Taurus has donated 37 of its T4 defense rifles to the law enforcement teams that protect and serve law-abiding citizens in the regions near its newly opened plant in Bainbridge, GA. Agencies that received the AR-15s include the City of Bainbridge Public Safety Department and the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department.
“As new members of the Bainbridge community,” said Taurus CEO David Blenker, “and with Taurus being a key manufacturer in the personal and professional defense segments, supplying the City of Bainbridge Public Safety Department and the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office with specialized tools needed to protect the community and its citizens seemed obvious. Law enforcement professionals here and around the country put their lives on the line every day and it is an honor for us to provide our local defenders with this contribution.”
The special-purpose law enforcement rifles will be deployed for tactical and emergency response operations by both departments. Bainbridge has a population of slightly more than 21,000 people and serves as the County Seat for Decatur County—a 623-square-mile region bordered on the south by Florida that has roughly 26,000 residents.
Taurus introduced a T4SA version to United States enthusiasts at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in early 2017. The gas-operated, semi-automatic carbine was chambered in 5.56 NATO and had a 16-inch barrel and 1:7-inch rifling (SBR versions were also available). The company is well known for producing quality handguns, which made the mil-spec rifle a standout in its catalog. Due to the saturation of similarly configured AR-15s on the market, the firm later dropped the T4 from its civilian lineup in the U.S.
Taurus is based in Miami, FL, and is owned by Taurus Armas, S.A, a publicly traded company based in Brazil—where a T4 version continues to be produced and in early 2019 was the catalyst for buoying the company’s stock prices as the country relaxed gun-control restrictions.
