News never stops on holiday weekends, although it does -usually- slow down. In fact, it's a fairly commonly accepted fact in the news business that the Friday leading into a holiday weekend is one time when public companies will release news that is either not very positive or might be taken slightly askance by the stock markets.

Last Friday, the rumor was officially announced (sort of) that American Outdoor Brand's primary holding- Smith & Wesson- had acquired Idaho-based silencer manager Gemtec. There were no official words from either company until Gemtec CEO Ron Martinez responded to an inquiry from RECOIL.

Here's what he told RECOIL:

"Gemtech, the World's Leader in Silencers, now has the backing of the most powerful company in the firearms industry: Smith & Wesson. Combined with the outstanding companies of American Outdoor Brands Corporation, this strengthens the decades old team that is Gemtech."

At this point, that's essentially all we know about it, but it looks like the American Outdoor Brands acquisitions continue, despite the fact that both AOB and Ruger (NYSE: RGR) stocks took hits last week after AOB announced it was restating its "guidance" for the rest of the year. In plain English, there's a chance the company won't make its expected earnings..and the stock market did what it normally does - it discounts the stock price in anticipation of bad news.

And our friends at the Sportsmen's Alliance gave us a heads-up over the weekend of yet another round of fights ahead with the animal-rights groups who are incensed over the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's population of grizzly bears having reached sufficient numbers to delist them from the Endangered Species Act.

"The delisting of grizzly bears should be universally celebrated as one of the greatest conservation stories in North America, and successes of the Endangered Species Act," said Sportsmen's Alliance President and CEO Evan Heusinkveld. "But, unfortunately, there are groups already fundraising to challenge the decision and usurp biological wildlife management with lawsuits and court mandates."

Heusinkveld knows where of he speaks. An attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center has gone on record saying there will be a lawsuit. In fact, he told the Times, "We have to wait 60 days, but on the 61st day we will sue to stop the delisting."

And the drumbeat for funding has already begun. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and others began their fundraising almost simultaneously with the Department of the Interior asking for public comments on potentially delisting. As usual, they've characterized the demise of the grizzly as an inarguable outcome, due to the onslaught of "trophy hunters" who'll come after them.

As usual, they'll do everything possible to combat the suggestion that scientific wildlife management could possibly succeed- despite the fact that scientific management is precisely what has brought the grizzly back from its former endangered status.

Now, it seems the animal-rights groups will use their usual tactic- use the courts to prevent implementation of anything that disagrees with their viewpoint.

You're up to speed- and we're back to work.

--Jim Shepherd

Editor's Note: Read the entire Sportsmen's Alliance posting here: http://www.sportsmensalliance.org/news/feds-move-delist-grizzlies-antis-move-sue/