A new report from The American Independent revealed this morning that Congressman Ted Budd took thousands of dollars from the manufacturer who produced the gun used in the Uvalde school shooting this May. The co-owners of Daniel Defense gave Budd a total of $5,800 for his campaign. Daniel Defense is facing legal scrutiny for targeting high-risk teenagers in their gun sales advertisements and a lawsuit from parents of the victims of the Uvalde shooting for their role in the deadly attack.

Bottom line: We cannot trust Ted Budd to keep us safe. 

The American Independent: Ted Budd accepts campaign contribution from gun makers who made Uvalde shooter’s weapon

• Cindy and Marvin Daniel, co-owners of the gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, each gave the maximum permitted campaign contribution to Republican Rep. Ted Budd’s campaign for Senate in North Carolina, campaign finance records show.

• Budd is running against Democratic nominee Cheri Beasley, a former North Carolina Supreme Court justice, in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr.

• Budd’s campaign accepted a combined $5,800 from the owners of the gun manufacturing company, which made the weapon used in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May. An 18-year-old gunman allegedly killed 19 children and two teachers in what has been called the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

• Daniel Defense has faced legal complaints for allegedly targeting teenagers in its advertising by using pop culture references, including imagery from the Call of Duty video game series and the popular Netflix show “Squid Game.”

• In July, the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against the company, alleging that its advertising and marketing tactics violated the Federal Trade Commission Act by “unfairly implying that its products are suitable for use by civilians in offensive, combat-like missions and by appealing particularly to teenage and young adult men who are attracted to violence and military fantasies.”

• Families of victims of the Uvalde shooting filed a lawsuit against Daniel Defense, among other parties, in September. “Daniel Defense chooses not to do any studies evaluating the effects of their marketing strategies on the health and well-being of Americans and chose not to look at the cost to families and communities like Uvalde, Texas,” their complaint states.

• Budd is a gun store owner who has voted against enhancing background checks for prospective gun purchasers; against the Protecting Our Kids Act, which would raise the age requirement for purchasing semi-automatic weapons; and against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the gun safety law that Congress passed in June following the shooting in Uvalde.

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