Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our securities involves various risks. In addition to other information in this Annual Report and in other filings we make with the SEC, the following risk factors should be carefully considered when considering an investment in the Company. If any of the following risks occur, our business, cash flow, results of operations, financial condition and future business prospects could be materially and adversely affected, and the trading price of our common stock could decline. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deemed immaterial may also materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow. Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our operating results, past financial performance should not be considered as a reliable indicator of future performance and shareholders and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
Business and Operational Risks
Our business depends on our vendors relationships, the availability of their products and the terms of the agreements governing those relationships, and if we lose those relationships, our product offerings would be limited and less desirable to our customers.
All of the firearms, ammunition and related accessories offered on our eCommerce platform are supplied by wholesale distributors and original manufacturers. Although we have long-established relationships with many of our vendors, we generally do not maintain long-term contracts with them, as is typical in the markets in which we compete, although we may do so from time to time. Instead, purchases from our vendors are generally made by means of standard purchase orders that specify only prices and quantities for the products purchased and payment terms, with no additional material terms or conditions. As of December 31, 2025, GrabAGun does not have any material contracts with any firearms manufacturers or distributors. A reduction in vendors programs or our failure to timely react to changes in vendors programs could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, a reduction in the amount or a change in the terms of credit granted to us by our vendors could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
From time to time, vendors may terminate or limit our ability to sell some or all of their products or change the terms and conditions that apply to our purchases of their products. For example, there is no assurance that, as our vendors continue to sell directly to end users and through distributors and resellers, they will not limit or curtail the availability of their products to eCommerce retailers like us. Any such termination or limitation or the implementation of such changes could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We purchase the firearms and ammunition products offered on our website directly from both wholesale distributors and original manufacturers. For the year ended December 31, 2025, we purchased approximately 92% of the products we sold from wholesale distributors and the remaining 8% directly from firearms manufacturers, measured by product cost. Purchases from our largest distributors, Sports South, LLC, Chattanooga Shooting Supplies, LLC and Lipsey’s, represented approximately 30%, 11% and 10%, respectively, of total purchases in 2025 by product cost. In addition, sales of products manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., Smith & Wesson Brands, Springfield Armory, and Sig Sauer, whether purchased directly from these manufacturers or from a wholesale distributor, represented approximately 10%, 8%, 7% and 5%, respectively, of our 2025 sales. The loss of, or change in business relationships with, any of these or any other key vendors, or the diminished availability of their products, including due to backlogs for their products, could reduce the supply and impact the cost of products we sell and negatively impact our competitive position.
Further, the sale, spin-off or combination of any of our key vendors and/or certain of their business units, including any such sale to or combination with a vendor with whom we do not currently have a commercial relationship or whose products we do not sell, or our inability to develop relationships with new and emerging vendors and vendors that we have not historically represented in the marketplace, could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
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Our sales are dependent on continued innovations in the firearms and ammunition offerings by our vendors, the competitiveness of their offerings and our ability to develop relationships with new and emerging firearms and ammunition makers.
The firearms and ammunition industry is characterized by rapid innovation and the frequent introduction of new and enhanced firearms, ammunition and related accessories, as well as non-firearm products that appeal to outdoor enthusiasts. We have been and will continue to be dependent on innovations in these products, as well as the acceptance of those innovations by customers. Also, customers may delay spending while they evaluate new firearms-related products. A decrease in the rate of innovation, a lack of acceptance of innovations by our customers or delays in spending by our customers could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
In addition, if we are unable to anticipate and expand our capabilities to keep pace with changes in new firearms, ammunition and related accessories, for example by providing the appropriate training to our sales personnel to enable them to effectively sell and deliver such new offerings to customers, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.
We may be unable to offer firearms products from certain vendors that sell exclusively through authorized dealers. We may also be limited from selling certain vendors’ products to the extent our vendors do not carry their products or are restricted from selling their products to us because the vendors’ policies do not permit sales of their products to eCommerce retailers like us. Because of this, we are dependent upon our vendors for the development and marketing of firearms, ammunition and related accessories to compete effectively with the firearms, ammunition and related accessories of vendors whose products we do not currently offer or that we are unable to offer on our eCommerce platform. To the extent that a vendor’s offering that is in high demand is not available to us for resale on our platform, and there is not a competitive offering from another vendor that is available to us, or if we are unable to develop relationships with new vendors that we have not historically worked with, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely impacted.
We sell products that create exposure to potential product liability, warranty liability or personal injury claims and litigation.
The products sold on our eCommerce platform are used in activities and situations that may involve risk of personal injury and death. Any improper or illegal use by customers of firearms or ammunition sold on our eCommerce platform could potentially expose us to product liability, warranty liability and personal injury claims and litigation relating to the use or misuse of products sold on our website, including allegations of a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product or activities associated with the product, negligence and strict liability. If successful, any such claims could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. Defects in products sold on our platform may also result in a loss of sales, recall expenses, delay in market acceptance, damage to our reputation and increased warranty costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Although we maintain product liability insurance in amounts that we believe are reasonable, we may not be able to maintain such insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future, and product liability claims may exceed the amount of insurance coverage or may not be covered by our insurance policies. In addition, our reputation may be adversely affected by such claims, whether or not successful, including potential negative publicity about our products. If successful, any such claims could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
We may also incur losses due to lawsuits, including potential class action suits, relating to our policies on the sale of firearms and ammunition, our performance of background checks on firearms and ammunition purchases and compliance with other sales laws and regulations as mandated by federal, state and local laws, including lawsuits by municipalities or other organizations attempting to recover costs from retailers of firearms and ammunition. If successful, any such lawsuits could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Gun violence prevention and legislative advocacy organizations that oppose sales of firearms and ammunition could inhibit sales of our products.
Gun violence prevention and legislative advocacy organizations have in the past opposed sales of “assault-style” weapons and high-capacity ammunition by pressing for legislation in these areas and by engaging in public demonstrations and media campaigns. There can be no assurance that such organizations will not target us and the sale of our products, which could possibly require us to significantly change or discontinue a particular product line. In addition, certain major retailers have begun to scale back the sale of firearms and ammunition in their stores, reflecting how the pressure on retailers by these gun control organizations has impacted the industry. Should gun violence prevention and legislative advocacy organizations be success if getting local, state or Federal legislative bodies to enact such legislation, or conduct public demonstrations or media campaigns against the Company, it could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Negative publicity or broader changes in public perceptions about the firearms industry as a whole could affect the willingness of financial institutions and other service providers, including banks, third party payment processors, insurance providers and others, to continue doing business with GrabAGun, which could negatively impact our ability to carry out our business and operations and adversely affect our results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.
GrabAGun utilizes the services of financial institutions and other service providers, including banks, third party payment processors and insurance carriers in carrying out its business and operations. Negative publicity or broader changes in public
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perceptions about the firearms industry as a whole could adversely affect the extent to which these service providers are willing to continue providing companies in the firearms industry, including GrabAGun, with services and product offerings which are important to the way we operate our business today or that may be required for us to continue operating in the future, such as banking services and debt financing, payments processing, insurance coverage and other services.
Our business operating functions including payroll for our employees and other expenses and transactions are reliant on traditional banking services and if we lose access to these services or fail to secure replacement services in the future, we could experience difficulty and incur increased costs in the administration of our business, which may adversely affect our reputation or results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. We may need to raise additional funds in the future, and if our ability to obtain debt financing from banks or other financial institutions is limited, we may be required to seek financing on less favorable terms, which could adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Additionally, if as a result of being unable to obtain third party payment processing services, we fail to timely process or fulfill customer orders or experience material delays or payments-related service outages, our reputation would decline and our revenues and results of operations, cash flows and financial condition would suffer. Similarly, if we are unable to maintain adequate insurance coverage, GrabAGun could suffer losses for which we have no recourse or ability to recover, which could impair our ability to continue operating or could cause us to need to change or limit our operations, potentially materially.
Substantial competition could reduce our market share and significantly harm our financial performance.
We compete with many retail formats, including traditional brick and mortar sporting goods and specialty gun stores, pawn shops and gun shows, and other online retailers, who sell directly to customers. We expect the competitive landscape to continue to evolve as new firearm and ammunition products and business models emerge. Our continued competitiveness depends upon our ability to anticipate and evolve at pace and scale with new firearms and ammunition products and technologies through strategic and timely investments in innovation, expansion of offerings and the capabilities necessary to implement them.
While innovation can help our business as it creates new offerings for us to sell, it can also disrupt our business model and create new and stronger competitors. For instance, some of our firearms and ammunition vendors sell, and could intensify their efforts to sell, their products online directly to our customers. Moreover, traditional firearms and ammunition manufacturers have increased their omni-channel capabilities through mergers and acquisitions with retailers, which could potentially increase competition in the market to provide products to customers. If we are unable to effectively respond to the evolving competitive landscape or respond in a manner that is less effective than that of our competitors, our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition could be adversely impacted.
We focus on providing high quality customer service to gain new customers and retain existing customers. To the extent we face increased competition to gain and retain customers, we may be required to reduce prices, increase advertising expenditures or take other actions which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. Additionally, some of our competitors may reduce their prices in an attempt to stimulate sales, which may require us to reduce prices. This would require us to sell a greater number of products to achieve the same level of net sales and gross profit. If such a reduction in prices occurs and we are unable to attract new customers and sell increased quantities of products, our sales growth and profitability could be adversely affected.
If we are unable to maintain and expand our network of Federal Firearms License (“FFL”) holders, whether as a result of competition or other factors, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.
Our business model relies on a network of active FFL holders to facilitate the final transfer of firearms to our customers, and the breadth and reliability of this network is a critical component of our value proposition.
FFL holders in our network vary widely in their core business models. Some operate solely to conduct transfers, while others, such as hardware stores or pawn shops, provide FFL services as a complement to unrelated primary businesses. Still other FFL holders in our network are full-scale brick-and-mortar retailers or online firearms retailers that also have physical locations where they offer FFL services, whose core operations may compete more directly with ours. While certain retail-focused FFLs may view our platform as a competitor, we believe that many choose to remain in our network despite these concerns because it provides revenue from background check processing and opportunities to engage with customers within their target demographic. Although some FFLs have exited the network due to competitive considerations or regulatory reasons, however, to date, such exists have not had a material adverse impact on the performance of our FFL network. However, a significant reduction in the number of active, participating FFL holders, whether due to dissatisfaction with our pricing model, increased competition, or other factors, could materially disrupt our operations, diminish the convenience and geographic reach of our platform, and adversely impact our revenue. We also face competitive risks from other eCommerce firearm retailers with their own FFL networks. We do not currently pay fees or other incentives to FFL holders. Should a competing platform offer incentives to FFL holders, we could be forced to offer similar incentives, thereby increasing our costs, or risk losing FFL participation, either of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
GrabAGun’s growth to date may not be sustainable or indicative of future performance.
Our growth has placed, and is expected to continue to place, significant demands on our management, financial, operational, technological and other resources. The growth and expansion of our business depend on a number of factors, including our ability to:
increase awareness of our brand and successfully compete with other companies that compete against us;
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continue to innovate and introduce new product offerings;
maintain and improve our website;
identify and maintain key manufacturer and wholesale distributor relationships; and
expand the number of consumers using our website.
The growth and expansion of our business will place significant demands on our management, technology and operations teams and require significant additional resources, financial, staffing and otherwise, to meet our needs, which may not be available in a cost-effective manner, or at all. We expect to expend substantial resources on:
sales and marketing efforts;
development and/or acquisition, distribution, marketing and sales efforts;
website maintenance; and
general administration, including increased finance, legal, compliance and accounting expenses associated with being a public company.
Our investments may not result in the growth of our business. Even if these investments do result in the growth of our business, if we do not effectively manage our growth, we may not be able to successfully execute on our business plan, respond to competitive pressures, take advantage of market opportunities, satisfy the expectations of consumers or maintain high-quality product offerings, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and prospects. You should not rely on our historical rate of growth as an indication of our future performance or the rate of growth we may experience going forward or with respect to any new products we may introduce.
In addition, to support continued growth, we must effectively integrate, develop and motivate existing and new employees while maintaining our corporate culture. We face significant competition for personnel. To attract top talent, we will need to offer competitive compensation and benefits packages. In addition, we may face challenges in attracting employees whose values align with our own. The risks associated with a rapidly growing workforce may be particularly acute as we expand into new markets and require additional operational and legal compliance infrastructure to manage employees. Additionally, we may not be able to hire new employees quickly enough to meet our needs. If we fail to effectively manage our hiring needs or successfully integrate new hires, our efficiency, ability to meet forecasts and employee morale, productivity and retention could suffer, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial conditions, and prospects.
We will also be required to manage numerous relationships with various businesses, suppliers and vendors, service providers and other third parties. Further growth of our operations, information technology systems or internal controls and procedures may not be adequate to support our operations. If we are unable to manage the growth of our organization effectively, our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and prospects may be materially adversely affected.
We are exposed to inventory risks, which could result in our products becoming obsolete or no longer in demand.
We are exposed to inventory risks as a result of evolving customer tastes, rapid industry standards and other changes that affect the market and pricing for the products we sell. In addition to drop-ship arrangements with many of our manufacturers and wholesale distributors, we seek to minimize our inventory exposure through a variety of inventory management procedures and policies supported by our proprietary AI inventory analysis, as well as vendor price protection and product return programs. However, if we were unable to maintain our inventory management model, if there were unforeseen product developments that created more rapid obsolescence or if our vendors were to change their terms and conditions, our inventory risks could increase. Also, from time to time, we take advantage of cost savings associated with certain opportunistic bulk inventory purchases offered by our vendors or we may decide to carry high inventory levels of certain products that have limited or no return privileges due to customer demand or request or to manage supply chain interruptions. If we purchase inventory in anticipation of customer demand that does not materialize, or if customers reduce, delay or decommit from orders, and if we were unable to return the inventory to a vendors, we would be exposed to an increased risk of inventory obsolescence, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
We may in the future make selective acquisitions and such acquisitions could disrupt our operations and may have an adverse effect on our financial results.
We may in the future pursue transactions, including selective strategic acquisitions, in an effort to extend or complement our existing business. These types of transactions involve numerous business risks, including finding suitable transaction partners and negotiating terms that are acceptable to us, the diversion of management’s attention from other business priorities, extending our product offerings into areas in which we have limited experience, entering into new geographic markets, an acquisition target’s differing or inadequate cybersecurity and data protection controls, the potential loss of key employees or business relationships and successfully integrating acquired businesses. There can be no assurance that the intended benefits of our acquisitions will be realized, or that those benefits will offset these numerous risks or other unforeseen factors, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
In addition, our financial results could be adversely affected by financial adjustments required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in connection with these types of transactions where significant goodwill or intangible assets are
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recorded. To the extent the value of goodwill or identifiable intangible assets becomes impaired, we may be required to incur material charges relating to the impairment of those assets.
The success of our business depends on the continuing development, maintenance and operation of our information technology systems.
Our success is dependent on the accuracy, proper utilization and continuing operation, maintenance and development of our information technology systems, including our business systems, such as our sales, customer management, financial and accounting, marketing, purchasing, warehouse management, eCommerce and mobile systems, regulatory management system, as well as our operational platform, including voice and data networks and power systems. The quality and our utilization of the information generated by our information technology systems, and our success in implementing new systems and upgrades, could adversely affect, among other things, our ability to:
conduct business with our customers, including delivering products to them;
effectuate comprehensive and reliable data collection, maintenance and governance;
manage our inventory, accounts receivable and accounts payable;
support planned growth in our product offerings and continued evolution of the business;
purchase, sell, ship and invoice our firearms and ammunition products efficiently and on a timely basis; and
maintain our cost-efficient operating model while scaling our business.
Our information technology systems are inherently exposed to varied technological threats beyond our control. While we have taken steps to protect our information technology systems from a variety of threats, both internal and external, and from human error, there can be no guarantee that those steps will be effective. Further, although we have redundant systems at a separate location to back up our primary systems, there can be no assurance that these redundant systems will operate properly if and when required. Moreover, software vulnerabilities within the third-party information technology systems we use are discovered and reported on nearly a daily basis. When made public or otherwise known to us, we attempt to remediate or mitigate these vulnerabilities following guidance provided by the software vendor, and/or appropriate authorities, and before the vulnerability is successfully used in a cyberattack against our systems. If and when cyberattacks target and successfully exploit these vulnerabilities, we take steps designed to contain and limit the impact on our business. Any disruption to or infiltration of our information technology systems could significantly harm our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition due to failure to comply with customer, vendor, legal or regulatory obligations.
We maintain and periodically upgrade many of our information technology systems, some of which are complex, costly and time-consuming. If our information technology systems are not properly maintained or enhanced, the attention of our coworkers could be diverted and our ability to provide the level of service our customers demand could be constrained for some time. Further, new information technology systems and updates to existing information technology systems may not properly integrate with other information technology systems. Also, once implemented, the new information technology systems, updates to existing information technology systems and related technology may not provide the intended efficiencies or anticipated benefits, or could be defective or improperly installed, and could add costs, complications and disruptions to our ongoing operations.
As part of our growth strategy, we may acquire new companies, businesses or eCommerce sites with cybersecurity and data protection systems. These systems may not conform with our standards. It may require significant time and expense to upgrade and integrate such systems and controls, and if we are unable to do so in a timely manner, or at all, failures or breaches of such systems could harm our reputation, business and results of operations due to failure to comply with customer, vendor, legal or regulatory obligations.
Breaches of data security and the failure to protect our information technology systems from cybersecurity threats could adversely impact our business.
Our business involves the storage and transmission of proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data, including personal information of employees, customers, vendor and others, which we must do in compliance with applicable law. In connection with our business, some of our employees have access to our customers’ confidential data and other information. Additionally, third parties, such as data center colocation and hosted solution partners, provide services to us and also provide services as a component of our delivery of products to customers. These third parties or others that are a part of our supply chain could also be a source of security risk in the event of a failure to protect their own products, security systems and infrastructure and we may not be able to control the manner in which these third parties respond to any security breach. We have privacy and data security policies, practices and controls in place that are designed to prevent security breaches; however, as newer technologies evolve, as more business is conducted over the internet and remotely, as we acquire business operations from targets with differing or inadequate cybersecurity and data protection controls and as the third parties we exchange confidential information with expands, we are increasingly likely to be exposed to risks from breaches in security, including those arising from human error, negligence or mismanagement or from illegal or fraudulent acts, such as cyberattacks.
We, and some third parties upon which we rely, regularly experience malicious attacks and other attempts to gain unauthorized access to our systems, and attacks against us by state-sponsored organizations and nation-states may increase during periods of intense diplomatic or armed conflicts. Further, security breaches may go undetected and persist in our environments for
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extended periods. Although we have not experienced a material security breach to date, the evolving and escalating nature of cybersecurity threats, in light of new and sophisticated methods used by criminals and cyberterrorists, state-sponsored organizations and nation-states, including computer viruses, malware, ransomware, phishing, misrepresentation, AI-powered social engineering, deepfake-based impersonation, spoofing and forgery, make it increasingly challenging to anticipate, detect and defend against these threats. We and our third-party partners have implemented various security controls to meet compliance and privacy requirements while defending against these evolving security threats. However, breaches in security could expose us, our supply chain, our customers or other individuals to significant disruptions and a risk of public disclosure, loss or misuse of confidential data.
Security breaches could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information (including those under the California Privacy Rights Act), significant remediation costs as well as the loss of vendors and existing or potential customers and, ultimately, damage to our brand and reputation and adversely impact our business. While we maintain insurance coverages that are intended to address certain aspects of data security, such insurance may be insufficient to cover all losses or all types of claims that may arise and may not continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms or at all. Moreover, media or other reports of perceived vulnerabilities in our network security or perceived lack of security within our environment, even if inaccurate, could materially adversely impact our reputation and business. The cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could also be material. Such breaches, costs and consequences could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Issues relating to the use or capabilities of AI, including social and ethical issues, in our eCommerce platform or offerings may result in reputational harm and liability and increased costs.
Social and ethical issues relating to the use of new and evolving technologies such as AI in our eCommerce platform, which we use to sell firearms and ammunition, may result in reputational harm and liability. We currently utilize AI to enhance pricing and inventory management, product listings, marketing campaigns and customer service. We do not manufacture products but we sell firearms, ammunitions and related accessories manufactured by third parties some or all of which may, in the future, incorporate AI technologies to, among other things, assist with target identification, tracking and decision-making, and, as with many innovations, AI presents risks and challenges that could affect the operation, efficacy and safety of firearms products, their adoption, and therefore our business. We also depend on other third parties, such as vendors, distributors and dealers as part of the life cycle from purchase to delivery of our product offerings; these third parties too may currently or in the future incorporate AI technologies into aspects of their respective businesses. If we or the third-party manufacturers or other businesses with whom we partner use, enable or offer products or services that draw controversy due to the perceived or actual impact of the use of AI as part of or in connection with such products, offerings or businesses or on society generally, we may experience brand or reputational harm, competitive harm or legal liability. Increased focus and potential government regulation in the space of AI ethics may also increase the burden and cost of research and product development in this area, subjecting us to brand or reputational harm, competitive harm or legal liability. Failure to address AI ethics issues by us or others in our industry could undermine public confidence in AI and slow adoption of AI in our products. These risks related to the implementation and use of AI, by us and other third parties with whom we do business, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Additionally, the development, adoption and use for AI is still in its early stages, and ineffective or inadequate AI development or deployment practices by us or our manufacturer and vendors could result in unintended consequences. AI technologies are complex and rapidly evolving, and we face significant competition in the market and from other companies regarding such technologies.
Real or perceived errors, failures or bugs in GrabAGun’s website could materially and adversely affect its operating results and growth prospects.
The software underlying our website is highly technical and complex. Our software has previously contained, and may now or in the future contain, undetected errors, bugs or vulnerabilities. In addition, errors, failures and bugs may be contained in open source software utilized in building and operating our products or may result from errors in the deployment or configuration of open source software. Some errors in our software may only be discovered after the software has been deployed or may never be generally known. Any errors, bugs or vulnerabilities discovered in our software after it has been deployed, or never generally discovered, could result in interruptions in website availability, product malfunctioning or data breaches, and thereby result in damage to our reputation, adverse effects upon consumers, loss of consumers and relationships with third parties, including social media networks, loss of revenue or liability for damages. In some instances, we may not be able to identify the cause or causes of these problems or risks within an acceptable period of time. Any such perceived errors or failures in our website could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
GrabAGun’s business depends on continued and unimpeded access to its website on the internet, which in turn relies on third-party telecommunications and internet service providers (“ISPs”). If GrabAGun or those who engage with its content experience disruptions in such internet service for any reason, such as the failure of ISPs to provide reliable services, or if ISPs are able to block, degrade or charge for access to GrabAGun’s website, we could incur additional expenses and the loss of traffic.
Products sold through our website depend on the ability of consumers to access our website via the internet. Currently, GrabAGun relies on services from third-party telecommunications providers in order to provide services to its customers. In addition, GrabAGun depends on its ISPs to provide uninterrupted and error-free service through their networks. GrabAGun
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exercises little control over these third-party providers, which increases its vulnerability to problems with the services they provide. Further, telecommunications and ISPs have significant market power in the broadband and internet access marketplace, including incumbent telephone companies, cable companies, mobile communications companies and government-owned service providers.
Moreover, when internet problems occur, it may be difficult to identify the source of the problem and confirm whether it is due to the acts and omissions of our service providers or another cause. Service disruption or outages, whether caused by GrabAGun’s service, the products or services of GrabAGun’s third-party service providers, or customers’ equipment and systems, may result in loss of market acceptance of its website and any necessary repairs or other remedial actions may force it to incur significant costs and expenses.
Additionally, laws or regulations that adversely affect the growth, popularity or use of the internet, including changes to laws or regulations impacting internet neutrality, could decrease the demand for our products or offerings, increase our operating costs, require us to alter the manner in which we conduct our business and/or otherwise materially adversely affect our business. We could experience discriminatory or anti-competitive practices that could impede our growth, cause us to incur additional expense or otherwise negatively affect our business. For example, paid prioritization could enable ISPs to impose higher fees and otherwise adversely impact our business. Internationally, government regulation concerning the internet, and in particular, network neutrality, may be developing or may not exist at all. Within such an environment, without network neutrality regulations, we could experience discriminatory or anti-competitive practices that could impede both our growth, increase our costs or materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Changes in tax rates, changes in tax treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce, or the adoption of new tax legislation may adversely impact GrabAGun’s financial results.
Due to shifting economic and political conditions in both the United States or elsewhere, tax policies, laws, or rates may be subject to significant changes in ways that impair GrabAGun’s financial results. Various jurisdictions have enacted or are considering digital services taxes, which could lead to inconsistent and potentially overlapping tax regimes. In the United States, the rules dealing with federal, state and local income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Treasury Department. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely impact us. In recent years, many such changes have been made and changes are likely to continue to occur in the future. It cannot be predicted whether, when, in what form, or with what effective dates, new tax laws may be enacted, or regulations and rulings may be promulgated or issued under existing or new tax laws, which could result in an increase in our tax liability or require changes in the manner in which we operate in order to minimize or mitigate any adverse effects of changes in tax law or in the interpretation thereof which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
If we lose any of our executive officers or key personnel, are unable to attract and retain the talent required for our business, our labor costs significantly increase or our approach to workforce management is ineffective, our business could be disrupted, and our financial performance could suffer.
Our success is heavily dependent on our ability to attract, develop, engage and retain key personnel to manage and grow our business, including our key executive, management, sales and technical employees. Our future success will depend to a significant extent on the efforts of Marc Nemati, our Chief Executive Officer, as well as the continued service and support of our other executive officers, Matthew Vittitow, Chief Operating Officer, and Justin C. Hilty, Chief Financial Officer. Each of them has substantial knowledge regarding our online firearms and ammunition technology and business contacts that would be difficult to replace. The loss of the services of such individuals if they were to become unavailable to us could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.
Our future success also will depend on our ability to retain and motivate our employees, who have been given critical company knowledge regarding, and the opportunity to develop strong relationships with, many of our manufacturers and vendors. In addition, as we seek to expand our offerings of firearms, ammunition and related accessories, our success will even more heavily depend on attracting and retaining highly skilled technical employees, for whom the market is extremely competitive.
In order to attract, retain and motivate key personnel in a competitive marketplace, it is important to provide a competitive compensation package. If our compensation package is not viewed as being competitive, our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel could be adversely affected. Additionally, as minimum wage rates increase or related laws and regulations change, we have and may need to continue to increase not only the wage rates of our minimum wage employees, but also the wages paid to our other hourly or salaried employees.
A sustained labor shortage or increased turnover rates within our employee base could lead to increased costs, such as increased overtime to meet demand and increased wage rates to attract and retain employees, and could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. Additionally, if we fail to effectively manage our workforce, we may need to terminate or reposition employees within our company to eliminate an abundance of or to reconfigure resources, which could damage our employee relations and our ability to attract and retain key personnel.
If we are unable to attract, develop, engage and retain key personnel, or if our approach to workforce management is ineffective, our relationships with our vendors and customers and our ability to expand our offerings of firearms, ammunition and related accessories could be adversely affected. Moreover, if we are unable to continue to train our sales, product and technical
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personnel effectively to meet the rapidly changing needs of our customers, the overall quality and efficiency of such personnel could decrease. Such consequences could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Negative publicity or media coverage about GrabAGun or persons or businesses associated with GrabAGun could adversely affect GrabAGun’s reputation and its business, results of operations and future growth prospects.
Negative publicity or other changes in public perceptions about our company, including our firearms product offerings, mission and ideologies, sales practices, personnel or customer service, or regarding others who publicly support (or, conversely, object to) our business, could adversely affect the growth of our business, our reputation or demand for our products, and diminish confidence in and the use of firearms products sold through our website. Such negative publicity could also adversely affect our business and financial results. In addition, any negative publicity could adversely affect the willingness of our manufacturer and vendors, distributors, service providers and others to do business with us. Because of our industry and the growing use of social and digital media by consumers and third parties generally to disseminate and share information increases the speed and extent to which information, misinformation and opinions can be shared, negative publicity or other information affecting public perception of GrabAGun, its brands or products on social or digital or other media could adversely affect, potentially swiftly and materially, our business, results operations, cash flows and financial condition.
GrabAGun’s success depends in part on our ability to reach potential customers through channels other than traditional advertising methods, which we may do with the aid of certain highly influential individuals. We may also involve other persons in our outreach efforts, such as brand ambassadors, influencers, content creators and others, and we also expect to benefit, going forward, from strong earned media. Any adverse publicity relating to consultants, brand ambassadors, influencers, content-creators or other persons with whom we may collaborate for user outreach purposes, or the loss of their services, could adversely affect GrabAGun’s success.
We operate in a highly regulated industry and firearms retailers experience certain restrictions related to advertising and marketing that require us to reach prospective customers through other channels. To enhance our ability to reach potential customers and build valuable earned media, we employ a variety of outreach strategies, which includes partnering with influential individuals. Going forward, we expect to expand our efforts to attract and retain new customers, including with the aid of our brand ambassadors, social media influencers and others. Our success depends in part on the efficacy of the outreach strategies we employ or may pursue in the future and the extent to which these efforts result in overall improvements in earned media and increased awareness of our business. The reputation and popularity of our consultants, ambassadors, influencers or other persons that create or post shareable content about GrabAGun may impact significantly the extent to which we are able to build strong earned media and attract new users to our business. Our outreach strategies may be negatively impacted by a number of factors, including the reputation and popularity of our consultants, ambassadors or influencers and the content about GrabAGun that we or they create and post. Negative publicity relating to a consultant, ambassador, influencer or content creator could adversely impact our business operations, revenues and results of operations as well as our ability to maintain positive earned media and attract and retain customers. Additionally, a decline in the number of influential individuals, ambassadors, influencers and content creators involved with GrabAGun, or in their popularity, could adversely impact our success. We believe that maintaining and enhancing valuable earned media is important to GrabAGun’s business, financial condition and results of operations, particularly given our eCommerce focus. If we fail to maintain and enhance positive earned media and effective outreach programs, or if excessive expenses are incurred in an effort to do so, our business, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition could be materially and adversely effected.
A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at our warehouse and fulfillment facility or a third-party provider location could damage our business.
If the warehouse and fulfillment operations were to be seriously damaged or disrupted by a natural disaster, which may increase in number or severity as a result of adverse weather conditions or other adverse occurrences, including disruption related to political or social unrest, we could utilize another facility or third-party distributors to ship products to firearm and ammunition dealers and our customers. However, this may not be sufficient to avoid interruptions in our business and may not enable us to meet all of the needs of our customers and would cause us to incur incremental operating costs. In addition, we operate facilities which may contain both business-critical data and confidential information of our customers and third parties, such as data center colocation, managed services sites and hosted solution partners, and third parties provide services as a component of our delivery of products to customers. A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at any of our major data storage locations, managed services sites or third-party provider locations could negatively impact our business, results of operations or cash flows.
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Increases in the cost of commercial delivery services or disruptions of those services could materially adversely impact our business.
We generally ship firearms products to firearms and ammunition dealers (or, with respect to most accessories and other eligible products, to our customers), by FedEx, United Parcel Service and other commercial delivery services and invoice customers for delivery charges. If we are unable to pass on to our customers future increases in the cost of commercial delivery services (including those that may result from an increase in fuel or personnel costs or a need to use higher cost delivery channels during periods of increased demand), our profitability could be adversely affected. Additionally, strikes, inclement weather, natural disasters or other service interruptions by such shippers or periods of increased demand for delivery services could materially and adversely affect our ability to deliver or receive products on a timely basis which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial performance.
GrabAGun’s ability to implement our business plan successfully depends in part on our ability to further build brand recognition using our trademarks, service marks, proprietary products, trade secrets and other intellectual property, including our name and logos.
We rely on U.S. trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as license agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and confidentiality and other contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property. The success of our business depends on our continued ability to use our existing trademarks, trade names, and service marks to increase brand awareness and further develop our brand as we expand into new markets. We have registered and applied to register trademarks and service marks in the United States. We may not be able to adequately protect our trademarks and service marks, and our competitors and others may successfully challenge the validity or enforceability of our trademarks and service marks and other intellectual property. There can also be no assurance that pending or future U.S. trademark applications will be approved in a timely manner or at all, or that such registrations will effectively protect our brand names and trademarks which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial performance.
GrabAGun’s issuance of additional capital stock in connection with financings, acquisitions, investments, our incentive plan, or otherwise, will dilute all other shareholders.
We expect to issue additional capital stock in the future that will result in dilution to all other shareholders. We expect to grant equity-based awards to our executive officers, employees, directors and consultants under our incentive plan. We may also raise capital through equity financing in the future. As part of our business strategy, we may acquire businesses or technologies and issue equity securities to pay for any such acquisition. Any such issuances of additional capital stock may cause shareholders to experience significant dilution in their percentage of our company ownership and cause the per share value of our common stock to decline.
GrabAGun may require additional funding to finance its operations, but adequate additional financing may not be available when it needs it, on acceptable terms, or at all.
In the future, we could be required to raise capital through public or private financing or other arrangements. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all, and our failure to raise capital when needed could harm our business. In addition, inflation rates in the United States have been higher than in previous years, which may result in higher costs of capital and constrained credit and liquidity. The Federal Reserve has raised, and may again raise, interest rates in response to concerns over inflation risk. Increases in interest rates could impact our ability to access the capital markets. We may sell equity securities or debt securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner as we may determine from time to time. If we sell any such securities in subsequent transactions, our current investors may be materially diluted. Any debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants and could reduce our operational flexibility or achieve profitability. If we cannot raise funds on acceptable terms, we may not be able to grow our business or respond to competitive pressures and consumer demand.
Further, if we engage in debt financing, the holders of debt would have priority over the holders of our common stock, and we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness. We may also be required to take other actions that would otherwise be in the interests of the debt holders and force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios, any of which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, we may not be able to, among other things:
enhance our product offerings;
expand our sales and marketing efforts;
acquire businesses and technologies;
hire, train and retain employees; or
respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements.
Our failure to have sufficient capital to do any of these things could harm our business operations, financial condition and results of operations.
There can be no assurance that we will not need to raise additional financing, and such additional financing may be required more quickly than we anticipate and any required additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all.
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Seasonality and weather conditions may cause our operating results to vary from quarter to quarter.
Because many of our products are used for seasonal outdoor sporting activities, our operating results may be significantly impacted by unseasonable weather conditions. Accordingly, our operating results could suffer when weather patterns do not conform to seasonal norms.
Shipments of ammunition for hunting are highest during the months of June through September to meet consumer demand for the fall hunting season and holidays. The seasonality of our sales may change in the future. Seasonal variations in our operating results may reduce our cash on hand, increase our inventory levels and extend our accounts receivable collection periods. This in turn may cause us to increase our debt levels and interest expense to fund our working capital requirements.
Our future operating results may fluctuate significantly, which may result in volatility in the market price of our stock and could impact on our ability to operate our business effectively.
We may experience significant variations in our future results of operations. These fluctuations may cause the market price of our common stock to be volatile and may result from many factors, including the state of the firearms and ammunition industry in general, shifts in demand and pricing for firearms and ammunition, the introduction of new products or upgrades. Further, if our customers are adversely affected by national or regional economic conditions such as cost inflation or rising interest rates, they may delay or reduce purchases from us, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our operating results are also highly dependent on gross profit. Our gross profit fluctuates due to numerous factors, some of which may be outside of our control, including general macroeconomic conditions including inflation; pricing pressures; changes in product costs from our vendors and wholesale distributors; the availability of price protection, purchase discounts and incentive programs from our vendors and wholesale distributors; changes in product, order size and customer mix; the risk of some items in our inventory becoming obsolete; increases in product and delivery costs that we cannot pass on to customers; and general market and competitive conditions.
In addition, our cost structure is based, in part, on anticipated sales and gross margins. Therefore, we may not be able to adjust our cost structure quickly enough to compensate for any unexpected sales or gross margin shortfall, and any such inability could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Macroeconomic and Industry Risks
National and regional economic, social and political conditions may have an adverse impact on our business.
Sales of firearms and ammunition are influenced by a variety of economic, social and political factors, which may result in volatile sales. Political events and controversies, trade and other international disputes, war, riots, terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues, industrial accidents and other business interruptions can harm or disrupt national and regional commerce and the economy and could have a material adverse effect on our company and customers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and other channel partners. Concerns about presidential, congressional, and state elections and legislature and policy shifts resulting from those elections can adversely affect the demand for our products. In addition, uncertainty surrounding the control of firearms, firearm products, and ammunition at the federal, state, and local level and heightened fears of terrorism and crime can adversely affect consumer demand for our products. Often, such concerns result in an increase in near-term consumer demand and subsequent softening of demand when such concerns subside.
Weak or unstable economic conditions generally, inflation and actions taken to counter inflation, sustained uncertainty about global political conditions, periods of intense diplomatic or armed conflict, government spending cuts and the impact of new government policies (including the introduction of new or increased taxes, the imposition of minimum taxes or new or increased limitations on deductions, credits or other tax benefits), or a tightening of credit markets, including as a result of rising interest rates or bank failures, could cause our customers and prospective customers to postpone or reduce spending on firearms and ammunition or put downward pressure on prices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
The interruption of the flow of firearms and ammunition from suppliers could disrupt our supply chain.
Our business depends on the timely supply of firearms, ammunition and related accessories in order to meet the demands of our customers. Manufacturing interruptions or delays, including as a result of the financial instability or bankruptcy of manufacturers, significant labor disputes such as strikes, natural disasters, political or social unrest, armed conflict, pandemics or other public health crises, or other adverse occurrences affecting any of our suppliers’ facilities could disrupt our supply chain. We have not experienced, but could in the future experience product constraints due to the failure of manufacturers to accurately forecast customer demand, or to manufacture sufficient quantities of products to meet customer demand, among other reasons. Additionally, the relocation of key distributors utilized in our purchasing model could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Supply chain disruptions could cause us to experience volatility in our level of inventory and delays in the completion of orders for our customers and could further exacerbate inflationary pressures. In the event that supply chain pressures ease, we may experience changes in average selling prices and our gross margins on certain products as customers become more price sensitive.
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Our supply chain is also exposed to risks related to international operations. While we source our products in the United States, our vendors may manufacture or purchase a portion of the products we sell outside of the United States. Political, social or economic instability in regions in which our vendors purchase or manufacture the products we sell, could cause disruptions in trade, including exports to the United States. Other events related to international operations that could cause disruptions to our supply chain include:
the imposition of additional trade law provisions or regulations, including the adoption or expansion of trade restrictions;
the imposition of additional duties, tariffs and other charges on imports and exports, including any resulting retaliatory tariffs or charges and any reductions in the production of products subject to such tariffs and charges; and
restrictions on the transfer of funds.
We cannot predict whether the countries in which the products we sell, or any components of those products, are purchased or manufactured will be subject to new or additional trade restrictions, sanctions or tariffs imposed by the United States or foreign governments, including the likelihood, type or effect of any such restrictions. Periods of intense diplomatic or armed conflict may result in new and rapidly evolving trade restrictions and sanctions. Trade restrictions, including new or increased tariffs or quotas, embargoes, sanctions, safeguards and customs restrictions against the products we sell, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of product available to us and materially adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
The sale and purchase of firearms and ammunition are subject to extensive federal, state, local and foreign governmental laws, violations of which could result in the revocation of our licenses.
We are subject to the rules and regulations of the ATF and various state and international agencies that control the manufacture, export, import, distribution and sale of firearms, explosives and ammunition. Such regulations may adversely affect demand for our products by imposing limitations that increase the costs or limit the availability of our products.
Among the various laws and regulations governing the sale and purchase of firearms in the United States are restrictions on the sale of firearms to certain individuals, including federal law prohibiting the sale of firearms to convicted felons, individuals adjudicated as mentally ill, and those subject to restraining orders for domestic violence, among others, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Additionally, the Gun Control Act of 1968 sets minimum age requirements, generally prohibiting federally licensed dealers from selling handguns to individuals under 21 and long guns to individuals under 18. These restrictions are enforced by the ATF, and may be further supplemented by additional requirements or restrictions imposed by state and local laws.
State and local laws and regulations may place additional restrictions or prohibitions on firearm ownership and transfer. These laws and regulations vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some states or other governmental entities have enacted, and others are considering laws restricting or prohibiting the ownership, use, sale or importation of certain categories of firearms, ammunition, ammunition feeding devices, or all of these products. For example, certain states have adopted restrictions on the sale of modern sporting rifles, and other states are considering adopting similar laws. Several states require internal or external locking mechanisms for firearms sold in their jurisdictions. Some states mandate, or are considering mandating, certain design features based on perceived safety or other grounds. California maintains a roster of handguns that are certified for sale in the state. Compliance with these various state and local laws and regulations can be burdensome, time-consuming and potentially increase our operation costs.
Failure to comply with these or other applicable federal, state, or local firearms laws and regulations could result in significant civil or criminal penalties, including fines, license revocation, and potentially the suspension or termination of our ability to sell firearms. In addition, non-compliance could damage our reputation, result in costly litigation, and materially adversely affect our relationships with customers, vendors, and regulatory authorities.
Federal and state legislatures also frequently consider laws relating to the regulation of firearms and ammunition, including the amendment or repeal of existing laws. Existing laws may also be affected by future judicial rulings and interpretations. Changes to existing laws or the enactment of new laws may seek to restrict the makeup of firearms and ammunition, including limiting magazine capacity; mandating the use of certain technologies in a firearm; removing existing legal defenses in lawsuits; setting and/or increasing existing minimum age limits to purchase certain firearms and ammunition; or banning the sale and, in some cases, the ownership of various types of firearms and accessories. For example, certain states and the District of Columbia restrict magazine capacity. Further, a number of states have adopted some form of so called “gun industry accountability” laws that attempt to facilitate the filing of civil lawsuits by the respective state government or private individuals against certain industry participants. Other states are considering adopting similar laws. Interest in gun control legislation among federal and state legislatures tends to intensify following significant events, such as mass shootings. If restrictive laws or restrictive changes to existing laws are adopted, we could find it difficult, expensive, or even impossible to comply with such laws, which could impede our ability to distribute existing products. In addition, gun-control activists may succeed in imposing restrictions or an outright ban on private firearm ownership or particular firearm models, such as modern sporting rifles. Such restrictions or bans could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.
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Failures in our FFL validation or shipment processes could lead to regulatory violations, customer dissatisfaction, and material harm to our business.
A critical aspect of our operations involves shipping firearms to our network of third-party FFL holders, who are responsible for completing the final transfer of firearms to our customers in accordance with applicable law. Regulatory compliance requires that shipments be made only to valid, active FFL holders at their licensed locations. We maintain a series of validation steps, including verification of FFL status through the ATF’s online “FFLEZCheck” system and ongoing order-level validations through our proprietary regulatory management system. Nevertheless, despite these safeguards, errors may occur in the validation or fulfillment process. For example, a shipment could be sent to an FFL holder whose license has become inactive, or to an incorrect address if discrepancies in order data or shipping label generation are not detected.
If firearms are shipped to inactive FFLs, incorrect addresses, or otherwise in violation of applicable law, we could be subject to regulatory enforcement actions, fines, or other penalties. In addition, errors that delay or disrupt customer pickups could lead to reputational damage, loss of customer trust, increased operational costs to remediate errors, and ultimately a negative impact on our revenue and financial results. Although our systems are designed to detect and remediate discrepancies prior to shipment, errors may nonetheless occur despite these safeguards, and we rely on various manual processes, including CSR intervention and outbound shipment verification, to resolve discrepancies. Any material increase in validation or fulfillment errors could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.
We are exposed to risks from legal proceedings, including intellectual property infringement claims, and audits, including ATF compliance inspections, which may result in substantial costs and expenses or interruption of our normal business operations.
In the normal course of business we are, and may become subject to commercial, regulatory, employment, tort and other litigation.
We may become subject to intellectual property infringement claims against us in the ordinary course of our business because of the software, systems and processes we use to sell our products, in the form of cease-and-desist letters, licensing inquiries, lawsuits and other communications and demands.
We also are subject to audits by various partners and customers relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In addition, we are subject to indemnification claims under various contracts. Similarly, we are subject to audits by the ATF in the form of a compliance inspection, which can be done without a warrant, once a year. The possible consequences for noncompliance range from a warning letter to license revocation.
Current and future litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings and investigations, audits or indemnification claims that we face may result in substantial costs and expenses and significantly divert the attention of our management regardless of the outcome. In addition, these matters could lead to increased costs or interruptions of our normal business operations. Litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings and investigations, audits or indemnification claims involve uncertainties and the eventual outcome of any such matter could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Failure to comply with complex and evolving laws and regulations applicable to our operations or failure to meet stakeholder expectations on corporate responsibility matters could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Our operations span a variety of legal regimes, subjecting us to numerous complex, diverse, evolving and at times potentially inconsistent laws and regulations in a number of areas, including labor and employment, advertising, eCommerce, tax, trade, import and export controls, economic and trade sanctions, anti-corruption, data privacy and security requirements, competition, and environmental and health and safety. The evaluation of and compliance with these laws, regulations and similar requirements may be onerous and expensive, and may have other adverse impacts on our business, results of operations or cash flows, the risk of which will be heightened as we expand the products we offer and expand into new markets and channels. For example, we may be subject to increased costs and use of operational resources associated with complying with any new climate-related laws and regulations.
We have implemented policies and procedures designed to help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, but there can be no guarantee against employees, contractors or agents violating such laws and regulations or our policies and procedures. Additionally, there is increased focus by stakeholders on corporate responsibility matters, and stakeholders may disagree with our commitments and initiatives on such matters. Our disclosure on these matters and our failure, or perceived failure, to meet our commitments or otherwise effectively address these matters may erode customer trust or confidence, particularly if they receive considerable publicity or result in litigation and could have a negative impact on our business.
The requirements of being a publicly reporting company have the potential to strain GrabAGun’s resources and divert its management’s attention.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting and corporate governance requirements of the Exchange Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations increases our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources. Among other things, the Exchange Act requires us to maintain effective disclosure
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controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight are required. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Although we have already hired outside consultants to help comply with these requirements, we may hire additional personnel within our legal and finance departments in the future, which will increase our costs and expenses.
In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business and prospects may be harmed. If such claims are successful, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially harmed, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, financial conditions and prospects.
GrabAGun may be exposed to risk if it cannot enhance and maintain its internal controls and procedures.
As a public company trading on the NYSE, we have significant requirements for enhanced financial reporting and internal controls. The process of designing and implementing effective internal controls is a continuous effort that will require us to anticipate and react to changes in our business accounting, auditing and regulatory requirements and to expend significant resources to maintain a system of internal controls that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligations as a public company.
As disclosed under Item 9A, Controls and Procedures, management concluded that material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting existed as of December 31, 2025.
These material weakness primarily stem from a lack of sufficient personnel to formalize our control design and implementation across our environment, inclusive of our IT and system environment, as well as the lack of segregating key conflicting duties. If we are unable to establish or maintain appropriate internal financial reporting controls and procedures, it could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations on a timely basis, result in material misstatements in our financial statements and harm our operating results.
Matters impacting our internal controls may cause us to be unable to report our financial information in an accurate manner or on a timely basis and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the SEC or violations of NYSE rules. There also could be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. Confidence in the reliability of our financial statements also could suffer if we or our independent registered public accounting firm continue to report a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting. This could seriously affect us and lead to a decline in the market price of our common stock.
Although we have taken steps to maintain our internal control structure as required, we cannot guarantee that a control deficiency will not result in a misstatement in the future. See “Item 9A, Controls and Procedures -- Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures” for further information on material weakness.
