When a Bond Arms commercial hit Fox News, it didn’t just advertise a fancy derringer.
It kicked off a wave of headlines claiming President Trump had started his own gun company and was now “selling Trump guns” as a convicted felon.
Gun YouTuber Howard Gatch, host of Hegshot87, says that entire storyline is flat-out wrong.
Daily Beast writer Vic Verbalaitis agrees on at least one key point: Trump can’t even legally buy the guns that have his face on them.
Once you peel back the hype, the real story is part clever marketing, part political spin, and part internet game of telephone.
How A 30-Second Ad Became “Trump’s Gun Company”
Howard Gatch traces the whole controversy back to a simple Fox News spot.
He explains that Bond Arms started running an ad for a new handgun called the “Living Legend DT47,” marketed as a tribute to Trump’s “historic comeback win” to become the 47th president.
That alone is pretty standard political merch stuff.
But as Gatch describes it, someone clipped part of that ad, slapped on a headline about a “convicted felon president selling guns,” and pushed it out on social media.
From there, the rumor grew legs.
Screenshots flew around claiming Trump had launched his own firearms brand.
Gatch jokes that his viewers probably didn’t fall for it, but he points out plenty of people online will believe anything if the headline matches their politics.
Vic Verbalaitis describes the same ad in the Daily Beast, quoting Bond Arms’ pitch that the DT47 honors “Donald Trump’s amazing comeback election victory.”
He notes that journalist Aaron Rupar posted the commercial on X, which helped it spread far beyond normal gun circles.
Once that happened, the narrative was off and running.
What The DT47 Actually Is – A Commemorative, Not A “Trump Gun Company”
Strip away the spin and the DT47 is just a commemorative derringer.
Verbalaitis reports that it’s a small “hand cannon”–framed Bond Arms handgun, retailing for about $645.
It has Trump’s profile engraved on one side with phrases like “LIVING LEGEND,” “I’M BACK,” and “LET’S REUNITE AMERICA.”
The other side carries an American flag and quotes such as “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” and “WE ARE PATRIOTS.”
In other words, it’s a themed gun with heavy branding—not a new manufacturer.
Howard Gatch is blunt about that point.
He says Bond Arms “has been making derringers for decades,” and this model is their gun, not Trump’s gun company.
He stresses there is no “Trump Guns LLC” secretly operating behind the scenes.
Gatch also reminds viewers that because of Trump’s conviction, he’s federally prohibited from owning or possessing these guns at all, even though his face is on them.
That’s the irony Verbalaitis leans on in his piece too: Fox is running ads for Trump-branded pistols that the president legally can’t buy.
So the reality is much duller than the rumor.
You’re looking at a Texas gun maker cashing in on political fandom, the way lots of companies do.
Not a felon-president moonlighting as a firearms mogul.
Why The Rumor Took Off So Fast
Gatch argues that the frenzy around these guns isn’t an accident.
In his view, certain media voices want to keep the phrase “convicted felon” glued to Trump’s name in every story they can.
By framing the Bond Arms ad as Trump personally “selling guns,” they get to paint a picture of a dangerous, gun-obsessed felon-president pushing firearms culture even harder.
He says the goal is to make Trump look like “the bad guy in any possible way they can,” and to “weaponize the ignorance” of people who never bother to check beyond the headline.
Verbalaitis takes a different tone but ends up in a similar place.
His piece focuses on how odd it is that a president who can’t legally purchase a firearm has pistols with his likeness airing on Fox, and he openly questions whether Trump profits from the sales.
He doesn’t claim Trump runs a gun company, but the framing still taps into the same tension: a polarizing figure, a felony record, and guns all in one package.
This is the kind of combo that makes for viral content, no matter which side you’re on.
It’s also exactly the kind of story that gets louder the less people understand how the gun industry actually works.
Presentation Guns Have Been Around Forever
One of the most useful points Howard Gatch makes is historical.
He reminds viewers that presentation guns and political commemoratives are nothing new.
He points back to the Civil War era, when Ulysses S. Grant received custom-engraved firearms from makers like Smith & Wesson.
He mentions a Winchester Model 70 created for John F. Kennedy that never got finished due to his assassination, and now gets shown off at gun events.
Gatch even brings up a set of 1911 pistols by Cabot Guns with one pistol themed around George W. Bush and Ted Nugent, and the other around Barack Obama and Piers Morgan.
He notes there were also “Hitler presentation guns” in World War II.
The point is simple: leaders, celebrities, dictators, and politicians getting their faces put on guns is a long-running tradition across countries and ideologies.
It’s not some brand-new Trump-specific scheme.
If anything, this is just the 2025 version of something gun companies and craftsmen have been doing for more than a century – putting famous faces and big symbolism on expensive showpieces for collectors.
Whether you like that tradition or hate it, it helps explain why the DT47 exists at all.
Are “Trump Guns” Worth Buying?
On the question every gun owner eventually asks – should you buy one? – Howard Gatch gives a pretty balanced answer.
He admits these limited-run guns are “kind of cool” if you’re into collectibles, and he doesn’t have any moral issue with someone spending money on them for fun.
He also notes they’re almost always more expensive than the standard versions of the same firearm, and a little on the cheesy side.
For a new shooter or someone who wants a serious defensive tool, Gatch thinks your money is better spent elsewhere.
He suggests focusing on a solid, reliable rifle or handgun, plus a good-quality optic, magazines, ammo, and most importantly training.
He also talks about putting some of that budget toward gun-rights organizations that actually fight legal battles, instead of just buying more themed gear.
His argument is basically this: commemorative guns are fine as toys or collectibles, but they don’t replace a well-thought-out setup for home defense or daily carry.
And if your collection is small, there’s a good case for building a practical foundation first.
It’s a point a lot of people skip when they get caught up in politics and branding.
Merch, Narrative, And A Not-So-Secret Marketing Win
Vic Verbalaitis puts the Bond Arms controversy into a bigger pattern.
He points out that Trump has turned merchandising into an art form for decades – everything from Trump Steaks and Trump Guitars to his endless runs of red MAGA hats.
Verbalaitis also reminds readers of Trump’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Bible project, which bundled Scripture, founding documents, and a Lee Greenwood chorus into one package.
To him, the DT47 fits neatly into that broader ecosystem of Trump-branded products, even if there’s no proof Trump is financially tied to this particular gun.
At the same time, Gatch notes that the media outrage probably helped Bond Arms more than it hurt Trump.
All that viral noise turned into free advertising.
He says stories attacking the “Trump gun” just make more fans say, “Oh, this is the Trump gun they’re mad about? I want one.”
In that sense, both sides get something.
Critics get another chance to shout “convicted felon with guns” into the void.
Supporters get another symbol to rally around – and another collectible to put in the safe.
The actual truth, though, is almost boring.
There is no Trump-run gun company, no secret firearms empire, and no loophole letting a prohibited person move pistols with his name on them.
There’s just a normal gun maker, a themed derringer, a convicted president who legally can’t touch it, and an internet that will never let nuance get in the way of a juicy story.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
