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 & 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., or “PLCAA”.

Corporate Law & Business Advising

  • Entity formation and governance.
  • Equity and debt financings.
  • Strategic alliances and joint ventures.
  • Mergers and acquisitions.
  • E-commerce & 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 & 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 & 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 & OSHA issues
  • Sustainability

Tax & Estates

  • Tax planning (Firearms and ammunition excise tax "FAET"; sales and use tax; allocation and apportionment reviews)
  • Estate planning
  • Gun trusts

News

Events