Press Release: 5/5/2026
Senators Markey, Warren, Blumenthal Demand Gun Manufacturer Halt Marketing Campaigns of Assault-Style Weapons to Minors
Boston (May 4, 2026) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today wrote to Eric Schmid, owner of Mountain Billy Gun Lab—formerly Wee1 Tactical—demanding the company cease all marketing of assault-style weapons directed at minors, withdraw related advertisements, and halt the sale of products promoted in campaigns. Although Wee1 Tactical rebranded as Mountain Billy Gun Lab in mid-2024, the underlying business model and marketing strategy appear substantively unchanged.
An investigation by The Smoking Gun reveals that Mountain Billy Gun Lab continues to promote scaled-down AR-15 style weapons—now branded as “GOAT-15”—using images and social-media content that depict children firing these weapons. The rebranding appears designed to deflect negative attention rather than to substantively alter the company’s approach to products and audiences.
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “According to The Smoking Gun, Mountain Billy Gun Lab’s website and social-media accounts portray the GOAT-15 series as suitable for training new shooters and ‘family range days,’ with explicit visual depictions of children using the rifles in Instagram videos and posts. These include videos showing a young girl loading and firing a short-barreled GOAT-15, children assisted by adults while firing rifles, and captions referencing family and youth shooting contexts. These visuals and captions strongly suggest that Mountain Billy Gun Lab’s promotional outreach continues to appeal to minors—a practice that, whether intentional or not, raises serious questions about consumer safety and lawful marketing.”
The lawmakers requested responses to the following by May 18, 2026:
- For each product sold or marketed since the rebrand, identify the intended and actual target markets, including any age-specific consumer research.
- Provide copies of all internal safety evaluations or age-appropriateness assessments for products designed or marketed for “new shooters” that could reasonably include minors.
- List all marketing personnel, agencies, or consultants responsible for approving social media content directed at or likely to reach minors.
- Provide all social-media content, postings, and campaign analytics for Mountain Billy Gun Lab accounts since the rebranding.
- Describe any internal policies governing age-targeting on marketing platforms used by the company.
The lawmakers’ letter follows a letter from Senators Markey, Warren, Blumenthal, and others to the FTC, urging it to investigate Wee1 Tactical (the predecessor to Mountain Billy Gun Lab) for its promotion of the “JR-15,” a .22-caliber AR-15 style rifle scaled down for children.