 | |
| Industry | Firearms |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | Nick Young |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Nick Young (President and CEO) |
| Products | Firearms and ammunition |
| Website | deserttech.com |
Desert Tech is an American firearms and ammunition manufacturer [1] that primarily produces bullpup rifles. It is financed and owned by members of the Kingston family, founders of the Latter Day Church of Christ, which is a polygamous fundamentalist denomination of the Latter Day Saint Movement.
Desert Tech was founded in 2007 as Desert Tactical Arms [2] and later re-branded as Desert Tech in 2013. [2] The company is located in West Valley City, Utah. [1] It is financed and owned by members of the Kingston family, founders of the Latter Day Church of Christ, which is a polygamous fundamentalist denomination of the Latter Day Saint Movement. [3]
In 2014, Desert Tech said that it had declined to participate in the bidding process for a $15 million Pakistani contract, citing concerns about potential diversion of weapons to unauthorized entities. [4]
In July 2019, federal prosecutors gave notice that they intended to seize a building Desert Tech was renting for some of their operations. The proposed seizure was part of an investigation into fraud allegations against members of the Kingston family. Desert Tech CEO Nick Young denied the company was involved in the matters under investigation and noted that no public accusation of wrongdoing had been made against his company. Ultimately the building seizure did not proceed. [5] [6]
Donald Trump Jr was shown in a promotion for Desert Tech on July 24, 2020, with the company's CEO and firing the company's sniper rifles. [7] A marketing video on YouTube also includes an image of Donald Jr. [3] Former members of the Latter Day Church of Christ criticized Trump for associating with the company. [7]
As of May 2018 all Desert Tech's firearms are rifles with a bullpup design. [8] Desert Tech's motto is "Tomorrow's Weapons". It makes three different styles of rifle, the SRS, HTI, and MDRx. According to the company, all of their chassis are multi-caliber and easily changeable from one caliber to another.[ citation needed ]
The company has a subsidiary in India named Neco Desert Tech Defence. [3]
The company received a Homeland Security Award in 2015 for counterterrorism support and a Utah National Guard Award in 2023 for employing active-duty personnel. [20] [ dead link ]