BLOOD MONEY
UK’S £25m to US firm that made Texas massacre gun
EXCLUSIVE
A CONTROVERSIAL American company that uses images of a toddler to sell guns has been handed millions of pounds of British taxpayers’ cash.
Daniel Defense made the assault rifle that teenager Salvador Ramos used to kill 19 primary kids and two teachers in his Texas rampage last month.
And the firm is being probed over claims its marketing targets young people after posting an image of a small boy with a similar gun on Twitter.
The kid wears a T-shirt with the word “Rascal” on the front while holding what looks like an assault rifle as if it were a toy.
Even more chillingly, it is captioned with a quote from the Bible, Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
‘Aggressive’
And Daniel Defense has reportedly used clips from Star Wars films and video games like Call of Duty.
The munitions company also makes parts for assault rifles currently being used exclusively by British troops and which have seen action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A £25million deal was agreed with the Ministry of Defence for metal handguards, known as rail platforms, which are fitted to SA80 L85A2 rifles to enable use of attachments such as laser sights.
Daniel Defense is now under formal investigation by US Congress over its “aggressive” marketing strategy, which it is claimed targets young people to buy guns.
Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, leading the Congress hearings on gun reform, has written to CEO Marty Daniel to request company records. The letter, sent two days after the Texas shooting, refers to the provocative image of the boy posted on Twitter days before the massacre.
The ad sparked an online backlash, prompting Daniel Defense to switch its Twitter account to private mode.
In her letter, Democrat Ms Maloney said: “Despite strong public support for an assault-weapon ban in light of the horrific violence perpetrated with assault-style rifles, your company continues to
manufacture large quantities of assault weapons and aggressively market them to the public.”
The Georgia-based firm is facing legal action from families of the victims of the Texas massacre. Crazed Ramos, 18, shot his grandmother, seriously wounding her, before heading to the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24.
He then barricaded himself in the school with a rifle and handgun and was eventually shot dead by police after his rampage. Ramos, who was a part-time fast-food worker, had bought two military rifles after turning 18 and used social media to post about guns and warn of his attack.
Daniel Defense’s company has manufactured around 110,000 handguards for the British Army since an initial three-year contract was agreed in 2008. The parts have been supplied through another US arms exporter, RPT Consulting. The companies later fell out after RPT claimed Daniel Defense tried to cut it out of future arms deals with the MOD. The dispute was eventually settled out of court.
One military website claimed at the time of the parts’ introduction: “The new Daniel Defense Rail Platform is a complete modern update. The L85A2E is an evolved carbine truly worthy of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.”
Showcased
The MOD declined to confirm when it last received military equipment from Daniel Defense. But the firm still gives the Army technical support through its UK agent, as part of a “lifetime warranty”. Daniel Defense rifles have also been showcased at the Mod-backed DSEI arms fair, held at London’s EXCEL arena every two years and attended by ministers.
Daniel Defense boasts of its supply of parts to the MOD on its website: “We are also the sole source provider of the L85 Rail Platform to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.”
The MOD deals directly with Daniel Defense’s Uk-appointed agent.
Labour MP Liam Byrne, who sits on the Committees on Arms Export Controls, said: “How can it be right that we’re colluding with companies that make weapons used to kill schoolchildren? We desperately need an overhaul of how Parliament holds the Government to account for a system that plainly isn’t working.”
The MOD said: “We do not hold a direct contract with Daniel Defense.”
Daniel Defense did not respond to our request for comment.