Williams Mullen’s Firearms Industry Group provides innovative legal services to members of the firearms industry. The industry is constantly evolving with new laws, the development of e-commerce, the critical need for financing, an increase in venture capital investments and more. Our attorneys therefore have a single focus: providing innovative, practical, business-oriented solutions to our clients.
With years of experience working with some of the most well-known companies in the industry, Williams Mullen provides the legal knowledge and experience that help companies grow. Whether you are a manufacturer needing help with the industry’s complex laws and regulations; a retailer looking to sell guns online; or a company looking to finance firearms transactions, our team can help. At Williams Mullen, we seek solutions to enhance our clients’ business goals and provide legal advice to help them find a way forward.
Williams Mullen’s Firearms Industry Group provides innovative legal services to members of the firearms industry. The industry is constantly evolving with new laws, the development of e-commerce, the critical need for financing, an increase in venture capital investments and more.
Our attorneys therefore have a single focus: providing innovative, practical, business-oriented solutions to our clients. With years of experience working with some of the most well-known companies in the industry, Williams Mullen provides the legal knowledge and experience that help companies grow.
Whether you are a manufacturer needing help with the industry’s complex laws and regulations; a retailer looking to sell guns online; or a company looking to finance firearms transactions, our team can help.
At Williams Mullen, we seek solutions to enhance our clients’ business goals and provide legal advice to help them find a way forward.
Federal and State Firearms Regulatory Compliance
- ATF Compliance and Enforcement.
- ITAR, Export Control and OFAC Representation.
- National Firearms Act.
- Gun Control Act of 1968.
- State and local compliance and enforcement.
- Internal investigations.
Financing Issues in the Industry
- Platform development for retail firearms lending and leasing, including offerings of Retail Installment Sales Contracts and consumer leases as alternatives to cash and credit card purchases.
- Banking regulation and relationship advice in light of restrictions on lending to the industry.
- Relationship management between firearms industry members and lenders, venture capital firms and other sources of debt and equity financing.
E-Commerce and Online Gun Sales
- E-commerce platform and procedure development for purchasing firearms through online portals.
- E-commerce compliance advice on safe terms and conditions of sale.
- Liability analysis for companies of state and local laws and the applicability of specific federal laws that control risk, such as the Protection in Lawful Commerce of Arms Act (PLCAA).
Corporate Law and Business Advising
- Entity formation and governance.
- Equity and debt financings.
- Strategic alliances and joint ventures.
- Mergers and acquisitions.
- E-commerce and sales channel support.
Second Amendment
- Advice and representation on how to leverage the industry’s second amendment protections.
Government Contracting
- RFPs, bid protests and contracting support.
- Department of state authorizations.
- Battlefield contracting.
- False claims and internal investigations.
Economic Development and Government Relations
- Relocations, expansions and incentives.
- State legislative lobbying.
Intellectual Property
- Patent, trademark and copyright protection and disputes.
- Privacy and information security.
Employment
- Intersection of employment laws and firearms laws, such as company policies regarding employees’ possession and use of firearms.
- Employment agreements and disputes.
- Employee benefits.
- Equity and executive compensation.
- Immigration.
Real Estate
- Zoning and land use, especially shooting range issues.
- Leasing, acquisitions and sales.
Environmental
- Lead contamination and OSHA issues.
- Sustainability.
Tax and Estates
- Tax planning (Firearms and ammunition excise tax "FAET"; sales and use tax; allocation and apportionment reviews).
- Estate planning.
- Gun trusts.
News
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07.09.2020
COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Preparing for and Responding to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Audits and Other Government Inquiries
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02.06.2020
ITAR Firearms Amendments - Six Important Points You Need to Know
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10.23.2019
PODCAST: Are You Interested in Investing in a Company With a Federal Firearms License (FFL)?
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02.22.2019
Chuck James Quoted in Richmond Times-Dispatch on Gun Thefts in Richmond
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08.06.2018
Chuck James Quoted in Associated Press Story on 3D-Printed Guns
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06.11.2018
Export Control Amendments Proposed for Commercial Firearms, Ammunition and Related Products
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01.17.2018
2017 Highlights the Importance of State Law Compliance in the Firearms Industry
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09.27.2017
OSHA Adds Arsenic as a Concern for Indoor Shooting Ranges
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09.22.2017
How SilencerCo Strategically Uses Two Federal Laws in Innovative Design of the Maxim 50
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08.23.2017
Camden Webb Talks Operation Choke Point with Fox News
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08.22.2017
Operation Choke Point: Justice Department Announces Program’s End
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08.18.2017
Camden Webb Discusses End of Operation Choke Point with the Washington Examiner
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01.13.2017
ITAR Guide for the Firearms Industry
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08.24.2016
New Guidance on ITAR Registration in the Firearms Industry
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06.20.2016
Senators’ Gun Control Proposals Illustrate Key Tension in Federal Firearms Policy
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05.09.2016
New ATF Ruling Allows Cloud-Based Storage of Acquisition and Disposition Records
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05.03.2016
Sandy Hook Lawsuit Aims to Weaken PLCAA, While Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss
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01.21.2016
12 Williams Mullen Attorneys Named 2016 North Carolina Super Lawyers
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01.19.2016
Lawsuit “Immunity” for the Gun Industry and What the PLCAA Really Says
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01.06.2016
Chuck James Quoted Across the Country on President Obama's Gun Control Executive Action
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01.06.2016
Firearms Industry Alert: Obama’s Executive Order Broadens Regulation, Highlights Compliance Challenges
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10.28.2015
Badger Guns Case Highlights Retailers’ Legal Risk and Need for Compliance and Training
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10.06.2015
Operation Choke Point: Lawsuit Against Federal Bank Regulators Survives Motion to Dismiss, Proceeds to Discovery
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09.25.2015
State and Local Law Compliance is Essential to E-Commerce Success in Sale of Firearms and Related Accessories
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08.18.2015
Online Gun Sales: E-Commerce Terms that Work, and Keep the Seller Safe
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08.07.2015
North Carolina Enacts Omnibus Firearms Law, Promotes Uniformity and Standardization of NC’s Gun Laws
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06.04.2015
Williams Mullen Files Brief with NC Supreme Court to Protect Rights of Shooting Range Owners
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04.29.2015
Camden Webb discusses constitutional rights of legal immigrants in NRA News segment
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04.29.2015
Camden Webb mentioned in Washington Post article
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04.24.2015
Camden Webb featured in NRA News radio segment
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04.02.2015
Trinity Wall Street v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.: Is it About Guns on the Shelves or Guns in the Streets?
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12.17.2014
The Crimes of Others: Adam Lanza, Sandy Hook, and Protection Against Tort Liability for Selling Firearms
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08.07.2014
Second Amendment Rights “Out the Door” in D.C.
Events
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11.12.2019
Webinar: Marketing Practices Liability In The Firearms Industry
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05.10.2019
Indoor Shooting Sports Ranges Short Course: OSHA and Hazardous Waste Compliance
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05.17.2018
E-Commerce in Firearms: Considerations for Compliant Distribution and Sale - Firearms Industry Compliance Conference
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02.02.2018
Heller After Ten Years - Campbell Law Review Symposium
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05.02.2016
2016 Firearms Industry Compliance Conference
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04.29.2015
Webinar: Navigating "Operation Choke Point"
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11.10.2014
CLE: The Second Amendment as a Fundamental Right: Analytical Framework and Current Trends
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03.19.2014
Fundamentals of Firearms Law
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03.07.2014
Locked & Loaded
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Charles E. "Chuck" James, Jr.
Partner- Phone:804.420.6529
- Email:Email
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Robert Van Arnam
Partner- Phone:919.981.4055
- Email:Email
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Theron M. "Tad" vanDusen
Partner- Phone:919.981.4081
- Email:Email
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Ethan R. Ware
Partner- Phone:803.567.4610
- Email:Email
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Camden R. Webb
Partner- Phone:919.981.4021
- Email:Email