One of America's oldest and most storied gun manufacturers announced it's suspending production of the AR-15, a rifle that has become notoriously intertwined with mass shootings.
Facebook | Colt
Colt Says It's Getting Out Of The AR-15 Business For Civilians
However, in its announcement, Colt said that the change in its lineup has nothing to do with the mass shootings.
Rather, a spokesperson cited changes in consumer demand for the move.
"We believe it is good sense to follow consumer demand and to adjust as market dynamics change," read a post on the company's Facebook page.
The company also emphasized that it wasn't bowing to gun control activists.
Unsplash | Will Porada
In a written statement, Dennis Veilleux ,the company's president and CEO, said that Colt "is committed to the Second Amendment, highly values its customers and continues to manufacture the world's finest quality firearms for the consumer market."
More than anything, a lack of demand drove Colt's decision, Veilleux wrote.
"The fact of the matter is that over the last few years, the market for modern sporting rifles has experienced significant excess manufacturing capacity. Given this level of manufacturing capacity, we believe there is adequate supply for modern sporting rifles for the foreseeable future."
Even so, one analyst believes that it's a risky move for Colt.
"We’ve seen in the past that when gun manufacturers are viewed to have given in to gun-safety advocates, gun owners will boycott them and really hurt their business," UCLA gun policy expert Adam Winkler told the Associated Press. "If they think a company like Colt is disrespecting their identity or giving in to the other side, Colt’s likely going to see serious damage to its other firearms brands too."
Although Colt will no longer be producing AR-15s for the civilian market, it will still make them for law enforcement and the military.
"Currently, these high volume contracts are absorbing all of Colt's manufacturing capacity for rifles," Veilleux wrote.
Indeed, just after Colt's announcement, the Department of Defense awarded Colt with a $41.9 million contract to provide rifles for sale to militaries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean, NPR reported.
h/t: Associated Press, NPR
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