Brady Campaign Condemns Trump Campaign for Debate Watch Party at…

Adventure Outdoors has been identified as one of the nation’s largest seller of recovered crime guns

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 10, 2024 — The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the nation’s oldest gun safety group, strongly condemned the Trump campaign’s debate watch party hosted at Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, GA tonight – just 50 miles from last week’s mass shooting at Apalachee High School.

Kris Brown, president of Brady Campaign, said:

“It is outrageous that less than a week after four people were killed by a 14-year-old with an AR-15 at Apalachee High School, Donald Trump has chosen a nearby gun dealer – and known supplier of crime guns – as the site of his debate watch party.

“The Winder, Georgia, community is still burying their dead after our nation’s 22nd school shooting this year – a direct consequence of Donald Trump and his allies’ guns-everywhere agenda. But instead of cracking down on illegal weapons and committing to the safety of our children, the Trump campaign is supporting a gun dealer that sells a large number of crime guns recovered by law enforcement. It’s no surprise that Trump oversaw the largest increase in gun violence in history – Trump undermined ATF’s ability to regulate the gun industry by prioritizing gun lobby interests over public safety, and has committed to further gutting federal oversight of the gun industry if elected, as outlined in Project 2025.

“This is yet another slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have lost loved ones to gun violence. The Trump campaign should be ashamed.”

Background: Adventure Outdoors is a Major Seller of Crime Guns Recovered by Law Enforcement

Adventure Outdoors has been cited by the ATF for violating laws governing firearms transfers and been found to sell a large number of crime guns.
- In 2021, the ATF found more than 24 guns were recovered on crime scenes across America within the span of three years that were sold by Adventure Outdoors — a feat only 2% of dealers accomplished.
- In 2017, inspectors discovered that within the span of one year Adventure Outdoors transferred a gun to someone who answered "no" to the legally mandated question “are you the actual buyer” — a question that indicates straw purchasers.
- Adventure Outdoors also transferred guns to people who did not answer legally required questions to root out potential prohibited purchasers.
Adventure Outdoors was ranked as one of the top source dealers of crime guns in the nation for recoveries by law enforcement from 1996-2000, with 254 crime guns recovered in the time frame.
New York City sued Adventure Outdoors for negligent sales practices that led its guns to fall into the wrong hands after the company supplied 21 guns connected to crimes in New York City. The city specifically singled out Adventure Outdoors for selling recovered crime guns.
In 2011, a federal court ordered that an independent special master be appointed to oversee Adventure Outdoors’ sales practices and ensure it did not sell guns to straw purchasers.
Brady has identified recoveries of Adventure Outdoors guns in crime in federal firearms-related court records. For example, in U.S. v. Carr et al. Adventure Outdoors sold 58 guns to one individual between late June of 2016 and early February of 2017 – a strong sign of gun trafficking. As of 2019, about 25 firearms purchased by Carr at Adventure Outdoors had been recovered in the D.C. area. Many of these guns were recovered in drug trafficking and violent crimes, including murders and unsolved shootings. One gun, recovered from a prohibited person within months of its sale, was linked to four different unsolved shootings in D.C. – one of which occurred one day after the gun was purchased in Georgia.
Other cases implicating Adventure Outdoors as the source of crime guns include U.S. v. Norman et al., an Eastern District of Pennsylvania case, U.S. v. Mathieu, a Northern District of Georgia case, and U.S. v. Swofford et al., also from the Northern District of Georgia.

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.