by WorldTribune Staff, May 8, 2018
When much of corporate America distanced itself from gun businesses in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, many in the firearms industry launched their own start-ups to fill the void.
“A lot of the actions by other companies against those who are even marginally attached to the gun industry have created some obstacles and barriers to us,” firearms entrepreneur Stephen Bozich told Reuters. “But as a former soldier, I live by the creed of adapt and overcome.”
Bozich started BareArms.com, a site dedicated to selling unfinished guns.
Larry Lopata and his business partners developed a new product – an adjustable-length trigger, so people with different sized hands can comfortably share the same gun.
Lopata told Reuters that crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo would have been perfect for the product, but the sites prohibit users from raising money for weapons projects.
So Lopata created his own, gun-friendly crowdfunding site, GunDynamics.com, which launched last month, the report said.
“Parkland really brought out this open warfare against the gun community,” Lopata said.
In less than a month, Lopata has raised $6,720 for his project, which is seeking $50,000 to fund an initial production run of 5,000 triggers.
Tim Harmsen, star of the Military Arms Channel on YouTube, said he saw the backlash coming and prepared by creating his own “YouTube” for guns, called Full30.com – a reference to a full 30-round magazine.
“Full30 has taken on content providers that have been kicked off YouTube, which prohibits the sale of firearms or the provision of instructions on how to make guns or accessories such as high-capacity magazines or silencers,” the Reuters report said.
No longer able to make money on YouTube despite 700,000 subscribers, Harmsen said he had to build an alternate site, which he called a “lifeboat.”
“We knew that if they kicked us off that platform we would have no place to go. Our families would starve,” Harmsen said.
Other products on GunDyanmics.com include a device to reduce “muzzle climb,” when a gun barrel rises upon recoil, and a patent-pending creation of a 3-in-1 trigger designed for the M1911 pistol.
The ST1911 new trigger was developed while Trigfit was working on a submission for the US Army’s XM-17 Modular Handgun System, according to a report by Gun World.
“Originally intended to afford soldiers the option of reconfiguring their handguns in the field, the ST1911 wasn’t introduced into the MHS competition, but it’s now offered to 1911 enthusiasts in Gun Dynamics,” the report said.
TrigFit’s crowdfunding goal is $50,000 and it had raised $3,135 as of early May. Once TrigFit has attained its goal, the ST1911 is expected to begin shipping in September of 2018.
Also on GunDynamics.com, one prospective entrepreneur wants to develop the assault rifle of the future for the U.S. military, while another wants to create a new concealed-carry vest for women, Lopata said.
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