AR’s are the New Adult Legos? (ft. Freedom Ordnance)

Freedom Ordnance's Josh joins John and Kaylee to talk about the new product the company brought to SHOT Show: a trigger actuating grip that works on the same principle as a Gatling gun. Josh walks through why the launch stalled. They had 1,000 units on the shelf with parts to make 5,000 and planned to launch around Black Friday, then found their insurance policy excluded the product. Digging in, they learned binary triggers, bump stocks, and anything over a 30-round magazine were all excluded too. It took until a January 5 soft launch to secure an insurance company that would cover it so retailers like Classic Firearms could carry it. Josh argues the firearms industry gets treated differently from others, pointing to merchant account and payment processor problems, and the conversation connects to a similar story from Matador Arms whose processor held $15,000 of orders as 'dangerous goods.' The middle of the episode is about the regulatory whiplash gun makers live with. Josh describes building a category around the pistol brace after the ATF deemed it legal through an opinion letter, then watching that ruling reverse five years later. Kaylee lays out GOA's text, history, and tradition approach and points listeners to the GOF YouTube channel for proof that braced firearms existed before the country did. They dig into how the ATF tech branch is staffed by lawyers rather than people who have manufactured firearms, the SBR and pin-and-weld rules that trip up new owners, and Josh's realization mid-episode that Freedom Ordnance should put clearer legal education at the point of purchase on its website. The back half turns to growth and activism. John cites a figure that the industry markets to roughly 10% of the market and frames the other 90%, the new gun owners from 2020 and 2021, as untapped potential. Kaylee and Josh argue education is the on-ramp: ignorance is a curable disease, and new owners are the ones bringing friends to the range. Josh extends the point to people outside the firearms world, noting the ATF also covers alcohol, tobacco, and explosives, and that a freedom taken from anyone is a freedom that can be taken from you. With an election year ahead, they push local elections, GOA's candidate grades at gunners.org, snail-mail postcards, phone calls, and staying polite while sticking to the facts. Josh closes with where to find Freedom Ordnance and notes they're working to get a YouTube channel back up. Linksfreedomordnance.comQuestions this episode answers What is Freedom Ordnance's new trigger actuating grip, and why does Josh say it's federally legal? Josh describes a trigger actuating grip that Freedom Ordnance brought to SHOT Show, which works on the same principle as a Gatling gun. He presents it as a legal product, and the company secured insurance coverage so retailers like Classic Firearms could carry it. Why did the product launch get delayed from Black Friday to a January 5 soft launch? Freedom Ordnance planned to launch around Black Friday with 1,000 units on the shelf and parts to make 5,000, but found its insurance policy excluded the product. It took until a January 5 soft launch to secure an insurer that would cover it. What kinds of products were excluded from Freedom Ordnance's insurance policy? Beyond the new grip, the policy excluded binary triggers, bump stocks, and anything over a 30-round magazine. Josh frames this as part of how the firearms industry gets treated differently, citing merchant account and payment processor problems. What happened with pistol braces, and how did the ATF's reversal affect manufacturers? Josh built a product category around the pistol brace after the ATF deemed it legal through an opinion letter, then watched that ruling reverse five years later. He uses it as an example of the regulatory whiplash gun makers live with. What is Gun Owners of America's text, history, and tradition argument for braced firearms? Kaylee lays out Gun Owners of America's text, history, and tradition approach and points listeners to the GOF YouTube channel as proof that braced firearms existed before the country did. Why does Josh say the ATF tech branch struggles to evaluate firearms products? Josh argues the ATF tech branch is staffed by lawyers rather than people who have actually manufactured firearms. He connects this to confusing SBR and pin-and-weld rules that trip up new owners. How should the industry reach the new gun owners who make up most of the market? John cites a figure that the industry markets to roughly 10% of the market, leaving the new owners from 2020 and 2021 as untapped potential. Josh and Kaylee argue education is the on-ramp, since new owners are the ones bringing friends to the range. What concrete ways can people take action in an election year, according to John and Kaylee? With an election year ahead, they push local elections, Gun Owners of America's candidate grades at gunners.org, snail-mail postcards, and phone calls, all while staying polite and sticking to the facts. Chapters 00:11 — The new SHOT Show product and its legality 00:57 — 1,000 units ready, then the insurance problem 01:35 — The January 5 soft launch and Classic Firearms 02:46 — Matador Arms and processors holding orders 04:56 — Five years with GOA and the No Compromise alliance 07:18 — The war at the dinner table and the pistol brace 08:32 — Text, history, and tradition; braces before the country 09:43 — Why the ATF tech branch is staffed by lawyers 13:53 — Education, ignorance, and being comfortable with tyranny 15:19 — Ohio constitutional carry and dropping crime 21:48 — SBR rules, pin-and-weld, and educating buyers 26:08 — Marketing to the other 90% of gun owners 34:31 — Election-year activism and GOA's candidate grades 46:36 — Sending lawmakers how a firearm works; where to find them About the guest Josh is with Freedom Ordnance, a firearms manufacturer that has been a Gun Owners of America partner for about five years and has signed every No Compromise alliance letter GOA has sent. He grew up in California, where he says he knew nothing about firearms because the state is so restrictive, and he says he will be 44 in April. Before the firearms industry he worked in jewelry and web development. Freedom Ordnance is based in Indiana, about 10 minutes from the Kentucky border. Key quotes "And it is a trigger actuating grip. And it works out the same principle as a Gatling gun." — Josh "as much as we feel about our rights, we also have to remember we have families to feed." — Josh "It's the difference between stupidity and ignorance." — Kaylee "people accept the tyranny that they are comfortable with." — Kaylee "If we don't care about something over here because it's not our passion, that's how we lose the parts that are our passion." — Josh "We are marketing to probably 10% of the market." — John