Italian Gunmaker Beretta Reportedly Sets Its Sights on Taking Control of Ruger, America’s Largest Gun Manufacturer

Media Contact: Georgia Seltzer, (202) 822-8200 x104, gseltzer@vpc.org

Campaign Research Notes – March 31, 2026

Italian gun company Beretta has launched an effort to seize control of legacy gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

At least according to Ruger.

And America’s largest gun manufacturer says they’re having none of it.

In a March 9, 2026 press release, Ruger alleged that Beretta tried to buy Ruger stock at a 15 percent discount and to obtain “disproportionate” board representation. According to Ruger, Beretta also sought to appoint its own CEO to Ruger’s board, a move that Ruger claims violates U.S. antitrust laws.

Ruger also asserted that its leadership had traveled to Europe multiple times to engage “constructively” with Beretta. Despite these efforts, Ruger says that when it “was unable to meet Beretta’s demands” the Italian company threatened to “launch a ‘war’” with the U.S. gunmaker. Ruger promised that it would “continue to protect Ruger’s stockholders and all Ruger stakeholders.”

For its part, Beretta has embraced the time-honored “Who, me?” response, claiming that “We are not aiming to take over Ruger…but we want to start a strategic collaboration.”

Beretta’s move comes on the heels of some notable changes in the firearms industry in 2025 as noted by the National Rifle Association’s American Rifleman magazine. This included Ruger’s acquisition of Anderson Manufacturing, known for making “budget” AR-type assault weapons. Ruger says it has no plans to continue making the Anderson guns. Ruger does, however, manufacture its own line of assault rifles and pistols which have been used in multiple mass shootings including a shooting in Lewiston, Maine in October 2023 that left 18 victims dead and 13 wounded.

And you thought SFAR v. SCAR was bad.

For more information on Sturm, Ruger see the October 2023 publication VPC Backgrounder on Ruger, the Manufacturer of the Assault Rifle Used in Lewiston, Maine Mass Shooting.

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The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.