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By the end of business today, Vista Outdoor’s Kinetic Group is set to become the property of Czechoslovak Group (GSG). Yesterday, Vista stockholders overwhelmingly approved the deal which has already received all governmental approvals. Under the terms of the deal, Vista stockholders will received $25.75 in cash and one share of Revelyst common stock for each share of Vista. Next week, Revelyst will begin trading on the NYSE under the ticker GEAR. If a second phase of Vista’s strategic plan is approved, Revelyst is set to be acquired by Strategic Value Partners by the end of 2024, bringing stockholders an additional estimated $19.25 per share in cash.

Yesterday, following less than three hours of jury deliberations, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was found guilty by a federal court jury in Wilmington, Delaware of lying on a federal form. The form in question, the 4473 Firearms Transaction Record, is same form that Second Amendment advocates say the president and the ATF have “weaponized” used to against gun dealers and purchasers.

President Biden’s office issued a statement saying he “accepted the outcome of the case and would respect the judicial process” - adding- “as his son considers an appeal.”

Ironically, consideration of an appeal would be founded on the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision. The defense’s use of that argument, however, was insufficient to overcome testimony from Biden’s ex-wife, former girlfriend and widow of his brother, Beau, confirming that during the time when he liked on the Form 4473 in order to purchase a revolver, he was addicted to- and using- illegal drugs.

The federal charges against Hunter Biden focused on a form all gun owners are familiar with (top) the 4473 Firearms Transaction Record. It was question 11e (bottom) that made Biden’s revolver purchase illegal.

Sentencing should take place within 120 days of a verdict, meaning Biden’s punishment should be announced before the November elections where his father will be seeking a second term.

Industry Response:

Mark Oliva, Managing Director, Public Affairs, NSSF

“……NSSF has been a consistent supporter of keeping guns out of the hands of those who should not possess them, whether that be a prohibited individual, an unsupervised child or someone suffering a mental health crisis. Hunter Biden’s admission that he was illegally using controlled substances and addicted to illicit drugs at the time of his firearm purchase clearly demonstrates that he was a prohibited individual at the time he purchased the firearm and lied on the ATF Form 4473 when he attested he was not using illicit drugs.

Alan Gottlieb, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

“..At some point President Biden must reflect on his half-century of gun control extremism and acknowledge that none of the laws he championed prevented his son from illegally buying a gun and being convicted of the crime in a Delaware courtroom. Meanwhile, millions of American citizens who have committed no crimes are nevertheless penalized daily by the laws and regulations the president and his anti-run-rights allies have supported in the misguided belief they have the moral high ground. Today proved otherwise.”

Randy Kozuch, Executive Director, NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA)

“The National Rifle Association has always stood for the lawful use and possession of firearms. Mr. Biden’s documented lifestyle choices at the time of purchasing a firearm made him a prohibited person under current law.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James announces a “multi state coalition” of 20 attorneys general asking the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to “ensure that future military production contracts prohibit the sale of military-subsidized weapons and ammunition to civilians.”

Czech CSG Group announces the purchase of the majority stake in the Italian, family-owned Armi Perazzi S.p.A., manufacturer of high-quality shotguns for sport shooters and elite hunters. Typical owners of these premium firearms, of which Perazzi produces approximately 1,500 units per year, are Olympic medalists, successful competitive shooters being amongst them. One such individual is the Czech Olympic gold medal winner in trap from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, David Kostelecký.

Private investment firm Starwood Capital Group and real estate and hospitality company Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners have acquired Field & Stream Lodge Co. ("Field & Stream"), a branded hospitality platform aiming to create modern and affordable lifestyle lodging across the United States. Sources tell The Outdoor Wire that the storied magazine will become the house magazine brand for the properties. No word as to whether the new owners will continue print, digital or social media for the magazine.

NSSF has filed a challenge to California’s unconstitutional firearm industry liability law, AB 1594, that was passed last year and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. NSSF filed NSSF v. Bonta in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, and will seek a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement as the challenge progresses through the courts.

The FIrearms Policy Coalition has secured an Injunction Pending Appeal in Mock v. Garland, FPC’s federal lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ recent rule reclassifying braced pistols as National Firearms Act-regulated short-barreled rifles.

NSSF announces an exciting new element at the 2023 SHOT Show: a free All-Star Jam concert for all show attendees. The concert will feature Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant, Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery, and a special surprise guest to be named later. It will take place January 18 outside Caesars Forum, next to the SHOT Show’s Great Outdoors Plaza.

A federal court judge in Buffalo, New York has granted a temporary restraining order in a case filed by the Second Amendment Foundation that challenges New York State’s new concealed carry law, declaring the state’s “place of worship” restriction is unconstitutional.

Forged from the combined strengths of two successful organizations, the Quality Deer Management Association and the National Deer Alliance, the new non-profit National Deer Association is adapted to work more effectively for deer and hunters in the altered landscape of wildlife conservation. 

This morning, Fiocchi is announcing their plans for a new, independent manufacturing facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Little Rock facility will operate in tandem with Fiocchi’s long-established ammunition manufacturing facility in Ozark, Missouri.

CZ-USA has announced it will local their North American headquarters and new manufacturing facilities at the Port of Little Rock, Arkansas. The two-phase plan will invest more than $90 million dollars into the facilities and ultimately create some 565 jobs over a six-year period. Construction will begin “immediately” with initial start-up planned for March 2020. Production will commence in two, three year-phases.

American Outdoor Brands Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: AOBC) announces that Lane Tobiassen has been promoted to the role of President of the company’s Firearms Division. AOB’s Electro-Optics Division, formerly headed by Tobiassen, will be combined with the company’s existing Outdoor Products & Accessories Division.

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a coalition of nearly two dozen outdoor industry and recreational groups, is calling on Congress and the Administration to “end the lapse in funding which has disrupted access to, and operation of, our national parks and recreation sites.” Further the ORR has proposed a “conversation around common-sense policies for future shutdowns, so America’s Businesses families and parks are not put into this position again.”