美PE公司迫于压力出售造枪企业

Cerberus Capital Management, the US private equity group, has bowed to growing public pressure to sell Freedom Group, the gunmaking business that manufactured the Bushmaster rifle used in Friday’s massacre in Connecticut.

美国私人股本集团赛伯乐资产管理公司(Cerberus Capital Management)迫于日益加大的公众压力，决定卖掉旗下从事枪支制造的Freedom Group。上周五在康涅狄格州制造校园枪杀惨案的凶手，使用的就是Freedom Group制造的Bushmaster步枪。

The move underscored the change in the mood in the US that has followed the Newtown killings, with political observers even linking progress in budget talks between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans to the public hunger for conciliation.

此举突显出纽敦市惨案发生后美国情绪的转变。一些政治观察家们甚至认为，美国总统巴拉克·奥巴马(Barack Obama)与共和党国会议员的预算谈判取得进展，部分反映了与公众对社会安宁的渴望。

“It’s not a time to put Americans through more stress, John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, said in Washington.

美国众议院共和党议长约翰·博纳(John Boehner)在华盛顿表示：“现在不是让美国人承受更多心理压力的时候。

Cerberus’s move came after the California Teachers Retirement System, the second-largest US pension fund and one of Cerberus’s biggest investors, told the firm it was reviewing its investment in the group following the bloodshed.

在赛伯乐决定卖掉Freedom Group之前，美国第二大养老基金、赛伯乐最大的投资者之一加州教师退休系统(California State Teachers' Retirement System)向赛伯乐表示，鉴于康州的枪杀惨案，该基金正重新评估对赛伯乐的投资。

Cerberus said it would hire a financial adviser to organise a sale of its interests in Freedom Group. The $20bn private equity group, run by Stephen Feinberg, a keen hunter, acquired Bushmaster in 2006 and later merged it with other gunmakers, such as Remington, to create Freedom Group.

赛伯乐表示，它将聘请一个金融顾问安排出售其在Freedom Group的权益。赛伯乐资产规模200亿美元，它的创始人斯蒂芬·费恩伯格(Stephen Feinberg)热衷于打猎。赛伯乐2006年收购了Bushmaster公司，随后将其与Remington等其他枪械制造商合并，创立了Freedom Group。

Freedom Group, now one of the biggest US gunmakers, recently made a $2m contribution to the National Rifle Association, the powerful lobby organisation, its chief financial officer said in November.

Freedom Group目前是美国最大的枪械制造商之一。该公司首席财务官在今年11月表示，Freedom Group不久前向该行业强大的游说组织美国步枪协会(NRA)捐赠了200万美元。

Cerberus, named after the three-headed dog of Greek myth that guards the underworld, had tried to sell Freedom Group in 2009, filing for an initial public offering that was withdrawn two years later.

以希腊神话中守卫地狱的三头狗命名的赛伯乐曾试图在2009年通过首次公开发行(IPO)出售Freedom Group，但在两年后撤回了申请。

But the company said Friday’s rampage by Adam Lanza, in which he killed 27 people – including 20 schoolchildren – before killing himself, “was a watershed event.

但赛伯乐表示，上周五亚当·兰扎(Adam Lanza)疯狂枪杀27人（其中包括20名学生）然后自杀，“是一个分水岭事件。

Cerberus said its decision would allow it to protect its investors without being drawn into a debate “that is more properly pursued by those with the formal charter and public responsibility to do so.

赛伯乐表示，出售决定将保护其投资者不陷入一种争论，这种争论“更适合在那些有正式权责和公共责任的人中展开。

Bloomberg said Martin Feinberg, Stephen Feinberg’s father, is a resident of Newtown. The news agency quoted Martin Feinberg as saying the shooting was “devastating. He could not be reached for comment.

彭博社(Bloomberg)表示，斯蒂芬·费恩伯格的父亲马丁·费恩伯格(Martin Feinberg)就是纽敦市的居民。彭博社援引马丁·费恩伯格的话称，枪击案是“灾难性的。记者无法联系上费恩伯格请其置评。

Gunmakers’ shares have fallen sharply as members of Congress who have opposed tightening restrictions have signalled support for Mr Obama’s call to reconsider gun control.

由于一些之前反对收紧枪支管理的国会议员现在转而支持奥巴马重审枪支控制的呼吁，枪支制造商的股价近日大幅下跌。

Shares in Smith and Wesson have dropped more than 18 per cent since Friday. Sturm Ruger stock has dropped 15 per cent.

Smith and Wesson的股价自上周五以来下跌逾18%。Sturm Ruger股价下跌15%。

Additional reporting by Arash Massoudi and Richard McGregor

阿尔什·马苏迪(Arash Massoudi)和马利德(Richard McGregor)补充报道