Exclusive: Sen. J.D. Vance Seeks to Block Sale of Iconic American Gun Brands to Czech Conglomerate

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) questions former executives of failed banks during a Senate Banking Committe
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) spoke exclusively with Breitbart News Wednesday about his push to block the sale of Remington and other iconic American brands to Czechoslovak Group (CSG).

The other brands include Federal and CCI. All the brands are held under the umbrella of Vista Outdoor’s Sporting Products.

Vance has concerns about the sale due to links between CSG and the Kremlin, and he is asking the Committee on Foreign Investment to block the sale.

He explained his concerns in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Breitbart News has the letter, dated January 24, 2024, in its possession.

The letter says, in part, “[CSG has] a long record of wrongdoing and well-documented connections to American adversaries.”

Vance zeroed on in the sale of Vista Outdoor’s Sporting Products’ companies: 

The transaction poses apparent risks to our national security. I urge you to initiate a full security review of the transaction and use every authority to mitigate the risks it poses … The dangers posed by the sale are not due to the transaction’s size or the consolidation of market power, however. CSG has a long and troubling record that should raise national security concerns, especially alleged ties to the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We cannot afford for America’s supply of weapons to fall into the wrong hands. The CFIUS [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] process is a critical tool to keep the American people safe from enemies who seek to exploit our domestic vulnerabilities.

“Until it can be proven that this transaction will not jeopardize our national security,” Vance concluded, “I respectfully urge you to deny the sale of Vista Outdoor’s Sporting Products business to the Czechoslovak Group.”

Remington 44 revolver, c 1863, manufactured by Remington Small Arms Factory, United States. (SSPL/Getty)

Read Vance’s full letter:

Sen. J.D. Vance’s Letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen by Breitbart News on Scribd

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a Turning Point USA Ambassador, and a Sightmark rifle optical pro-staffer. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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