Byrna Technologies

What Byrna Makes

Byrna sells less-lethal personal-defense gear. Its core products are the Byrna SD, CL, and LE, handheld launchers powered by compressed carbon dioxide that fire two kinds of rounds: kinetic polymer projectiles meant to cause pain, and chemical-irritant (pepper) rounds. It also sells pepper sprays and accessories. In most states the launchers require no firearms license and no background check, which the company markets as a key selling point. [1] [2]

Byrna deliberately uses the term less-lethal rather than non-lethal, because the rounds can still cause serious injury. The company pitches the launchers as a way to stop a threat without the risk of killing someone. It says more than 300 U.S. law enforcement agencies use its products, including federal agencies such as the ATF and DEA, that about 95 percent of its customers are ordinary civilians, and that it has surpassed 750,000 launchers sold since the company began. [2] [5] [9]

Like other makers of weapons used in self-defense, Byrna faces product-liability and personal-injury risk. It says in its SEC filings that it is involved in various ordinary-course legal proceedings, including product-liability claims, but that it does not expect any to cause a material loss. [1]

The Political Brand

Byrna's marketing leans hard into personal self-defense, self-reliance, and rising-crime themes. Bryan Ganz, who led Byrna as chief executive until he retired in March 2026, argued that crime was rising while police faced growing hesitation, and he pitched Byrna as an answer for people who did not want to rely on a police response alone. [5] The company also runs programs aimed at church security teams and courts gun-owner audiences. [2] [6]

The clearest signal is the company's choice of who promotes it. Byrna features Donald Trump Jr. on a dedicated page of its own website, where he pitches the launchers as a way to stop an attacker without taking a life. [3] In its own investor filings, Byrna describes building a roster of celebrity endorsers to, in the company's words, "promote the normalization of less-lethal solutions." [10] Sean Hannity was the first, and the company credits that partnership's success for the influencer strategy that followed. [15] Byrna then added Glenn Beck, Judge Jeanine Pirro, and Bill O'Reilly, and later Megyn Kelly, Charlie Kirk, Lara Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. [15] [10] Every one is a prominent voice in conservative media or politics, and Ganz has appeared on their shows, including Megyn Kelly's. [2]

Byrna has also tied its manufacturing to a political theme. The company says its "Made in America" initiative moved sourcing for its flagship SD launcher to 92 percent U.S.-made components, up from about 34 percent months earlier. It also opened an ammunition plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana as part of its Made in America sourcing initiative. Byrna frames the shift as reducing tariff risk and supporting its brand story. [10]

Byrna has also made a cause out of a grievance common on the right. The company says that in 2023 platforms including Meta and Google restricted or banned its advertising, treating its less-lethal tools like firearms and forcing it to rework its marketing. [1] [11] Byrna pushed back publicly, running billboards in Los Angeles that appealed to Mark Zuckerberg to reconsider, and it rebuilt demand through celebrity endorsements and other channels. [11] [5] Its own SEC filing credits Ganz with steering the company through the advertising ban. [1]

Byrna has also taken its self-defense-rights argument to court. In December 2025 the company and two individual co-plaintiffs sued California's attorney general in federal court in San Diego, challenging the state's treatment of pepper-projectile launchers and rounds as banned tear gas weapons. [12] The suit argues the ban violates the Second Amendment, citing a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that non-lethal stun guns are protected arms, and Ganz said New York would be the next target if the case succeeds. [13] California bans civilian sale and possession of the pepper projectiles, with exceptions for law enforcement and some security personnel. [12]

At the same time, the company frames its mission in non-partisan, life-preserving terms: de-escalation, saving lives, and giving people an alternative to lethal force. [5]

On campaign finance, Byrna has no corporate political action committee on the federal record and only a minimal history of federal contributions. It did begin lobbying Congress in 2026. Through an outside firm, Capitol Pathway Advisors, it registered in May 2026 and reported $13,000 in federal lobbying for the second quarter of 2026. [14] The filings name two bills, S. 1283 and H.R. 2189, that would reclassify qualifying less-lethal launchers so they are no longer treated as firearms under the Gun Control Act, the main federal firearms law. The House passed its version, H.R. 2189, in February 2026. [14] [16] Its wider political presence runs through branding, endorsements, marketing, and litigation rather than large political donations.

The Business and Its Leadership

Byrna began as a security-device developer and rebuilt itself into a branded consumer platform over the past decade, uplisting to the Nasdaq in 2021 under the ticker BYRN. It is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts. For fiscal 2025, which ended November 30, 2025, the company reported record revenue of $118.0 million, up 38 percent from $85.8 million a year earlier. Its sales have tended to climb during periods of heightened public attention to crime and personal safety. [9]

In March 2026 the company changed chief executives. Conn Davis, a former MasterBrand strategy and corporate-development executive, became CEO and joined the board, effective March 2, 2026. Bryan Ganz built the company into what it is today: he was president from 2018 and CEO from 2019, and he remains one of Byrna's larger individual shareholders. Ganz retired as CEO and left the board the same day, agreeing to stay on as an advisor for up to six months. TJ Kennedy was named chair of the board, succeeding Herbert Hughes. [8] [1]

Recent News

In March 2026 Byrna announced the CEO handoff from Bryan Ganz to Conn Davis. [8] A few weeks earlier, in February 2026, it reported record full-year results for fiscal 2025. [9] In late 2025 the company was named to a Forbes list of America's most successful small-cap companies, rang the Nasdaq opening bell in December, and drew coverage of rising demand for less-lethal products, including a push to equip church security teams. [7] [4] [6]

Where to Find Them

Byrna sells directly at byrna.com and through retailers, and its shares trade publicly on the Nasdaq under BYRN. Because it is a public company rather than a private brand, its financials and leadership are disclosed in regular filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. [1] [9]

Footnotes

[1] Byrna Technologies Inc., Form 10-K/A, fiscal year ended November 30, 2024, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accessed August 27, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1354866/000143774925010219/byrn20241130_10ka.htm

[2] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna CEO Bryan Ganz Joins Megyn Kelly to Discuss Byrna Less-Lethal," accessed August 27, 2026. https://byrna.com/blogs/byrna-nation/byrna-ceo-bryan-ganz-joins-megyn-kelly-to-discuss-byrna-less-lethal

[3] Byrna Technologies, "Donald Trump Jr." landing page, accessed August 27, 2026. https://byrna.com/pages/donald-trump-jr-landing

[4] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna Technologies to Ring the Nasdaq Opening Bell on December 22, 2025," December 18, 2025. https://www.barchart.com/story/news/36690058/byrna-technologies-to-ring-the-nasdaq-opening-bell-on-december-22-2025

[5] Police1, "Self-defense products specialist Byrna Technologies establishes itself as an innovator in the less lethal weapons space" (Byrna press release), January 2026. https://www.police1.com/police-products/less-lethal/press-releases/self-defense-products-specialist-byrna-technologies-establishes-itself-as-an-innovator-in-the-less-lethal-weapons-space-EPxZVSBFYN8YYXuK/

[6] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna Technologies Featured in Newsweek as Demand for Less-Lethal Solutions Rises Nationally," November 5, 2025. https://ir.byrna.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/231/byrna-technologies-featured-in-newsweek-as-demand-for

[7] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna Technologies Named in Forbes' America's Most Successful Small-Cap Companies List," November 12, 2025. https://ir.byrna.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/232/byrna-technologies-named-in-forbes-americas-most

[8] Byrna Technologies Inc., Form 8-K (CEO transition: Bryan Ganz retirement, Conn Davis appointed CEO, TJ Kennedy named board chair), filed March 3, 2026, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accessed August 29, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1354866/000143774926006482/byrn20260302_8k.htm

[9] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna Technologies Reports Record Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results; Full Year Revenue Up 38% Year-over-Year," February 5, 2026, accessed August 29, 2026. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/05/3232917/0/en/byrna-technologies-reports-record-fiscal-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2025-results-full-year-revenue-up-38-year-over-year.html

[10] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna Technologies Fiscal First Quarter 2025 Results" (SEC-filed press release; celebrity endorser roster and Made in America component sourcing), April 10, 2025, accessed August 29, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1354866/000143774925011590/ex_800412.htm

[11] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna Urges Mark Zuckerberg to Reconsider Ad Classification," PR Newswire, August 10, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/byrna-urges-mark-zuckerberg-to-reconsider-ad-classification-301897416.html

[12] The Press Democrat, "Lawsuit challenges California's ban on less-lethal pepperball weapons," December 10, 2025, accessed August 29, 2026. https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/12/10/san-diego-lawsuit-challenges-californias-ban-on-less-lethal-pepperball-weapons/

[13] Fox News, "California's crackdown on 'less-lethal' weapons sparks 2A lawsuit targeting Newsom administration," December 3, 2025, accessed August 29, 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/californias-crackdown-less-lethal-weapons-sparks-2a-lawsuit-targeting-newsom-administration

[14] U.S. Lobbying Disclosure Act database (LDA.gov), Byrna Technologies Inc. (client), registrant Capitol Pathway Advisors LLC, LD-2 report for the second quarter of 2026 (reported income $13,000), accessed August 29, 2026. https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/7b361873-ada6-4438-8a5d-1564189b5768/print/

[15] Byrna Technologies, "Byrna Technologies Reports Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results," February 14, 2024, accessed August 29, 2026. https://ir.byrna.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/184/byrna-technologies-reports-fiscal-fourth-quarter-and-full

[16] U.S. Congress, "H.R. 2189, Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act, 119th Congress (2025-2026)" (passed the House February 12, 2026), Congress.gov, accessed August 29, 2026. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2189