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Standard Arms (incorporated by former ownership of Lorcin Engineering)Reno, Nevada
Number of Employees: Less than 25
Company Facts:
The ownership of Standard Arms appears to have taken up where they left off at Lorcin Engineering. In 1993, Lorcin was the number one pistol manufacturer in America, churning out 341,243 guns. Many of Lorcin's handguns are of such poor quality they would be ineligible for importation under the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' (ATF) "sporting purposes" test. Lorcin's .380 pistol regularly tops the list of all guns traced to crime by ATF.
On October 17, 1996, Lorcin Engineering, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At the time, 18 product liability, personal injury, or wrongful death claims were pending against the company. It is estimated that these cases represented $32 million in claims.
One of the pending lawsuits was Hamilton v. Accu-Tek, a New York case alleging that many handgun manufacturers had engaged in negligent distribution and marketing practices. Subsequent to Lorcin filing for bankruptcy protection, the plaintiffs in the Hamilton case intervened in the bankruptcy proceeding as creditors. The bankruptcy judge ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to establish that Lorcin had a legal duty to the plaintiffs and disallowed their claims. The judge in the New York case allowed the claims of the plaintiffs to go to trial against the remaining defendants. On February 11, 1999, a jury found that 15 of those remaining defendants were negligent in their distribution practices.
In January 1997 Lorcin emerged from bankruptcy. In August 1998 Lorcin went out of business with an additional 22 lawsuits filed by cities and counties pending against it. Lorcin founder Jim Waldorf opened Standard Arms, in Nevada, at the end of 1999.
Standard Arms hopes to capitalize on its close relationship with Lorcin Engineering. Standard Arms' promotional materials tout the fact that the SA-9 compact pistol is "comprised of over 20 years experience in firearms manufacturing." The company brags that "Standard Arms ownership has built 2 million firearms under other brand names," a clear reference to Lorcin's infamous pistols. Standard Arms president Jim Waldorf makes clear the links between his new company and Lorcin. Shooting Sports Retailer, a gun industry trade magazine, observes in its July/August 2000 issue, "The sales philosophy of Standard Arms founder Jim Waldorf is the same philosophy applied to Lorcin Firearms during his 13-year tenure as that company's president." One exception, according to the publication is that in Mr. Waldorf's words, his new guns are "more politically correct."
The SA-9 is sold directly to gun retailers at a dealer price of $138.00
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