A man poses for a photo with life-sized cardboard cutouts of President Donald Trump and late President George Washington, depicted wearing tactical gear, on the exhibition floor during the National Rifle Association annual meeting April 27, 2025, in Atlanta, Ga.
If finalized, the rule would be among the most consequential changes to the U.S. gun policy in two decades, potentially driving huge growth in online gun sales, according to 10 industry officials, store owners, and gun-control advocates interviewed by Reuters.
The proposal would allow licensed dealers to ship firearms directly to in-state residents who undergo an online identity verification and background check, along with a seven-day waiting period after notifying local law enforcement. Currently, online buyers must pick up firearms at physical stores and undergo in-person background checks unless they have a permit.
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Some gun shop owners, industry officials and gun control advocates argue the direct shipping of firearms poses significant public safety and security risks and threatens the viability of small brick-and-mortar gun shops.
President Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. arrive at the White House on May 3 in Washington, D.C.
The change could benefit Trump Jr., whose more than 300,000 shares in GrabAGun are worth more than $700,000, down from more than $5 million last year.
A spokesperson for Trump Jr., Andrew Surabian, said in a statement the president’s son had no role in the ATF proposal.
"Don is a lifelong businessman and vocal advocate of our Second Amendment rights,” he said. “He does not interface with the Federal Government as part of his role with any company that he invests in or advises and had zero involvement in this particular decision."
GrabAGun CEO Marc Nemati told Reuters that neither he nor Trump Jr. knew this proposal was coming. He said in an interview that the company is still analyzing the potential impact of the rule change on its $100 million in revenue.
The CEO was bullish, however, in a May news release: “We believe GrabAGun is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this potential opportunity."
The ATF projects that half of all gun buyers — nearly 3.3 million people a year — would eventually use the home-delivery method. Some industry leaders told Reuters they expect the actual numbers to be far higher because of the convenience of online shopping. Online ordering for in-store pickup currently represents a smaller but still substantial portion of U.S. gun sales, industry experts say.
ATF chief counsel Robert Leider said in an interview that he oversaw a team effort at the agency to craft the proposed rule. He said it aimed to align the gun industry with the rest of the modern economy. The agency estimates the change would save consumers $103.7 million annually in travel and processing time.
Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a speech during the annual National Rifle Association meeting May 18, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
Leider said he was unaware of Trump Jr.'s connection to GrabAGun until asked by Reuters and that the president's son had no influence on the proposed rule. Leider declined to say whether the White House had a role in the proposal.
The White House said it had no record or knowledge of any "interaction with the President's son on any of these topics."
The rule is one of 34 deregulatory measures proposed by the ATF this spring in response to a February 2025 presidential executive order to expand gun access.
Marianna Mitchem, a senior firearms industry adviser at Everytown for Gun Safety, worked at ATF for more than 20 years, including about four as the industry liaison. She said the industry never asked for a similar policy in her interactions and that physical gun shops historically played a key role in vetting owners.
“ATF always says the gun store is the first line of defense in gun safety,” said Mitchem, who is against the proposed rule. “But now they are flipping it."
Founded in 2010, GrabAGun is one of the nation's leading online-first gun retailers, though some competitors with physical retail operations also provide online ordering. GrabAGun would be poised for substantial growth under the new ATF rule but competitors including major outdoor stores and other retailers could also take advantage of the regulations, according to industry analysts, former ATF officials and gun shop owners.
Trump Jr. emerged as the face of GrabAGun last year when it went public through a special purpose acquisition company merger that netted the company $119 million. That SPAC was brought by 1789 Capital, where Trump Jr. is a partner.
Shares of the company, which trades under the ticker PEW, have dropped 85% over the past year. Reuters could not establish the factors driving the stock’s falling price.
Trump Jr. argued at the time that the online gun sales were safe because they were sending guns to gun shops for customer pickup – rather than directly to homes, as the new rule would allow. He also made TV appearances to argue that young people and women who may not otherwise want to visit a gun store would flock to the company’s more accessible website.
“People buy everything online,” Trump Jr told Fox Business last summer.
