CEOs of Georgia gun company, others requested to testify for House committee over mass shootings

ATLANTA — The chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform has sent a letter to the CEOs of three of the country’s biggest gun manufacturers, requesting them to testify in front of the committee later this month.

One of those CEOs is Marty Daniel, who is CEO of Daniel Defense LLC, which is based outside of Savannah.

In the days following the shooting, Daniel Defense came under fire after it was learned that it manufactures the AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle the gunman used in the Uvalde, Texas school shooting rampage.

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the mass shooting before the gunman was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent who had been working nearby.

In addition to Daniel Defense, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney has also sent letters to the CEOs of Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. and Sturm, Ruger & Company Inc. to testify before the committee on July 20.

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“I am deeply troubled that gun manufacturers continue to profit from the sale of weapons of war, including AR-15-style assault rifles that were used by a white supremacist to murder ten people in Buffalo, New York, and in the massacre of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas,” Maloney wrote in the letters. “Just this Monday, as Americans celebrated our nation’s Independence Day, a shooter used an AR-15-style rifle to kill at least seven people and wound dozens of others during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Products sold by your company have been used for decades to carry out homicides and even mass murders, yet your company has continued to market assault weapons to civilians.”

In a news release from the committee, it said it is “continuing to gather financial and marketing information from these companies regarding their sale of weapons of war in the United States—including the assault weapons used in the recent mass murders in Highland Park and Uvalde.”

Following the Uvalde shooting, Daniel Defense released a statement, saying:

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic events in Texas this week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and community devastated by this evil act ... We will cooperate with all federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities in their investigations. We will keep the families of the victims and the entire Uvalde community in our thoughts and our prayers.”

We have contacted Daniel Defense to see if Mr. Daniel will testify or if it has any updated comments for this story. We are waiting to hear back from the company.

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Teacher petitions Georgia gunmaker that manufactured AR-15 used in Uvalde school shooting The petition does not accuse the gun manufacturer of any wrongdoing but seeks to investigate whether teacher Emilia Marin has any basis to file a claim.

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