Online gun retailer GrabAGun is listing on the New York Stock Exchange July 16 — in a SPAC backed by Donald Trump Jr. and 1789 Capital founder Omeed Malik.
The pair will be ringing the bell, along with GrabAGun CEO Marc Nemati, in honor of the listing. Trump, who also joined 1789 Capital in November, will join the board of the company, which sells firearms and accessories online.
This is perhaps one more sign SPACs — special purpose acquisition companies or vehicles that can take a private company public — are back in vogue. While Colombier II (the name of the SPAC taking GrabAGun public) listed in October 2023, it comes as 61 blank check companies have already gone public this year. These companies have raised $12.4 billion so far in 2025 — the most since 2021 when the SPAC market reached a fever pitch with $162.6 billion raises, according to Dealogic.
But it’s also a sign that non-woke companies are welcome on Wall Street.
Trump Jr. previously told NYNext that GrabAGun encapsulates 1789’s vision of providing solid, well-oiled businesses — that have been blackballed by most financiers — with financial resources and backing.
“It shows our business model — we are giving a company that has been ostracized bandwidth to operate,” Trump explains.
Malik has described the listing — like all of 1789’s investments — as a “contrarian” deal to take companies who have been eschewed by traditional financiers public.
Malik and Trump have become significant investors in the “parallel economy” — capitalizing on opportunities skipped over by woke investors who prioritize investing in companies promoting environmental, society and governance issues, known as ESG investing.
Instead of ESG, Malik has coined the term EIG for entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth to characterize 1789 Capital’s priorities.
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The deal values the online firearm retailer at $150 million — the company made more than $100 million last year and is already profitable, a company spokesperson told me.
GrabAGun markets to Millennials and Gen Zers — a growing market with purchases among 18-35 year olds up 57% since 2014.
Malik’s 1789 Capital — named for the year the Bill of Rights was adopted — has raised more than $150 million from GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer, who backed news site Breitbart, researchers Cambridge Analytica and former Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters.
1789 Capital also made the first investment in the Tucker Carlson Network.
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