Prior to the 2000s, most arms manufacturers did not market military-style assault weapons to civilians. At the largest trade fairs in the industry, tactical military equipment and weapons were cordoned off, away from the general public. That began to change around 2004, industry experts say, with the expiration of the federal assault weapons ban.
“Companies like Daniel Defense glorify violence and war in their marketing to consumers,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that supports gun control.
In 2012, the shooting of Sandy Hook led to an increase in gun sales across the sector as firearms enthusiasts stocked up, fearing government repression. In an interview with Forbes, Mr. Daniel said the shooting “generated a lot of sales.” (Forbes reported that Daniel Defense had sales of $ 73 million in 2016.)
After the shooting, Daniel Defense offered employees overtime to meet growing demand, according to Christopher Powell, who worked for the company at the time. “They kept people focused on the task,” he said.
But in the late 2010s, some colleagues began to worry that Mr. Daniel would have been distracted by the glamor of marketing the brand and rubbing shoulders with celebrities and politicians, according to a former Daniel Defense manager. They expressed concern that some of the marketing materials were not suitable for a deadly weapons company, said the manager and a former executive, who did not want their names used because they feared legal or professional repercussions.
Some ads featured children carrying and firing guns. In another, posted on Instagram two days after Christmas last year, a man dressed as Santa Claus and wearing a military helmet is smoking a cigarette and holding a Daniel Defense rifle. “After a long weekend, Santa is enjoying MK18 on Monday,” the title states, referring to the gun model.
Aggressive industry marketing has put some companies in trouble. Earlier this year, gun maker Remington reached a $ 73 million deal with the families of the children killed at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut. Families had claimed that Remington improperly marketed his assault rifles, even with his weapons listed in “Call of Duty.” ”That Sandy Hook’s killer had often played.