Cerberus’ Gun Ties Thrust PE Firm Into Spotlight After Newtown

The national discussion emerging on gun control has drawn one private-equity firm into the spotlight, according to a WSJ blog..  Cerberus Capital Management LP created the gun manufacturing giant known as Freedom Group in 2007, a year after acquiring Bushmaster Firearms International. Bushmaster is the maker of the rifle authorities have said was used in last week’s shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The shooting has reignited a national debate on gun control, and some publicly traded gun makers have seen shares slide since Friday.  Freedom Group, now legally named Remington Outdoor Company Inc., laid plans in 2009 to go public but withdrew those plans last year. In a public filing in 2010, it warned that bans on certain weapons or ammunition could impact its sales.  New York-based Cerberus continues to own the Madison, N.C.-based company and this year named several Cerberus execs as leaders there….

Find out more at http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2012/12/17/cerberus-gun-ties-thrust-pe-firm-into-spotlight-after-newtown/