On July 24th, 2025, Klaviyo quietly updated its policy to say it can now support SMS marketing for firearm companies.

For four years, Klaviyo — one of the biggest names in email and SMS marketing — refused to work with firearm-related businesses. If you sold, manufactured, or even mentioned guns, ammo, or ranges, your SMS capabilities were shut down before you could even hit send.

Now, they claim they’re ready to serve the firearms industry.

We say: Welcome to the party.

 

While They Were Out, We Were All In

At OtterText, we’ve been here the whole time — fighting for firearm companies to have the same right to communicate with their customers as any other legal business.

While others blocked firearm-related messaging, we:

• Built direct relationships with carriers to get firearm brands approved for SMS.
• Navigated constant compliance battles so campaigns get delivered instead of blocked.
• Created industry-specific features like waiver integrations, rewards, reviews, segmentation, webchat, and automation — all designed for firearm retailers, ranges, and manufacturers.

We weren’t just “allowing” firearm SMS — we were pioneering it.

 

Experience Matters in Firearm SMS

Here’s the truth: Turning on SMS for firearms isn’t as simple as flipping a switch in your software.

Firearm-related messaging is one of the most heavily regulated areas in SMS marketing. Without proven experience in:

• 10DLC carrier registration for firearm brands,
• SHAFT compliance (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco), and
• Navigating carrier crackdowns and appeals processes,

…you’re going to hit roadblocks. And if you’ve never dealt with those challenges before, you might not even know what hit you.

OtterText has not only dealt with them — we’ve won those battles for our clients. We’ve gotten campaigns approved when carriers said “no,” fought for messaging rights when crackdowns happened, and kept businesses texting when others were silenced.

 

Why This Is Good for the Industry — and Why You Should Be Careful

Klaviyo’s policy change is a positive sign. More platforms recognizing the legitimacy of firearm businesses means more options for brands like yours.

But remember — they are brand new to this fight. Their track record in firearm SMS is nonexistent. They haven’t been tested during a carrier crackdown. They haven’t had to escalate appeals to the top. They haven’t built the specialized workflows firearm brands rely on.

OtterText has. For years.

 

Choose the Proven Leader

If you want a platform that’s “willing” to work with firearms, you now have options.
If you want a platform that’s proven to work with firearms, there’s only one choice: OtterText.

We’ve been the #1 trusted SMS provider for firearm companies — retail, ranges, manufacturers, and eCommerce — because we’ve done what others wouldn’t (or couldn’t) for years.

So welcome to the party, Klaviyo. You’re only about four years late.

 

Ready to work with the leader in firearm SMS?

Schedule a demo with OtterText and see why the top names in the firearms industry trust us to deliver their messages — every time.