Gun used in Texas school shooting made by Bryan County's Daniel Defense

Gov. Greg Abbott detailed Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas at a press conference this week in which he called the shooting “evil.”  But as Abbott continued speaking, a spotlight shined on something closer to the Georgia coast: the gun used to kill 19 children and two teachers.

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Daniel Defense, the family-owned and privately held gun manufacturer headquartered in unincorporated Bryan County, was the maker of the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle used by the gunman.

Steve Reed, Daniel Defense's vice president of marketing, issued a statement to the Savannah Morning News on Thursday — the same one posted on the company's website.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic events in Texas this week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and community devastated by this evil act," noted the statement. As reported in Governor Abbott’s press conference, it is our understanding that the firearm used in the attack was manufactured by Daniel Defense. We will cooperate with all federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities in their investigations. We will keep the families of the victims and the entire Uvalde community in our thoughts and our prayers."

Since Tuesday, the company has retreated from its social media platforms, setting its Twitter account to private.

According to multiple news outlets, including USA Today, the gunman in the Texas school shooting purchased the DDM4 V7 model online for his 18th birthday. The various DDM4 models on the Daniel Defense website retail between $1,870-$3,390.

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The company was set to attend the NRA convention in Houston this weekend, but has since backed out. Prior to the 2022 shooting, Daniel Defense was reported as the manufacturer of weapons used in the 2017 Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas.

What is Daniel Defense?

Daniel Defense was founded in 2000. It occupies a 300,000-square-foot plant just off I-16 in Black Creek, Georgia, just 27 miles northwest of Savannah.

After CEO Marty Daniel founded Daniel Defense, he received a $20 million contract for specialized hand rails for M4 rifles used in combat in 2002. Since then, Daniel Defense has become one of the largest privately held gun manufacturers in the U.S. with sales nearing $100 million, according to Forbes.

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According to images obtained by The Daily Dot, the alleged shooter in the Uvalde elementary school posted his receipt from Daniel Defense last week. According to law enforcement officials, along with the Daniel Defense rifle, the shooter also recently purchased 375 rounds of the 5.56 ammunition for the rifles and carried seven 30-round magazines into Monday’s shooting.

School district response

Just as the school year was winding down for those at Robb Elementary School in the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, students and teachers were also ending their school year here in Savannah-Chatham County schools.

A spokesperson for the school district said Superintendent Ann Levett and other administrators have been in graduation ceremonies this week, but in a statement Levett said she was saddened and frustrated by the news in Texas.

"I extend my condolences to the entire Robb Elementary and Ulvade school community on this tragic and senseless loss of lives," Levett said. "It is my prayer that we will no longer accept these kinds of events as a tragic reality of our lives. Each day, we are charged with creating a safe zone in which our children can learn, our teachers can teach, and all employees can work."

Levett added that the school district holds active shooter drills to familiarize students with the procedure should a danger occur, has administrators conduct random searches and inspections, and require students to be in uniform with a clear or mesh book bag.

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For their part, the school district's police have taken on initiatives such as recruiting more school resource officers and security personnel, and training school staff on how to respond to an active shooter or any other threats to student and staff safety.

"These are all steps taken to control what we can in hopes of minimizing any threats to our students and staff, but nothing is foolproof," Levett said.

Still, Levett questioned if it was enough: "The unimaginable grief they are experiencing should give everyone pause and question whether there is more we could or should be doing."

Raisa Habersham is the watchdog and investigative reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at rhabersham@gannett.com.

Drew Favakeh is the public safety reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com. 

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Uvalde school shooter bought AR style rifle from GA manufacturer