Fear & Loading: Ruger Staff Adjustment and More

by
posted on January 9, 2018
gsagi2015_fs.jpg

Ruger announced the layoff of 50 employees last Friday. Ruger Vice President and General Counsel Kevin Reid Sr. cautioned the Valley News not to read too much into the move. “At Ruger, we routinely adjust our workforce,” he explained. The company currently employs between 1,800 and 1,900 people at three facilities across the nation. The reduction amounts to a roughly 2.7 percent adjustment and the location of affected staff was not available.

Impacted positions are mainly sales, engineering, marketing and other non-manufacturing jobs. “It was for the needs of the business and tied to performance,” Reid told the newspaper.

With the company’s introduction of the PC Carbine and Security-9 Pistol—and subsequent glowing reviews—the modest move may be short-lived. Sales of new firearms are big for the famed manufacturer, and on the heels of a year with the second-highest volume of NICS checks on record the potential is there for Ruger to have yet another enviable sales year.

On the Retail Side
The locations of 69 former Gander Mountain stores being re-opened as Gander Outdoors in 2018 have been officially announced by new owner Camping World. Gander Mountain shuttered the doors on all of its 162 outlets nationwide last year and was subsequently purchased during bankruptcy proceedings. The Lakeville, Minn., facility opened last month—the first to do so in the company’s nationwide chain.  

The 131 Walmarts in California that sell ammunition were forced to temporarily halt its sale earlier this month after the Department of Justice failed to issue the ammunition vendor license required under a new law that took effect Jan. 1 in the state. The problem didn’t affect retailers who already have the proper permits for transferring firearms, though, according to the Sacramento Bee.

“Due to ongoing softness in the suppressor market, Huntertown Arms is ceasing operations,” the company website states. Any work being done by the firm will be completed and the equipment returned fully repaired, however. 

Latest

Military Armament MAC DS pistol right-side view black gun on pebbles.
Military Armament MAC DS pistol right-side view black gun on pebbles.

Military Armament Corporation Introduces New MAC 9 DS Models

Military Armament Corporation expanded its line of M1911-style, double-stack handguns with its new Double-Stack Duty, D-Comp and Comp designs.

Preview: MTM Case-Gard Ruger 10/22 Extended Mag Can

Made in the U.S.A., the O-ring-sealed Mag Can from MTM Case-Gard stows one of the most important parts of the semi-automatic carbine—the magazine—twelve BX-25-pattern extended magazines, to be exact.

Gun Of The Week: EAA Witness2311 Brat

Built on M1911 principles and imported by European American Armory Corp., the EAA Girsan Witnesss2311 Brat is a unique take on the double-stack, 2011-style pistol.

The Armed Citizen® March 28, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

John C. Garand: His Compensation & Other Accomplishments

Much gratitude has been, and is given, to the man who created the M1 Garand. But folklore suggests John C. Garand did all the work for free. Let us dispel that notion.

John Rigby & Co. Celebrates 250th Anniversary

John Rigby—born in 1758—founded his famed gunmaking firm, John Rigby & Co., in 1775, and year 2025 marks the company's semiquincentennial celebration.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.