GunTV, a 24-hour sales channel, launching in the desert

In the nearly forgotten corners of your cable television channels, resides the nonstop realm of home shopping networks. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, gaudy jewelry and decorative plates rotate on small white pedestals, tempting you with cheap prices and flattering lighting.

With only a quick call, anything they have can be yours.

Now just imagine – what if they were selling guns?

The Coachella Valley will soon be home to a 24-hour firearm shopping channel, which will start filming in a Thousand Palms television studio in about two months.

GunTV, which also uses the name “GTV Live Shopping,” is set to launch in January with six hours of daily programming – mostly shopping, starting at 1 a.m. The channel expects to expand to a 24/7 lineup its first year.

Despite the polarizing debate of firearms in America, the development of GunTV has flown below the radar until now. When reached for comment this week, neither firearm advocates, nor gun critics, were aware that GunTV was in the works. Unsurprisingly, the network drew criticism from anti-gun groups, who argued the shopping network will only add more firearms to a nation that already has far too many.

“My gut reaction is this is the last thing we need,” said Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a national nonprofit based in San Francisco.

“When you look at the number of gun deaths in this country every day, the idea that somebody’s ‘brilliant marketing scheme’ is to get more guns into the hands of more people is just a little bit outrageous,” Cutilletta said.

The GunTV founders are Doug Bornstein and Valerie Castle, a couple with professional backgrounds in shopping networks who live in the Thunderbird Heights neighborhood in Rancho Mirage.

Castle said GunTV was envisioned to appeal to gun companies, who wanted a new venue to advertise their products, and in response to what she called a nationwide "love affair with shooting sports."

"Our business philosophy is filling the need, not creating one," Castle said.

A similar message came from Craig Deluz, the communication director for the California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees. Deluz said he was surprised that GunTV would operate in California, which has some of the nation’s strictest gun laws, but not surprised that someone would try an all-gun shopping channel.

If production is good, the channel should succeed, Deluz said.

“I would urge you to go to YouTube, and type in the name of any firearm, and see how many people are posting reviews of that weapon,” Deluz said. “You would be surprised how much video content is out there, and it’s because there is a market for it.”

GunTV appears to be modeled after existing shopping channels, like the Home Shopping Network and QVC TV, but will face more stringent restrictions. Unlike the jewelry, commemorative coins or decorative plates sold on other channels, firearms can’t be mailed across state lines or sold to just anyone.

To work within gun laws, GunTV won’t actually sell firearms directly to its viewers. Instead, when a viewer calls GunTV, the network will place an order on behalf of that viewer with Sports South, a Louisiana firearms distributor. Sports South will then ship the weapon to a local gun store, where it can be purchased like normal by the viewer.

GunTV will also sell ammunition, firearm accessories and outdoor apparel.

The sales process appears to adhere to the laws that regulate gun sales, said Cutilletta, the attorney from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. She said she found some relief in the fact that gun stores would still be conducting background checks and record-keeping that is required by law.

However, Cutilletta still argued that GunTV was trivializing the sale of firearms.

“Buying a gun is a serious decision,” she said. “If you are going to buy a gun for your home, it’s not a decision you should be making at three in the morning because you are watching TV.”

GunTV appears to have prepared for criticism like this, branding itself as a company focused on firearm safety before firearm sales. The channel's parent company is called the “Social Responsibility Network,” and a GunTV promotional video posted online begins by saying the channel will address the nationwide need for “education, information and safety regarding firearms commerce.”

Castle, the GunTV founder, insisted the network's 24-hour format would allow viewers a deeper understanding of the weapons they purchase. She added that, in every hour of programming, three minutes will be dedicated to firearm education and safety training.

"People are super busy, and if they can tune into our content at a time when they are not in the throes of their busy day, and really sit and pay attention to how to safely use the product and store it, as well as get the back story of the product ... you are going to get way more information about that product," Castle said.

Castle said GunTV has already hired about 30 people and is looking for more. Currently, several open positions have been posted online, including a prop specialist – also known as a “gun wrangler.”

Castle said GunTV also expects to partner with a local firing range because it can not fire guns within its studio. The studio, formerly known as the Palm Springs Film Factory, was designed with a cooking show or commercials in mind.

A GunTV media kit, available online for potential advertisers, describes the network as similar to iTunes – but for guns.

Vibe & Style Columnist Xochitl Peña can be reached by phone at (760) 778-4647 or by email at xochitl.pena@thedesertsun.com. Reporter Brett Kelman can be reached by phone at (760) 778-4642, by email at brett.kelman@desertsun.com, or on Twitter @TDSbrettkelman.