Building the Tradition of Guns (ft. Brownells)

Brownells turns 85 this year, and CEO Pete Brownell joined State of the Second hosts Kaylee and John to walk through how a 1939 gunsmithing supply company became one of the longest-running family businesses in the firearms industry. Pete is third generation. His grandfather started the company as Brownell's Gun Mart, writing how-to articles for NRA publications and stocking the Smith & Wesson and Colt parts that local gunsmiths could not get from factories that only wanted to make guns. The mission was to professionalize the gunsmithing trade with the right tools, the right education, and good product at the right price. Pete also tells the story of moving the company online in 1996, when it was larger than Amazon at the time and his father wrote off the internet as a passing fad. Much of the conversation is about gunsmithing and the home build. Pete explains why traditional brick-and-mortar gunsmiths faded as CNC machining and tighter tolerances let the AR-15, Glock, and Sig come together without hand fitting, which opened the door for hundreds of thousands of people to personalize firearms at home. He argues America needs more gunsmiths. The number has stayed flat for about a decade while gun ownership climbed toward 100 million people, and there are now 22 gunsmithing schools offering both two-year hands-on programs and distance learning. He points to bolt guns and long-range shooting as the next home build trend, built off a good barreled action. The back half turns to advocacy. Pete frames Two A Day, the national range day that started on February 22, 2022, around the idea that a civil liberty not exercised ceases to be a civil liberty. He and the hosts press the case for showing up at state lobby days, taking a legislator or a friend to the range without an I-got-you attitude, and welcoming minority and first-time owners into a constitutional tent that is for everybody. Pete praises GOA's stand and the company's choice to support organizations on mission, noting Brownells stepped back from the NRA convention to do so. He closes on what's new at Brownells: a frictionless online experience, an FFL Finder to drive traffic to local shops, the BRN-180 and a Baron 4 launch, and a deeper focus on owning the gunsmith's bench with lifetime-guaranteed tools. Brownells is the title sponsor of GOA's first convention, GOALS, in Knoxville. Linkswww.brownells.comgoals.gunowners.orgQuestions this episode answers How did Brownells start, and what is the family story behind it? Pete Brownell's grandfather founded the company in 1939 as Brownell's Gun Mart, stocking the Smith & Wesson and Colt parts local gunsmiths could not get from factories. Pete is the third generation to run what is now one of the firearms industry's longest-running family businesses. Why did Brownells stay a parts supply house instead of opening retail stores like Cabela's? The founding mission was to professionalize the gunsmithing trade by giving gunsmiths the right tools, the right education, and good product at the right price. Brownells stayed focused on supplying parts and tools rather than expanding into brick-and-mortar retail stores. Why have traditional gunsmiths faded while home gun building has grown? CNC machining and tighter tolerances let platforms like the AR-15, Glock, and Sig come together without hand fitting, so the brick-and-mortar gunsmith who once did that fitting faded. That same shift opened the door for hundreds of thousands of people to personalize firearms at home. Does America still need gunsmiths, and how can someone become one today? Pete argues America needs more gunsmiths: the number has stayed flat for about a decade while gun ownership climbed toward 100 million people. There are now 22 gunsmithing schools offering both two-year hands-on programs and distance learning. What is the next home build trend after the AR-15 and polymer pistols? Pete points to bolt guns and long-range shooting as the next home build trend, built off a good barreled action. It follows the same path that made the AR-15 and polymer pistols popular projects to assemble at home. What is Two A Day and why does it matter? Two A Day is a national range day that started on February 22, 2022, built around the idea that a civil liberty not exercised ceases to be a civil liberty. The goal is to get people out exercising their Second Amendment rights so those rights stay meaningful. How can gun owners actually defend the Second Amendment at the local and state level? Pete urges showing up at state lobby days and taking a legislator or a friend to the range to educate rather than ambush them, without an I-got-you attitude. He also frames the Second Amendment as a constitutional tent that welcomes minority and first-time owners. What's new and coming up at Brownells? Brownells is building a frictionless online experience, an FFL Finder to drive traffic to local shops, the BRN-180 and a Baron 4 launch, and a deeper focus on owning the gunsmith's bench with lifetime-guaranteed tools. It is also title sponsor of Gun Owners of America's first GOALS convention in Knoxville. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and Brownells turns 85 01:54 — From catalog to online in 1996 07:37 — Why Brownells stayed a parts supply house 08:59 — The grandfather, gunsmiths, and Brownell's Gun Mart 12:51 — Why home builds replaced the brick-and-mortar gunsmith 17:47 — America needs more gunsmiths 21:53 — The next home build: bolt guns and long range 24:01 — Title sponsor of GOA's first GOALS convention 28:20 — Two A Day and exercising your civil liberty 30:54 — No compromise and ground already given up 34:09 — Take a legislator to the range, educate not ambush 41:17 — Pete's why: the Second Amendment is for everybody 43:38 — Pete's first gun and his collection 44:53 — What's new at Brownells: FFL Finder, BRN-180, owning the bench 50:38 — Gun companies leaving anti-gun states 53:55 — Get involved locally and wrap-up About the guest Pete Brownell is the third-generation leader of Brownells, the gunsmithing supply company his grandfather started in 1939 as Brownell's Gun Mart. The company turns 85 in June this year. Before joining the business, Pete worked in construction management in Miami and then in the Bay Area during the early days of e-commerce, and he brought the internet back to the company, which launched one of the first e-commerce sites in the firearm industry in 1996. He is a past president of the NRA. Brownells now includes AR15.com as part of its family of companies. Key quotes "My father was with the business for a lot of years, and now it's my turn to make sure we continue to grow and not screw it up." — Pete Brownell "America needs more gunsmiths. There's any way you measure it. We've been static with gunsmiths for really about a decade." — Pete Brownell "It comes down to a civil liberty not exercised ceases to be a civil liberty." — Pete Brownell "It's the second Amendment is for everybody. It's not just for people in rural America. It is for everybody." — Pete Brownell "If you buy a cheap tool, you might as well have bought the wrong tool because it's going to break on you." — Pete Brownell "Ultimately, your elected officials work for you and if you don't let them know where you stand, then they are going to create a narrative of what their constituency looks like." — Kaylee