Posted July 21, 2019 3:00 pm by Comments

By Logan Metesh

Sturm, Ruger's first federal firearms license. Issued July 21, 1949
Sturm, Ruger’s first federal firearms license. Issued July 21, 1949

Southport, CT -(Ammoland.com)- On July 21, 1949, Sturm, Ruger & Company was issued their first FFL or Federal Firearms License. With that single piece of government-issued paper, the then-brand-new company could begin legally dealing in firearms. Their FFL allowed them to “transport, ship, and receive firearms and ammunition in interstate and foreign commerce for a period of one year.”

Though it was just a small piece of paper, it was a really big deal. Just seven months earlier, in January 1949, Bill Ruger’s success as we know it today was far from guaranteed. He was $40,000 in debt and just about ready to close up shop when he showed Alexander Sturm a prototype of something new that he was working on, harking back to his previous life with the military and arms development. Sturm liked what he saw and agreed to bankroll the project with $50,000.

The first Ruger “factory” was in a small, unassuming building affectionately dubbed the “Red Barn” across the street from a railroad depot in Southport, Connecticut. The company’s first offering was equally unassuming: a semi-automatic .22-caliber pistol designed for plinking.

Initially, a total of eight …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.