Company founder and CEO Marty Daniel fashions himself as a provocateur who ridicules gun control proposals and uses publicity stunts to drum up sales. Via the New York Times:
After one of its military-style rifles was used in the Texas elementary school shooting on Tuesday, the gun manufacturer Daniel Defense published a pop-up statement on its home page sending “thoughts and prayers” to the community of Uvalde, Texas, and pledging to cooperate with the authorities.
When the pop-up disappeared, a different message took center stage: a promotion, adorned with gold-encased bullets, for a sweepstakes to win $15,000 worth of guns or ammunition.
The Texas shooting, which left 19 schoolchildren and two teachers dead and more than a dozen wounded, has put a national spotlight on Daniel Defense, a family-owned business in Georgia that has emerged as a trailblazer in an aggressive, boundary-pushing style of weapons marketing and sales.
Their advertisements echo popular video games like “Call of Duty” and feature “Star Wars” characters and Santa Claus, messages that are likely to appeal to teenagers. Their direct-to-consumer business model aimed to make buying military gear as simple as ordering from Amazon, enticing customers with “adventure now, pay later” installment plans that make their guns more affordable.
Isn't that nice?
I would rather see Congress concentrate on one issue: revoking the legal exemption that prevents gun manufacturer from being sued. Make companies like this accountable.
