Photo by Mackenzie Marco on Unsplash
Amid tariff troubles and declining demand, gun makers are sending lobbyists to Capitol Hill for the first time in years—some for the first time. Glock (under fire for its designs that allow DIY homemade machine guns) got into federal lobbying for the first time ever this year, and Beretta and Springfield were back this quarter after having no lobbying activity since 2017 and 2023 respectively. All three gunmakers are lobbying the Trump administration on more lenient trade for their weapons.
Besides trade concerns, there was lobbying around Democrat-initiated bills like the S.2154 Protecting Children from Gun Marketing Act, which the industry opposes. Reports have shown the gun industry aggressively markets to children. Curiously, Gun Owners of America suddenly stopped spending after being one of the top spenders in recent quarters, where their activity focused on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and bills related to repealing the National Firearms Act and abolishing the ATF.