At a glance
GUNZ charges 0.94% a year, above the 0.52% average of the 6 funds most like it (the most expensive of 6). It has $584K in assets, the 7th largest of that group. Over the past year it returned +0.0% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 2nd of those 7 funds. Its ten largest positions make up 56.9% of the fund, out of 18 in all.
The short version
Tuttle Capital Self Defense Index ETF (GUNZ) tracks the AJN Self Defense U.S. Equity Index, which gives equal weight to U.S. companies tied to firearms, ammunition, home security, surveillance and law enforcement gear. Its focus is unusually narrow: no similar fund shares even 20% of its holdings. It also costs more, at 0.94% a year versus a 0.52% average for those funds, and is the smallest of seven funds compared.
Price history
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GUNZ 0.0% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUNZ price data to Oct 27, 2026 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — | — | — | +6.9% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, GUNZ returned 0.0%, 2nd of 7 among similar funds.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2025 (+5.4%); its best was 2025 (+5.4%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 22.8% (Feb 18, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025), not yet recovered.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2025 | +5.4% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Before this security existed |
Dividends and income
No distribution history is available for this fund.
Distributions through Oct 27, 2026.What's inside
As of Jan 31, 2025, the fund held 18 securities; the ten largest made up 56.85% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| AMMO Inc | 9.11% | |
| Palantir Technologie | 6.17% | |
| ADT Inc | 5.78% | |
| OSI Systems Inc | 5.75% | |
| Axon Enterprise Inc | 5.69% | |
| TELEDYNE TECHNOLOGY | 5.69% | |
| Evolv Technologies H | 4.72% | |
| Resideo Technologies | 4.67% | |
| Napco Security Techn | 4.64% | |
| Sturm Ruger & Co Inc | 4.63% | |
| Smith & Wesson | 4.63% | |
| Johnson Controls Int | 4.59% | |
| ARLO TECHNOLOGIES | 4.56% | |
| Alarm.com Holdings I | 4.53% | |
| Allegion PLC | 4.52% |
By country
United States 88.33%Ireland 4.52%By asset type
Stocks 92.85%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jan 31, 2025, investors added a net $292K (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +15.28%, -5.93%, +6.36%.
How it works
GUNZ is an index fund: it aims to match the AJN Self Defense U.S. Equity Index before fees, not beat it, and won't move to cash or turn defensive when markets fall. AJN Corp designed the index. The index screens US-listed stocks for companies that make, distribute or retail firearms, ammunition and other personal or law enforcement defense gear, or that make home security equipment or develop video surveillance and emergency management systems. Each needs publicly traded shares worth more than $100 million and average daily trading value above $500,000 over three months.
Unlike most index funds, which weight companies by size, this index gives every stock an equal weight at each quarter-end rebalance. Weights can then drift with prices: on January 31, 2025, AMMO Inc made up 9.11% of the fund, while no other holding topped 6.2%. Mergers, acquisitions or bankruptcies can also trigger changes between rebalances.
The fund normally owns every index stock in roughly the index's proportions, but may hold a representative sample when some stocks are hard or costly to trade. It is non-diversified, so it can put more money in fewer companies than most funds, and it may lean toward consumer discretionary, industrial and technology stocks. It held 18 stocks and no derivatives as of January 31, 2025.
What it really costs
- GUNZ charges 0.94% a year, versus an average of 0.52% for the similar funds below (6th of 6, cheapest first).
- Of that, 0.75% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- The fee includes a 0.24% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $96 in the first year and $— over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUNZ | $96 | $351 | $— | $— |
In a retirement portfolio
It holds a narrow, equal-weighted basket of firearms and security stocks, has a short record and costs well above similar funds, so it could fit only as a small add-on to broader holdings.
GUNZ could add a small, targeted stake in gunmakers like Sturm Ruger and security firms like ADT. Launched on September 9, 2024, it has no record through the 2008, 2020 or 2022 downturns. Its only full calendar year, 2025, returned 5.39%, yet from February 18 to April 8, 2025, it fell 22.8%, and it had not regained that peak as of October 27, 2026. Anyone drawing cash from it in a slump like that may have to cash out shares near the lows.
It paid no distributions in the year to October 27, 2026. Costs are high: 0.94% a year, against a 0.52% average for its nearest peers. On $10,000, the SEC's standard example puts costs at $96 after one year and $351 after three. Past results don't predict the future, and a retirement plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors wanting targeted exposure to gunmakers like Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson, plus security firms such as ADT, Axon and Alarm.com.
- People who like equal weighting: the index resets each stock to the same size quarterly, so giants like Palantir don't dominate.
- Investors wanting a small side holding on personal and home security, separate from defense-tech funds like SHLD, which shares only 7% of holdings.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees who need income: GUNZ made no distributions in the year to October 27, 2026, so its trailing yield was 0%.
- Cost-conscious investors: its 0.94% expense ratio, even after a 0.24% fee waiver, is the highest among similar funds, which average 0.52%.
- Those wanting broad diversification: it held 18 stocks in one theme as of January 31, 2025, and its price fell 22.8% in early 2025.
Close alternatives
Matched by closest holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports (no similar fund shares 20% or more of its holdings).
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUNZ this fund | — | 0.94% | $584K | 0.0% | — |
| SIMS SPDR S&P Kensho Intelligent Structures ETF | 16% | 0.45% | $8.9M | -6.4% | +16.3% |
| PTEC Global X PropTech ETF | 15% | 0.5% | $1.8M | 0.0% | +18.8% |
| WAR U.S. Global Technology and Aerospace & Defe… | 9% | — | $41.3M | +24.6% | — |
| SHLD Global X Defense Tech ETF | 7% | 0.5% | $7.24B | -6.9% | +36.9% |
| MISL First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF | 6% | 0.6% | $801.9M | -5.2% | +23.9% |
| PPA Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF | 6% | 0.57% | $8.26B | -1.3% | +26.1% |
Questions investors ask
What stocks are in the GUNZ ETF?
GUNZ owns U.S.-listed firearm, ammunition, security and surveillance stocks. It held 18 of them as of January 31, 2025, selected by the AJN Self Defense U.S. Equity Index. The largest were AMMO Inc (9.11%), Palantir Technologies (6.17%), ADT (5.78%), OSI Systems (5.75%) and Axon Enterprise (5.69%). Gunmakers Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson held 4.63% each. The index resets every stock to an equal weight each quarter, but weights drift between rebalances as prices move.
What is the GUNZ expense ratio?
GUNZ's expense ratio is 0.94% a year, according to its prospectus filed April 16, 2024. That figure includes a 0.75% management fee and reflects a 0.24% fee waiver. Fee waivers can end. In the SEC's standard example, $10,000 earning 5% a year would cost about $96 after one year and $351 after three years. That is the highest cost among the similar funds compared, which average 0.52%. SPDR S&P Kensho Intelligent Structures ETF (SIMS) charges 0.45%.
Does GUNZ pay a dividend?
No. GUNZ made no distributions in the year to October 27, 2026, so its trailing yield was 0%. A trailing yield measures the income a fund paid over the past year as a share of its price. Funds pass along dividends from their stocks only after covering expenses, and GUNZ's costs are 0.94% a year. Retirees who need regular income would have to sell shares to draw cash from this fund.
What's the difference between GUNZ and SIMS?
SIMS costs less, is larger, and holds mostly different stocks. SPDR S&P Kensho Intelligent Structures ETF (SIMS) is the closest match to GUNZ by holdings, yet only 16% of holdings overlap. SIMS charges 0.45% a year versus 0.94% for GUNZ. GUNZ zeroes in on firearms, ammunition, home security and law enforcement equipment. SIMS returned -6.4% over the year to October 27, 2026. Defense funds overlap even less: Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD) shares 7% and Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF (PPA) 6%.
Is GUNZ a good ETF for retirement?
GUNZ is a narrow, higher-risk theme fund rather than a typical core retirement holding. It held 18 stocks as of January 31, 2025, and made no distributions in the year to October 27, 2026. Its price fell 22.8% from February 18 to April 8, 2025, and had not regained that peak by October 27, 2026, though it gained 5.4% over all of 2025. It is the smallest of seven funds compared, and very small funds are more likely to close.