The Trump administration has spent much of this year rewriting the federal government’s approach to guns. Just last month, the Justice Department concluded that the ban on selling handguns to 18-20-year-olds is unconstitutional and would no longer be criminally enforced.

But amid dozens of changes to federal firearms regulations is one you might have missed. If finalized, it could fundamentally transform the way Americans buy guns.

The ATF’s proposed Non-Over-the-Counter rule would allow gun dealers to conduct many firearms sales entirely remotely, so eligible buyers could verify their identities online and have a gun shipped directly to their home, no in-person interaction required. It’s a move that has even rattled the gun industry’s own leading trade lobby.

Enter the president’s son. Donald Trump Jr. is a shareholder and board member of GrabAGun, a company that bills itself as the “Amazon of Guns” and boasts that it’s “uniquely positioned to capitalize on this potential opportunity.”

Currently, someone who orders a gun online generally must go in person to a federally licensed firearms dealer to verify their identity, undergo a background check, and eventually pick up their gun. Under the ATF’s proposed rule, eligible in-state buyers could verify their identity online, undergo a background check, and have a gun shipped directly to their home, without ever setting foot in a gun store.

The ATF estimates that as many as half of all gun buyers might choose to take advantage of fully remote sales.

GrabAGun has been positioning itself for a future where more gun sales happen this way. As the........

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