Christopher M. Chiafullo is known by his colleagues, clients, and peers for his engaging, personable, effective and brutally honest style. Mr. Chiafullo has diverse areas of legal expertise, running the gamut from litigation to regulatory to transactional matters, but he concentrates primarily on the defense of the firearms industry, on Federal firearms law, and on the preservation of federal firearms licenses issued and regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (“BATF”). As the founding principal of The Chiafullo Group, LLP, Mr. Chiafullo serves as the point of contact for various firearms-specific lawyers aligned in interest around the country.
Currently, Mr. Chiafullo cooperatively represents over 225 retail Federal Firearms Licensees (“FFL’s”) nationwide as National Coordinating Counsel for his innovative FFLGuard program, a legal defense initiative designed to provide legal representation to independent retail firearms dealers. He continues to serve as Outside General Counsel, Special Counsel and consultant to various firearms companies, including but not limited to gun distributors such as AcuSport, Ellett Brothers, Camfour and Valor Corporation. He has, upon occasion, provided legal advice to firearms buying groups (like TALO) and trade organizations (like the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (“NASGW”)) at their request. Mr. Chiafullo has been engaged to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers Anti-Corruption and Corporate Intelligence practice group on matters related to BATF compliance issues, and has counseled FFL’s with interests vital to national security. Mr. Chiafullo has also consulted on legal issues with numerous electronic firearms software providers, including ARS and American Firearms Software, the creators of ez4473. He currently serves as Special Counsel for Litigation Matters to GunBroker.com, the world’s largest online auction for firearms and accessories, and as General Counsel to The Presidential Club, the most exclusive gun club and indoor trap range in the world.
While Mr. Chiafullo devotes much of his practice to both cooperative and adversarial interaction with the BATF, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Trade and Tax Bureau, and other governmental agencies with regard to firearms regulation and administration, he is also experienced in appellate and trial matters. Mr. Chiafullo notably served on the trial team for a sizeable defendant constituency in NAACP v. AcuSport, a lawsuit aimed to unfairly regulate the firearms industry and named by the National Law Journal as one of the ten most significant defense verdicts of 2003. He is admitted to practice law throughout the state courts of New Jersey, and in Federal Courts across the country.
An alumnus of the Seton Hall University School of Law, Mr. Chiafullo was the Student Speaker for the Commencement Ceremonies at graduation, and thereafter served as law clerk in the New Jersey Superior Court. Mr. Chiafullo also has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Degree from Monmouth University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston University. He is married (Lauren), raises two boys (James and Jack), and lives in New York City.