Are We Losing the Fight for Gun Rights? (ft. XTech)

Jeremy Dedmon of XTech Tactical joins hosts John and Kaylee for a conversation that starts personal and ends political. Jeremy didn't grow up around guns. His family came from public service, and his late grandfather, a former police chief and city manager, believed civilians didn't need modern firearms. Jeremy entered the industry almost by accident, taking over an injection-molding account for Ergo Grips that the customer had just fired, then turning that relationship around. The late Steve Hines, who owned Ergo, introduced him to the industry. The moment Jeremy's own beliefs shifted was becoming a father to a 15-month-old daughter, when protecting her stopped being theoretical. Kaylee and John tie that to a broader demographic shift toward more women and first-time owners, arguing the Second Amendment is a personal and individual right, not only a political one. The heart of the episode is Jeremy's argument that magazine capacity bans are unconstitutional, and that the firearms industry shares blame for where things stand. He says companies that only sell neutered, non-convertible magazines to restricted states are broadening the reach of bad laws and signaling to lawmakers that the industry won't fight. He extends the same critique to companies that stop shipping legal products to states like California and New York, calling it a posture that wins nothing and invites copycat bans, including a high-capacity magazine ban recently supported by Arizona's attorney general. Kaylee adds a parallel to college campuses and the slow acceptance of tyranny, and both hosts dig into how anti-gun messaging weaponizes terms like 'assault weapon' and 'high capacity' that trace back to the 1994 assault weapons ban. Jeremy then walks through XTech's response: the Freedom Series, a rebrand of the company's AK-47 magazine line (formerly the 'Comm-euphornia Special') plus a growing Glock magazine lineup. The magazines ship as 10-round mags to 49 states, with conversion kits and extensions that let owners legally adapt capacity if laws change or they relocate, and every feature is upgraded over factory. XTech donates $1.79 and one cent per magazine sold off its website, referencing the year the Second Amendment was ratified, to groups including GOA and select state-level organizations. Jeremy closes by revisiting the Firearms Innovation and Technology panel at GOALS, where he argued consumers see a lack of innovation even though plenty of people are innovating, because distribution, advertising restrictions, regulatory burden, and a reactive 'me too' industry keep new ideas from reaching shelves. Kaylee ties it back to personal responsibility and grassroots action to clear the red tape that limits smaller companies. Questions this episode answers How did Jeremy Dedmon get into the firearms industry without growing up around guns? He came up entrepreneurial and worked in commercial real estate before taking an injection-molding role that put him in charge of Ergo Grips' account, which a customer had just fired. He turned that relationship around, and Ergo's owner, the late Steve Hines, introduced him to the industry. What changed Jeremy's personal views on gun ownership and the Second Amendment? Becoming a father to a 15-month-old daughter shifted his thinking, because protecting her stopped being theoretical. His family came from public service, and his late grandfather, a former police chief and city manager, had believed civilians did not need modern firearms. Why does Jeremy argue magazine capacity bans are unconstitutional? He believes any restriction on magazine capacity is unconstitutional at its core, treating the Second Amendment as a personal, individual right rather than only a political issue. He sees capacity limits as part of a slow erosion of that right. How does Jeremy say the firearms industry itself has made restrictive laws worse? He faults companies that sell only non-convertible magazines to restricted states, arguing this broadens bad laws and signals the industry will not fight. He says pulling legal products from states like California and New York wins nothing and invites copycat bans. What is XTech Tactical's Freedom Series and how do the convertible magazines work? The Freedom Series is a rebrand of XTech's AK-47 magazine line plus a growing Glock lineup, shipping as 10-round magazines to 49 states. Conversion kits and extensions let owners legally adapt capacity if laws change or they relocate, with every feature upgraded over factory. How much does XTech donate per magazine, and which groups does it support? XTech donates $1.79 and one cent per magazine sold on its website, a figure that references the year the Second Amendment was ratified. The money goes to groups including Gun Owners of America and select state-level organizations. Why do the hosts and guest say the Second Amendment is an individual right rather than only a political issue? They frame the Second Amendment as a personal right tied to protecting your family, not a partisan talking point. They argue it is not granted by government but protected by it, and connect that to a broader shift toward more women and first-time owners. Is the firearms industry actually innovating, and what holds new products back? At the Firearms Innovation and Technology panel at the Gun Owners Action Leadership Summit (GOALS), Jeremy argued plenty of people are innovating but consumers do not see it. Distribution gatekeeping, advertising restrictions, regulatory burden, and a reactive 'me too' industry keep new ideas off shelves. Chapters 00:00 — Intro and meeting Jeremy Dedmon of XTech Tactical 00:31 — How XTech formed and the Ergo Grips account 02:05 — Growing up without guns and a police-chief grandfather 05:01 — Family reactions and agreeing to disagree 10:00 — Becoming a father and the moment his views shifted 11:07 — The Second Amendment as a personal, individual right 14:35 — Freedom as the ability to say no 21:05 — Rapid fire: EDC, home defense, zombie apocalypse 23:03 — From the Soapbox: magazine capacity bans 30:34 — Manipulative language and the 1994 assault weapons ban 40:32 — The Freedom Series and convertible magazines 45:17 — Donating to GOA and the no-compromise lens 48:20 — Is the industry actually innovating? 57:47 — Where to find XTech and closing About the guest Jeremy Dedmon is the founder of XTech Tactical, a firearms accessory manufacturer based in Arizona that is best known for its AK-47 magazines. He says he came up entrepreneurial, hustling since age 11, and worked in commercial real estate and development before taking an injection-molding role that put him in charge of the Ergo Grips account and brought him into the firearms industry. He did not grow up around guns; his family came from public service and his late grandfather was a police chief and city manager. XTech has three employees, makes about 90% of its products in the US (most of that in Arizona), and Jeremy helped originate the concept behind GOA's partners program with John Crump. Key quotes "I personally define the word freedom as the ability to say no." — Jeremy Dedmon "for me, at its core, any restrictions on magazine capacity I believe are unconstitutional." — Jeremy Dedmon "And I also fault our industry as much as I fault the liberal lawmakers as to why we are where we are today." — Jeremy Dedmon "You're not doing anything for the second amendment in the Constitution by not shipping to states with restrictions." — Jeremy Dedmon "The only thing that they don't want you to know is that it's an individual right." — Kaylee "You accept the tyranny that you become comfortable with." — Kaylee "this is fundamentally not a right gifted or granted by government. It is protected by the government or it's supposed to be at least if you read the Constitution." — Kaylee "you're not just buying a magazine, you're buying a tool that empowers you to, you know, protect your family both today and tomorrow." — Jeremy Dedmon