-wing, anti-gun mob by halting the gun manufacturing aspect of its business. This time, rather than a sporting goods store, it’s one of the largest ammo manufacturers in the country.
Here’s more from the Dayton Daily News:
Another company, this one among the largest ammunition makers in America, will stop producing firearms following the massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High in February.
Vista Outdoor Inc. has been pressured for months by retailers that sell its other goods like Bell bicycle helmets and CamelBak water carriers, to distance itself from firearms.
The Utah company said Tuesday that it will focus on products for outdoor enthusiasts. It will continue to sell ammunition, its biggest core businesses.
REI, the national outdoor retailer, suspended all orders from Vista in March after it refused to say if it would continue to manufacture weapons.
Vista last year had revenue of $2.5 billion. It is looking for buyers for its Savage and Stevens firearms brands, and other product lines not related to firearms.
This case with Vista Outdoor Inc. is a little different than the others. Rather than merely changing its policies because of the anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment rhetoric, Vista is facing pressure from its business partners. Seeing one business force another business to fall in line with a particular set of values that could hurt it, in the long run, is something gun owners haven’t seen before. Vista can’t help it if a significant national outdoor retailer will no longer take orders for its other products because it still manufactures firearms.
Unfortunately, Vista didn’t have much choice in the matter. It needs to keep its business running, so it will do what it has to do. This situation appears to be a double-edged sword for the company, as halting gun manufacturing could affect the companies relationship with gun owners and the Second Amendment community. As the Dayton Daily News notes, however, most of the company’s revenue comes from ammunition sales. Vista may take a hit, but it may end up being okay.
Unlike Dick’s Sporting Goods, which made the awful choice of destroying its gun inventory, it appears that Vista is looking to sell what it has.
In a news release, Vista Outdoor Inc. stated:
In conducting the strategic review, Vista Outdoor management defined several criteria to evaluate whether individual product categories are part of the company’s core. Vista Outdoor evaluated brands within its current portfolio based on their ability to do the following:
- Serve the company’s target consumer – the outdoor enthusiast
- Create cross-selling and other similar synergy opportunities
- Achieve market leading positions and leadership economics
- Demonstrate omni-channel distribution capabilities
As a result of this evaluation, and with support from its board of directors, Vista Outdoor will focus on achieving growth through its market-leading brands in ammunition, hunting and shooting accessories, hydration bottles and packs, and outdoor cooking products.
…
The company plans to explore strategic options for assets that fall outside of these product categories, including its remaining Sports Protection brands (e.g. Bell, Giro, and Blackburn), Jimmy Styks paddle boards, and Savage and Stevens firearms. Vista Outdoor expects that the execution of this process will significantly reduce the company’s leverage, improve financial flexibility and the efficiency of its capital structure, and provide additional resources to reinvest in core product categories, both organically and through acquisition.
Read the full news release here.
