The parents of a young woman killed in the 2017 Las Vegas massacre filed a wrongful death lawsuit in July against Colt and seven other gun manufacturers, along with gun shops in Nevada and Utah, arguing their weapons are designed to be easily modified to fire like automatic weapons. вЂњHell, yes, weвЂ™re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and weвЂ™re not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore,вЂќ OвЂ™Rourke, a said during a Democratic presidential debate this month. The debate on gun control has focused in particular on assault-style rifles like AR-15s that have been used in mass shootings.Дemocratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto OвЂ™Rourke, whose hometown of El Paso was the site of a shooting in August left 22 people dead, has been pushing for mandatory rifle buybacks over the last few weeks. вЂњIf they think a company like Colt is disrespecting their identity or giving in to the other side, ColtвЂ™s likely going to see serious damage to its other firearms brands too.вЂќ вЂњWeвЂ™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,вЂќ he said.

Still, Winkler said the companyвЂ™s decision risks alienating and angering its remaining customer base. READ MORE: While Many Shows Have Shut Down At Least Temporarily Due To COVID, Billy Joel And Others Play On вЂњGiven these sales and the history of Colt being a completely disorganized, dysfunctional company that goes into bankruptcy and canвЂ™t keep anything going properly, my assumption is that this is a business decision that is being driven by their own business problems,вЂќ he said. Gun sales usually go up when guy buyers feel their access to such weapons are being threatened, Winkler said. Those applications, the best available statistic from tracking gun sales, has have been rising steadily, with a slight decline after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, something call the вЂњTrump slump.вЂќ He said the company is expanding its lines of pistols and revolvers.Дespite a national debate on gun control, ColtвЂ™s decision seems driven by business considerations rather than politics, said Adam Winkler, a gun policy expert at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.ДЇBI statistics show more than 2.3 million people applied for background checks to purchase guns in August, up from just over 1.8 million in July.

Veilleux said the company, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2016, remains committed to the Second Amendment. вЂњGiven this level of manufacturing capacity, we believe there is adequate supply for modern sporting rifles for the foreseeable future.вЂќ вЂњThe fact of the matter is that over the last few years, the market for modern sporting rifles has experienced significant excess manufacturing capacity,вЂќ ColtвЂ™s chief executive officer, Dennis Veilleux, said in a written statement. READ MORE: New York City Ups COVID Testing Amid State's Record Case Surge, De Blasio Tries To Avoid Shutdown

The company said it will focus instead on fulfilling contracts with military and police customers for rifles. (AP) - Gun-maker Colt is suspending its production of rifles for the civilian market including the popular AR-15, the company said Thursday in a shift it attributed to changes in consumer demand and a market already saturated with similar weapons.

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