Gun manufacturer Colt announced that it would suspend the production of commercial rifles, including AR-15s.
Colt’s chief executive officer, Dennis Veilleux, said in a statement Thursday that the suspension doesn’t mean that the company would permanently halt the production of its rifles but that the market for the guns “has experienced significant excess manufacturing capacity.”
“There is adequate supply for modern sporting rifles for the foreseeable future,” Veilleux said.
Colt said that it would continue producing rifles for military and law enforcement contracts and that the high-level contracts have absorbed the company’s manufacturing capacity for rifles. In terms of the civilian market, the company will continue to sell and expand its network of dealers for its 1911s and revolvers.
“At the end of the day, we believe it is good sense to follow consumer demand and to adjust as market dynamics change,” Veilleux said. “Colt has been a stout supporter of the Second Amendment for over 180 years, remains so, and will continue to provide its customers with the finest quality firearms in the world.”
In the wake of recent mass shootings, there has been an ongoing national debate about gun control and the ability of civilians to purchase semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15. Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has seized on the matter and declared during the last debate, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”
O’Rourke, 46, reacted Thursday on Twitter to the news that Colt was suspending production by tweeting the Associated Press’ story.
[Read more: Beto O’Rourke: Fines will ‘compel’ AR-15 owners to turn their guns in]
(Colt Firearms just announced they’re stopping production of AR-15s: https://t.co/wcIJ7U42dD) https://t.co/jmmqpdNLPf
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 19, 2019
