Gun TV was a short-lived American shopping channel that allowed buyers to purchase firearms through the traditional home shopping television format. The network was founded by Valerie Castle and Doug Bornstein, veterans of the home shopping industry, and was owned by Social Responsibility Network, LLC, based in the Coachella Valley, California.
The channel launched on April 1, 2016, and operated primarily through a website live stream, along with an overnight over-the-air feed carried by networks such as the American Sports Network's 24/7 service, Tuff TV, Pursuit Channel, and FightTV. The network's launch announcement coincided with the December 2015 San Bernardino shootings, which drew criticism and negative attention to the venture.
Unlike other shopping channels, Gun TV did not ship products directly to customers in order to comply with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulations. Instead, customers picked up their purchases at the nearest federally licensed dealer, which completed the necessary NICS background checks and paperwork. Firearms were shipped to dealers via Louisiana-based wholesaler Sports South.
Because it was illegal to fire a weapon inside a studio in California, Gun TV featured inactive and unloaded firearms in the studio, combined with out-of-studio demonstrations conducted by former law enforcement and military personnel, as well as markspersons such as former Olympic shooters and contestants from the History channel's competitive shooting series Top Shot.
The concept proved unsuccessful, and the network ended operations on January 9, 2017, only nine months after its launch. Gun TV continued to air hour-long paid programming blocks overnights on Pursuit Channel after that date until mid-April 2017, when the company's social media accounts went dormant, followed by its website.
