资方抛售美校园枪击案涉案枪支生产商

    私募股权公司赛伯勒斯资本管理公司（Cerberus Capital Management）本周早些时候宣布，公司计划出售枪支制造商自由集团（Freedom Group）的股份。上周，美国小学枪击案嫌犯所用的.223“大毒蛇”步枪就是这家公司生产的。

    赛伯勒斯公司的声明全文如下：

    2012年12月14日，在康涅狄格州纽敦市桑迪胡克小学（the Sandy Hook Elementary School）发生的悲剧让我们非常震惊，深感悲痛。我们无法想象这次惨绝人寰的事件中，遇难者家属和朋友承受了多么巨大的痛苦。任何语言或行动都无法减少此次暴行的罪恶，也无法减轻人们心中遭受的痛苦。

    2006年，赛伯勒斯资本管理公司的附属公司对自由集团进行了一笔金融投资。自由集团从未通过枪支展销会或其他方式直接向消费者出售武器或弹药。只有获得联邦许可的枪械经销商遵照适用的法律法规方可销售枪支或弹药。我们认为，不论是自由集团或是任何一家公司或个人，均无法阻止这种愚蠢的暴行，或者非法使用、采购枪支和弹药的行为。很明显，桑迪胡克小学发生的悲剧是全国枪支管制大辩论的“分水岭”，它使辩论达到了前所未有的激烈程度。辩论的重点是如何在公共安全与宪法第二修正案赋予的权利范围之间实现平衡。作为一家公司，我们是投资者，而不是国会议员或政策制定者。我们的职责是代表客户进行投资，我们的客户包括消防员、教师、警察和其他市政员工与工会的退休金计划、捐助基金和其他机构与个人。在辩论中表明立场不是我们的职责，我们也不应该左右或影响枪支管制政策辩论。这应该是联邦政府和各州立法者的工作。

    但作为一家公司，我们也有能做的事情。我们决定立即启动正式程序，出售在自由集团的股份。我们将聘用一位财务顾问，负责设计和执行出售自由集团权益的过程。之后，我们将把所有资本返还投资者。我们相信，这一决定能够使我们履行对投资者的义务，保护投资者委托给我公司的权益不被卷入全国辩论。这个辩论工作应该交由承担正式法律责任和公共责任的人进行。

    谨向在此次悲剧事件中受影响的家庭和社区表示最深切的同情和最诚挚的哀悼。

    需要说明的是，这并不是赛伯勒斯公司的一项财务决策。

    Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management announced early this morning that it plans to sell Freedom Group, a firearms conglomerate that produced the .223 Bushmaster rifle used in last week's elementary school massacre.

    Here is the firm's statement, in full:

    We were shocked and deeply saddened by the events that took place at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012. We cannot comprehend the losses suffered by the families and friends of those killed by the unthinkable crimes committed that day. No words or actions can lessen the enormity of this event or make a dent in the pain that was inflicted on so many.

    In 2006 affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. made a financial investment in Freedom Group. Freedom Group does not sell weapons or ammunition directly to consumers, through gun shows or otherwise. Sales are made only to federally licensed firearms dealers and distributors in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. We do not believe that Freedom Group or any single company or individual can prevent senseless violence or the illegal use or procurement of firearms and ammunition.

    It is apparent that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level. The debate essentially focuses on the balance between public safety and the scope of the Constitutional rights under the Second Amendment. As a Firm, we are investors, not statesmen or policy makers. Our role is to make investments on behalf of our clients who are comprised of the pension plans of firemen, teachers, policemen and other municipal workers and unions, endowments, and other institutions and individuals. It is not our role to take positions, or attempt to shape or influence the gun control policy debate. That is the job of our federal and state legislators.

    There are, however, actions that we as a firm can take. Accordingly, we have determined to immediately engage in a formal process to sell our investment in Freedom Group. We will retain a financial advisor to design and execute a process to sell our interests in Freedom Group, and we will then return that capital to our investors. We believe that this decision allows us to meet our obligations to the investors whose interests we are entrusted to protect without being drawn into the national debate that is more properly pursued by those with the formal charter and public responsibility to do so.

    Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and communities impacted by this tragic and devastating event.

    To be clear, this is not a financial decision by Cerberus.

    Freedom Group's value today is artificially low, judging by the plunging stock prices of publicly-traded gun makers like Smith & Wesson (SWHC) and Sturm Ruger & Co. (RGR). Moreover, it's difficult to imagine that another private equity firm would agree to buy the company from Cerberus -- which had tried to take Freedom Group public several years back, but was stymied by weakening sales and management shakeups. My best guess is that a foreign firearms company will be the eventual buyer at a major discount.