Röhm Gesellschaft

Röhm Gesellschaft, often referred to as RG, is a German brand of firearms and related shooting equipment. RG developed as a diversification of Röhm GmbH in the 1950s. Following a 1968 US division, RG Industries was established in Miami and lasted until 1986. In 2010, the RG brand was acquired by Umarex GmbH & Co. KG. Röhm's RG-14 handgun, used in an assassination attempt on then US President Ronald Reagan, was referred to in 1981 as a saturday night special, a cheaply manufactured firearm of perceived low quality, believed at the time to be favored by criminals.[1]

Röhm Gesellschaft
TypePrivate
IndustryArms industry
Founded1950s
ProductsFirearms, weapons
OwnerUmarex

History
Rohm RG-14 used in the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan

In the early 1950s, Röhm GmbH of Sontheim/Brenz, which was traditionally focused on the production of chucking tools, diversified its product line and began to produce gas alarm guns, flare guns, starting pistols and handguns. Röhm's product line of firearms was primarily established under the brand name RG.

Following, and perhaps due to, the limitations on the importation of small pistols imposed by the 1968 Gun Control Act, RG established a factory in Miami in the 1970s under the name RG Industries. The Miami factory produced revolvers, automatic pistols, and derringers in small calibres such as .22 LR, .25 ACP, .32 S&W, and .38 Special.[2] The Miami factory ceased operations in 1986.[3]

In 2010, the management of Röhm GmbH decided to sell the branch of manufacturing firearms to the Umarex of Arnsberg and to refocus on its core market of chucking tools.

Litigation in the US

Police Officer Thomas Delahanty was shot by John Hinckley, Jr. with a Röhm revolver during his failed assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981. Delahanty later sued Röhm with the argument that small, cheap guns have no purpose except for crime, and thus that the company should be held responsible. The suit was subsequently rejected by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in a suit that has served as case law for other similar product liability cases.[4]

In 1985, Kelley vs. RG Industries was filed over a 1982 shooting in which Kelley, a grocery clerk, was shot in the chest with an RG firearm.[5]

References
  1. Early, Pete (31 March 1981). "The Gun: A Saturday Night Special From Miami". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  2. Robert E. Walker (26 November 2012). Cartridges and Firearm Identification. CRC Press. pp. 268–. ISBN 978-1-4665-0206-2. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  3. Dan Shideler (14 April 2010). The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2010: Rifles, Pistols & Shotguns. Gun Digest Books. pp. 715–. ISBN 978-1-4402-1454-7. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  4. Delahanty v. Hinckley, 564 A.2d 758 (D.C.App. 1989), judgment hosted by Carnegie Mellon University here. Also available here.
  5. Carol Vinzant (12 November 2005). Lawyers, Guns, and Money: One Man's Battle with the Gun Industry. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 94–. ISBN 978-1-4039-6627-8. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
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