The Big Guns in the U.S. Commercial Gun Industry acknowledge that the most powerful and strangely secretive force among them is The Freedom Group, and this single private company is quite a thing of a mystery.
Never heard of The Freedom Group? Neither had I, until only recently. Already, I'm guessing they're pro-gun. Or not. Depends on which rumor I warm up to, however.
By its own count, the Freedom Group sold 1.2 million long guns and 2.6 billion rounds of ammunition in the 12 months ended March 2010, the most recent year for which figures are publicly available. Within long gun circles where the big money is, that is the stuff of myth and folklore.
That's also just about 1.2 million guns and 2.6 bullets more than I've peddled lately at my garage sale.
I operate out of California, The Freedom Group originates from Manhattan.
But, ooh, TV movie conspiracy plot:
Backing this gargantuan Freedom Group is the private investment company, Cerberus Capital Management, which may cause a flicker of recognition to sweep across your windscreen.
So! You and I - we - had never previously been aware of this virus called "The Cerberus Freedom Grope," yet it has already cost us a heap of money. Huge Dollars; not immediately grasp-able amounts of dinero. We "bailed out" multi-billionaires? My mind'll have a time getting a grip on THAT.
It's just like a sci-fi TV show where the bad guys have been there in the shadows all along, maneuver with limitless funds, can have any of the latest gear they want and designer hideouts too. Headquartered in New York City, Cerberus has silently been acquiring big guns and ammunition.
Sold to Cerebrus:
Bushmaster, with gas-powered "black guns," that fire as rapidly as fast as the trigger can be squeezed. "It's clear that the militarized stuff is the stuff that sells and is defining the industry," its previous owner said on record.
DPMS (Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services) Panther Arms manufactures a wide range of military and civilian rifles. They're huge.
Remington, who, from flintlocks to M24 sniper rifles, is now making handguns for the first time in decades and supplying firepower to other governments including Afghanistan.
S&K Industries, which supplies wood and laminate for gun stocks,
Advanced Armament Corp., which makes silencers.
Barnes Bullets, which makes copper-jacketed bullets popular with precision shooters and police departments.
Marlin Firearms, a classic maker with two niche shotgun brands,
Harrington & Richardson, and
Dakota Arms, not an apartment complex,as the name might suggest, but a maker of high-end big-game rifles.
"We believe our scale and product breadth are unmatched within the industry," Carebrus' Freedom Group has recently said, sounding not unlike some puffed-up, stuffed-into-his-suit, spokes-cartoon.
Camera pulls back, pans over a multide of colorful graphs and dollar signs which tell the whole successful tale to this point: Cerberus manages more than $20 billion in capital. The companies it owns together generate a revenue of about $40 billion annually - more than either Amazon or Coca-Cola lately. Now they're practically an artillery monopoly.
With just one word, the Pandora's lid flies open with an ear-splitting, sky rocketing flare up. One word, one query: "Why?"
Once this inside info enters the Realm Of Our Attention, it finds a vacuum of intelligence and a nice, dry mound of conspiracy tinder, and boom! --all precipitation is over; it has happened. The catalyst has met its anticipated element. The predicted chemical reaction, known as, "Let The Rumors Fly," seems to explode everywhere at once.
And now everyone hears as the rumor bandwagon marches by. Maybe that's part of the plan. Wondering Why is certainly part of the plot in this script.
Oh, The Rumors!
Some Pro Gun Slinger theories suggest that the mysterious shadow power behind Carebrus' Freedom Group is actually some liberal and hedge-fund billionaire with a secret agenda all his own.
You don't need to know that "Hang the Second Amendment slash Secret Agena Rumor" because it's already been discredited. The shameful speculation involving dismantling the gun industry was so powerful that, just this October, the National Rifle Association issued a statement denying it. As far as rumors go, THAT rumor has SOME street cred.
You Say "Toom-Ah-Tow."
Bush Had Skull And Crossbones, These Guys Got A Mean Dog. The company's name is taken from Greek mythology, and a fabled three-headed dog, Cerberus, who guards the gates of Hades - to keep the resident in or the relatives out? Only now, we wonder.
But, nice ambience. Company's named after a dog from Hell. Oka-a-ay. Sure trumps wearing a red power tie at the next meeting. Wonder if they provide Dental Coverage at Dog-from-Hell Company; they'd have my fangs.
There's a rumor that this new gun industry has sold weapons to several questionable kingdoms, not only of Afghanistan, but also Thailand, Mexico and Malaysia, among others. Oh yes, and the USA! Cerebrus apparently obtained a brand new batch of business from our own U.S. Army, including a contract worth up to $28.2 million. [note: NOT a rumor, that; already been done.]
So, who are these guys? Who is it that's Involved In all this? Let's check the script's credits and meet our Cast Of Characters:
Financial Backer, George Soro; mysterious, very wealthy shadow figure behind sunglasses, lurking in streetcorners, shady side of boulevard. Stephen Feinberg, Co-Founder Cerebrus, chief Executive Officer and Senior Managing Directors.
The longtime Chairman of Cerberus' Global Investments Group, is a renowened individual. Perhaps you've already heard of him? An affable guy, Mr. D. Quayle. Yep, that Quale! Army Nation Guard Seargent, and former Vice President, Dan "Pototato" Quale.
Cerebrus' subsidiary Freedom Group, not to be outdone, has TWO retired generals on its board. Marines AND Army:
George Joulwan, former Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, retired from the Army, and
Michael Hagee, formerly Commandant of the Marine Corps.
These are the names behind the mystery. Ask them what's going on and you will not get the truth, but a good spin.
These guys cost you SO much of your future. These guys, a Secret Zillionaire and a handful of Once-Upon-A-Time Power Players, cost you SO much money, and the country more hassle and trouble than most of the famous bad guys you can think of. Most, not all. Still that's way too much to go unacknowledged, that'd be like trying to cross the freeway with your eyes closed.
Whew! And just think: next time a Chrysler Event pops up and they need a broad daylight "Highway Bailout," they got the D-list celebrities and the firepower to back it up.