He said his gun company was born of his poor golf game. Instead of fluttering the course, Daniel started using the AR-15 (a type of gun he later made) to practice his targets. “Every shot he fired filled him with the satisfaction he had never experienced before.” Company website says..
At that time, Daniel had a hard time finding a way to attach a scope to his rifle. He started designing and selling his own accessories that allow gun owners to add lights, rangefinders and lasers to their rifles.
He took a break at the 2002 Gun Show in Orlando, Florida, where he was contacted by a representative of the US Special Forces. He finally won a $ 20 million contract to make accessories for battle rifles. Further transactions continued. According to the Daniel Defense website, in 2008 he won a contract with the British Army.
By 2009, the company had expanded to manufacture guns for consumers. Its military ties were often the basis of its marketing, which featured heavily armed fighters. “Use what they use,” says one ad. The other shows an army-style scope aimed at overtaking cars in places that look like ordinary city streets. Others include references to “Call of Duty” video games using hashtags and taglines.
Prior to the 2000s, most firearm manufacturers did not sell military offensive weapons to civilians. At the largest industry trade fairs, tactical military equipment and guns were blocked away from the general public. According to industry experts, it began to change around 2004, when the federal government’s ban on offensive weapons expired.
“Companies like Daniel Defense admire violence and war in marketing to consumers,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that supports gun control.
In 2012, the Sandy Hook shooting boosted gun sales across the industry as firearm enthusiasts stocked up on guns for fear of government crackdowns.and interview Along with Forbes, Daniel said the shooting “brought a lot of sales.” (Forbes reported that Daniel Defense had sales of $ 73 million in 2016.)
After the shooting, Daniel Defense provided employees with additional overtime to meet the surge in demand, according to Christopher Powell, who worked for the company at the time. “They kept people focused on the task at hand,” he said.
But in the late 2010s, according to a former Daniel Defense manager, some colleagues worried that Daniel might have been distracted by the brand’s marketing appeal and be on par with celebrities and politicians. I was there. They expressed concern that some of the marketing material was inappropriate for companies that manufacture deadly weapons, and managers and former executives used the name for fear of legal or professional implications. He said he didn’t want to.
Some ads Featured children Carrying and firing guns. In another example, a man in a military helmet dressed as Santa Claus, posted on Instagram two days after Christmas last year, smokes a cigar and has a Daniel Defense rifle. “After a long weekend, Santa enjoys the MK18 on Monday,” said Caption, referring to the gun model.
Due to the aggressive marketing of the industry, some companies are having problems.Earlier this year, gun maker Remington $ 73 million settlement A family of children was killed at Sandy Hook School in New Town, Connecticut. The family claimed that Remington improperly sold assault rifles, including weapons from the “Call of Duty” that Sandy Hook’s murderers frequently played.
A year after Sandy Hook, the Super Bowl was approaching and Daniel Defense launched a new marketing stunt.
The National Football League had a policy of banning the advertising of weapons on television.But Daniel Defense tried to buy 60 seconds spot It depicts a soldier returning to his family against the backdrop of ominous music. “I’m responsible for their protection,” the advertising narrator says in a tone. “And no one has the right to teach me how to protect them.”
Given that the NFL has banned ads for guns, it’s no wonder that ads were rejected. (Daniel Defense claimed that the ads were in compliance with the policy because the company sells products other than guns.) However, Daniel turned the refusal into a rally cry, and conservative media said. Wrapped it. Fox News “Fox & Friends“He urged viewers to call the NFL and say,’Hey guy, run my ad.'”
“It’s Marty Daniel at work,” Powell said. “He is not one of the typical CEOs you see.”
Daniel and his wife, Cindy, worked with the National Rifle Association to raise money for the group, sell weapons to members, and defeat gun control demands.
In recent years, Daniel and the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Daniel, have become a candid supporter of Donald J. Trump and donated $ 300,000 to a group affiliated with Trump. Daniel said, “Constitutional Amendment Article 2 Coalition“A group of gun industry tycoons who advised Mr. Trump on gun policy.
Daniel Said Breitbart News in 2017 announced that Mr. Trump’s election saved “our rights in Article 2 of the Amendment.” He and his wife also donated to other Republican candidates and groups, including their hometown of Georgia. So far in the 2022 election cycle, they have donated more than $ 70,000 to Republicans.
