Gun makers appeal to masculinity, supremacists to sell guns: Report

A study published in late July by the House Oversight Committee stated that the nation's gun manufacturers employ "disturbing sales practices" to market assault weapons to civilians while failing to track deaths or injuries caused by their goods.

In the aftermath of tragic mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, the Committee launched an investigation into five gun manufacturers in late May.

Gun manufacturers have collected more than $1 billion from sales of AR-15-style rifles in the last decade, the research found.

As the #US undergoes a mass shooting crisis and while lawmakers call for holding the industry accountable for crimes committed using their products, gunmakers have seen a tremendous hike in earnings from their sales of AR-15-style rifles, according to data.#GunViolence pic.twitter.com/DWVhXalW0J
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 28, 2022

Gun makers, according to business literature, target young males by promoting firearms in a way that appeals to consumers' masculinity. One advertisement said that purchasing an AR-15 would guarantee "your standing at the top of the testosterone food chain."

"The firearm industry has been marketing directly and indirectly to white supremacist and extremist organizations for years, playing on fears of government repression against gun owners and fomenting racial tensions," the report stated, noting gun makers used symbols and names in their marketing materials that nodded to white supremacist organizations.

According to the report, the five gun manufacturers under investigation "do not have any mechanisms in place to monitor and analyze" the deaths, injuries, and crimes related to their goods.

"How much are the lives of America’s children, teachers, parents, and families worth to gun manufacturers?" Committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a press release.

"These companies are selling the weapon of choice for mass murderers who terrorize young children at school, hunt down worshippers at churches and synagogues, and slaughter families on the Fourth of July. In short, the gun industry is profiting off the blood of innocent Americans," Maloney added.

“My Committee has found that the business practices of these gun manufacturers are deeply disturbing, exploitative, and reckless."

The Committee began its probe by requesting information about the manufacturing, selling, and marketing of semi-automatic rifles from five gun manufacturers: Daniel Defense, Bushmaster, Sig Sauer, Smith &Wesson Brands, and Sturm, Ruger & Company.

It requested testimony from the CEOs of Smith & Wesson Brands, Daniel Defense, and Sturm, Ruger & Company in late July.

Smith & Wesson was subpoenaed by the Committee earlier this month after the business failed to answer the panel's request for information and testimony.

Following the #Texas elementary school massacre, which claimed the lives of 19 children and two adults, there has been fresh criticism of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions received by Republican politicians from pro-gun rights groups.#TexasMassacre pic.twitter.com/MnGOqXFoIh
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 26, 2022