1978
Irvine, California
- 1978 founded by Bruce Jennings in Irvine, California
– son of Raven Arms founder George Jennings - sold pocket pistol clones of Raven Arms
– in smaller caliber (.22lr) - 2003 Bryco Arms declared bankruptcy
- 2004 Paul Jimenez, bought the bankrupt Bryco Arms and renamed the company Jimenez Arms
About Jennings Firearms
Jennings Firearms was a California maker of inexpensive pocket pistols formed in 1978 by Bruce Jennings, son of Raven Arms founder George Jennings. Raven Arms, founded in 1970, built the .25 ACP MP-25 after the Gun Control Act of 1968 restricted imports of inexpensive foreign handguns, and it is often described as the original company in the group of Southern California makers later nicknamed the “Ring of Fire.” Jennings Firearms followed the same formula with small, low-cost pistols, notably the J-22 in .22 LR and the J-25 in .25 ACP, and was based at various times in Irvine and Costa Mesa, California, and Carson City, Nevada.
After a bankruptcy, the Jennings business was renamed Bryco Arms, which produced pistols such as the Model 38 in .32 ACP and .380 ACP. In 2003, after an Oakland, California, jury returned a record $24 million verdict against the company in a product-liability case, Bryco declared bankruptcy. In August 2004 former factory foreman Paul Jimenez bought the bankrupt company for $510,000 and renamed it Jimenez Arms. For gun owners, the Jennings story is a key part of the history of affordable handguns in America and of the legal and legislative battles over so-called Saturday night specials.
Key Facts
- 1970: Raven Arms founded by George Jennings
- 1978: Jennings Firearms formed by Bruce Jennings
- 2003: Successor Bryco Arms declared bankruptcy after a $24 million jury verdict
- August 2004: Paul Jimenez bought the bankrupt company and renamed it Jimenez Arms
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Sources
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