Gun companies are booming right now, and Wilson Combat is no exception. Yesterday, Wilson Combat founder Bill Wilson sent word that the company is expanding, in its physical footprint and staffing.
Next month, construction is expected to finish on a 16,000 square foot addition to their facilities in Berryville, Arkansas.
According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette: “The new building will house machining equipment to make parts for the company’s firearms as well as for after-market sale. It will also serve as additional warehouse space.”
At that point, Wilson will have eight buildings and more than 200 workers on their campus. That’s quite an increase from the business Bill Wilson essentially hand-built the same way the former watchmaker customized his 1911 competition pistols.
Since their beginning in 1977, Wilson’s not only made a mark in 1911s, they’ve branched out into AR-15 and Model 870 shotgun customization, as well as custom parts and upgrades for SIG SAUER, Beretta and GLOCK pistols.
Wilson Combat’s not the only company announcing expansions.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced recently that Sturm, Ruger & Company (NYSE: RGR) would be growing its North Carolina workforce with an expansion at its Rockingham County (Mayodan) facility. It’s actually a three year expansion that will ultimately add 60 workers and about $10 million in facilities there.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) released a statement yesterday regarding the ATF’s search warrant at Polymer80’s offices in Arizona. In the execution of that raid, the ATF reported seized one of Polymer80’s “Buy, Build, Shoot” kits. Seems the AFT considers the kit a “firearm” because it is “readily convertible” to fire.
That seems a bit convoluted, but the NSSF thinking is that that the ATF doesn’t consider standalone so-called “80% receivers” to be a “frame or receiver” regulated by the 1968 Gun Control Act.
The kit, apparently, is a different matter.
The NSSF’s advice to retailers? Consult with your attorney and the ATF for guidance as to whether it may sell “Buy, Build, Shoot” kits- and under what conditions.
The NSSF says it’s monitoring the situation and will “report further” as they learn more facts.
With the recent surge of what some are calling “ATF activism” there’s a lot of speculation as to what actions the agency might take under a Biden administration. That’s not making anyone comfortable, but it’s worth noting that anti-gun sentiment is at a modern-day low with consumers.
For our friends down in Texas, it’s (sniff-sniff) “cedar fever” time again. Yep, according to Texas A&M, it’s the particular season when the mountain cedar trees (predominantly Ashe juniper) release their pollen. For these trees, the release of pollen is triggered by cool weather. While most other plants release their pollen in the spring, these junipers are different.
According to Robert Edmonson, a biologist for Texas A&M Forest Service, prime pollen time means “there’s so much pollen in the air it absolutely overwhelms the immune system. It’s like trying to breathe in a dust storm.”
“Following a cold front,” Edmonson continued, “the air dries out, we get some wind, and the pressure is different. Under those conditions, every single pollen cone on a juniper tree will open at one time, and it looks like the trees are on fire- like there’s smoke coming off them.”
In case you think he’s kidding, take a look at this image
Makes the eyes water just to look at it, right?
A reminder…we’re winding down toward our end-of-year here at The Outdoor Wire. Friday, December 18’s editions will be the final ones of 2020. If you have news you need to get out before January 4, it needs to reach us no later than 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, December 17.
We’ll keep you posted.