Detonics Recently in the St. Louis Post Dispatch
June 2, 2009 by Detonics Staff · Leave a Comment
We had a great article ran on us a few weeks ago in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Take a look:
A small Illinois gunmaker is hoping to capitalize on its name, new technology and a strong demand for compact handguns to engineer a rebirth of sorts.
Nearly 18 months after being bought and moved to the area by a pair of area men, Detonics is set to make another push into an industry dominated by names such as Glock, Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Kimber.
And although that’s no easy task, the small firm, with five employees, does have a few things going for it, not the least of which is the fact that guns are in short supply these days.
“They have a real opportunity if they can get their guns on the market on time,” said Denis Dennis Jr., owner of Denny Dennis Sporting Goods in Fenton.
Indeed, many of the top gunmakers are hard-pressed to meet the surging demand that accompanied the start of President Barack Obama’s administration.
According to data from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the FBI has been running nearly 250,000 additional checks each month since late last year. As a result, three- and four-month delays on popular models are not uncommon.
For Detonics, this could be a chance to break from a past marked by a series of starts and stops.
Since late 2007, the company has been based in Millstadt after being
purchased by Double Nickle LLC, owned by combat expert Bruce Siddle and sports internist Dr. Steven Stahle. They moved the defunct Detonics USA and its remaining inventory here from Pendergrass, Ga.
Throughout three-plus decades, the Detonics name has been associated with innovative higher-end guns. It actually started as little more than a sideline for Seattle-based Detonics, an explosives maker.
Conceal carry permits could set record
June 2, 2009 by Detonics Staff · Leave a Comment
From the St. Louis Post Dispatch
Missourians are rushing to arm themselves with concealed weapons at a record pace so far this year.
Criminologists and law enforcement officials say the increase may be driven by fear of increased crime due to the recession and the perception of potential loss of gun rights from a new Democratic president.
“People just don’t feel safe, whether it’s with the political structure or the economic situation,” said Noelle Fearn, assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at St. Louis University.
In the St. Louis area, the surge is most marked in St. Charles, Warren, Lincoln and Jefferson counties, where applications for the first four months of 2009 are between 114 percent and 144 percent higher than for the same period last year, according to data provided by sheriff’s departments.
In St. Louis, applications are up 49 percent this year, and St. Louis County’s have risen 53 percent. Illinois does not allow concealed carry.
In Missouri, no central database exists for new permits, but the Highway Patrol tracks the mandatory criminal background checks it performs for new applicants.