According to a new Bloomberg investigation, gun companies that rely on imports are lobbying President Trump for tariff exemptions. Taurus, a Brazilian manufacturer of pistols, revolvers, and lever-action rifles with a U.S. subsidiary in Bainbridge, Georgia, has hired two “Trump-aligned” lobbying firms — Ballard Partners and Checkmate Government Relations — to help with the 50-percent tariff on Brazilian imports that Trump announced in July. So far, Taurus has paid Ballard Partners at least $90,000 to make its case to the president.
Another company, Vortex Optics, which sells riflescopes and other firearm optics — and imports many products from China, Japan, and the Philippines — paid Checkmate Government Relations $200,000 in the first half of 2025 “to lobby the White House, the Commerce Department and the US Trade Representative’s office, according to federal disclosures.”
Additionally, a review of disclosures by The Smoking Gun found that Checkmate Government Relations registered to lobby on behalf of three other gun makers on the same day in September: Beretta, Glock, and Springfield Armory. Given that Beretta and Glock are headquartered in Italy and Austria, respectively, and that Springfield Armory imports firearms from Croatia and other components from Asia, it is very likely that the companies are also seeking tariff exemptions.
As discussed here, Trump’s tariffs may lead to higher gun prices — even among domestic manufacturers, who have warned that increased demand for domestically sourced parts and materials will increase costs — at a time when gun sales are down and retailers are struggling.
connections to trump
Bloomberg notes that Ballard Partners’ president, Brian Ballard, “built his reputation as a MAGA fundraiser whose Florida-based firm did substantial business in the nation’s capital when Trump became the 45th president in 2017. He once employed [Trump Chief of Staff Susie] Wiles, whom he calls a ‘good friend,’ and Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general.”
Another Ballard partner is Hunter Morgen, “who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign as a speech writer and policy researcher and served as an aide to White House trade adviser Peter Navarro during the president’s first term.”
In June, Ballard Partners announced a “strategic partnership” with Checkmate Government Relations, another lobbying firm whose managing partner is Ches McDowell, a friend and hunting partner of Donald Trump Jr. Checkmate’s public affairs director is Chris LaCivita Jr., the son of Trump’s 2024 campaign manager. The firm reported $5.3 million in lobbying revenue in the first half of 2025.
Along with Beretta, Glock, Taurus, and Springfield Armory, another new and notable Checkmate client is the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the gun industry’s trade association, which has paid the firm at least $30,000. In the second quarter of 2025 alone, the NSSF has lobbied Congress and the Trump administration on over 30 pieces of legislation, including the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that cut taxes for suppressors and short-barreled firearms, and a bill to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list.
SEEKING HELP FROM TARIFFS
According to Bloomberg, “Just weeks after hiring Ballard, Taurus made its pitch for tariff relief to Vice President JD Vance’s staff, a session the company’s CEO later briefed investors on.” But the company’s efforts have so far been unsuccessful, and “Taurus representatives have warned officials in both Brazil and the US that tariffs could disrupt its operations and limit its US output.”
During a recent earnings call, Salesio Nuhs, the CEO of Taurus Armas, acknowledged that his company had “boosted inventory and stocked its US factory with components ahead of the imposition of tariffs to blunt their impact,” among other measures. Yet he reminded investors that “the company’s entire structure is in Brazil.”
The company has also sought help from Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who Nuhs said is “very worried” about the tariffs’ effects on the company and toured Taurus’ Brazilian factories in August.
Earlier this year, Nuhs said that 85 percent of the 7,000 firearms manufactured daily at Taurus’ Brazilian factories are exported to the U.S. market, and that its Bainbridge plant can produce another 3,000 firearms per day. As Taurus shifts production to the U.S. — like several other international gun makers — additional costs will likely be passed on to American gun buyers.