Ep 158: Rob Pincus on Youth Stats, ERPOs, and What Actually Saves Lives

Mike and Kevin sit down with Rob Pincus to unpack two hot buttons that get thrown around online but are rarely explored with nuance: the “firearms are the #1 cause of death in youth” stat, and ERPOs/red flag laws. Rob shares what he sees inside a Tufts University led  group that puts gun-rights and gun-control advocates in the same room to hammer out policy ideas for red states. We dig into how stats are framed, why education belongs in schools, what meaningful “wins” for responsible owners might look like, and where ERPO conversations go off the rails without mental-health guardrails or due-process realities.In this episodeWhy that viral “#1 cause of death in youth” headline needs real breakdowns by age, suicide, and community violenceWhat a practical, developmentally appropriate firearms education curriculum could cover in schoolsERPOs done wrong vs. ERPOs with mandatory mental-health evaluation, cultural competency, and penalties for malicious usePolicy “wins” Rob is pushing, including tax incentives for training and safe storage, removing redundant state laws tied to federal regs, and pathways to restore rights for non-violent offensesThe big idea: be in the room, reduce negative outcomes, protect responsible ownersIf you got value from this one, follow the show, rate it, and share it with a friend who cares about firearms and mental health.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Technical Glitches00:39 Rob Pincus: A Multifaceted Contributor02:26 Understanding Misconceptions in the Firearms Industry05:07 Collaborating with Gun Control Advocates10:56 The Importance of Being in the Room16:33 Navigating Emotional Discussions Around Firearms22:01 Statistics and Their Manipulation27:50 Addressing Youth Firearm Deaths33:16 The Role of Education in Firearm Safety39:14 Concluding Thoughts on Firearm Discussions45:30 Understanding Perspectives on Gun Control48:30 The Debate on Gun Safety Terminology51:03 Education and Youth Involvement in Gun Safety54:51 Navigating Mental Health and Gun Ownership58:41 Proposals for Emergency Restraining Orders01:04:11 Exploring the Future of Gun Legislation01:19:01 Celebrating Wins in Gun Rights AdvocacySend us Fan MailWalk the Talk America would like to thank our partners who make these conversations possible and would like to highlight our top two partner tiers below! Platinum Tier:RugerArmscorBleeker Street PublicationsGold Tier:NASGWLipsey'sDavidson's