Hollywood's Closet Gun Owners, LEGAL Exploding Targets, & It's NOT Alec Baldwin's FAULT?!

In this episode of State of the Second, host John sits down with Ton Jones, Director of Operations and Marketing Director at Firebird Targets and a film and television veteran who has worked on shows like Auction Hunters, Man vs Wild, Ink Master, and Shark Week since 1996. After a Rapid Fire round that covers pineapple on pizza, Bigfoot, and a Ruger PCC Ton bought at 9:30 the morning of the recording, the conversation digs into what Firebird actually makes and why it exists. Ton breaks down Firebird's reactive targets in plain terms. You peel it, stick it to steel, and shoot it. There is no mixing, no permits, and no licenses, and the minimum safe distance is 50 feet so objects do not come back at the shooter at ballistic speeds. He walks through the line: the 50mm and 65mm bio targets at a full 145 decibels, the moderated M50 and M65 versions at 65 decibels for suppressor and sound-sensitive use, an IR version for night vision shooting, and a new signal marker puck that throws a colored chalk plume in nine colors. The targets render inert if anyone tries to break or compound them, which keeps bad actors from taking them further. The goal he repeats is responsible, safe fun that grows the sport instead of injuring it, a direct contrast to the 10-pound exploding-target videos that get the industry legislated. The back half gets spicy. As a California native, Ton argues the state was once a hunting and fishing paradise before people from other states moved in and changed how it votes. He then turns to Hollywood, where he refused to be anti-gun his whole career. His claim: the same people who trashed gun owners in groups would privately pull him aside and ask how to buy a gun without their friends or the government knowing, convinced they were the only ones responsible enough to own one. The episode closes on the Alec Baldwin shooting, where Ton makes the case that on a film set the armorer, not the actor, owns firearm safety, so an actor who fires a gun he was handed is not the one at fault. He contrasts that with his own sets, where eight years of Auction Hunters filming ran without a single injury because he put human life over getting the shot. Links www.gunowners.org www.blackoutcoffee.com patriotmobile.com Questions this episode answers What is a Firebird reactive target and how do you use one? Firebird makes peel-and-stick reactive targets you attach to steel and shoot, with no mixing, permits, or licenses required. The minimum safe distance is 50 feet so debris does not come back at the shooter at ballistic speeds. Why do Firebird targets not require a license, permit, or mixing the way other exploding targets do? Unlike the heavy exploding-target mixes that get the industry legislated, Firebird targets work with no mixing and no permits or licenses. They also render inert if anyone tries to break or compound them, which keeps bad actors from taking them further. What are the moderated and IR versions of Firebird targets for? The moderated M50 and M65 targets fire at 65 decibels for suppressor and sound-sensitive use, versus 145 decibels on the standard 50mm and 65mm bio targets. The IR version is built for shooting with night vision. Why does Ton Jones say the rest of America 'ruined' California? As a California native, Ton Jones argues the state was once a hunting and fishing paradise. He says people who moved in from other states changed how it votes and pushed it away from that gun-friendly culture. Are there pro-gun gun owners in Hollywood, and why won't most of them say it out loud? Ton Jones says the same people who trashed gun owners in groups would privately ask him how to buy a gun without their friends or the government knowing. Each was convinced they were the only one responsible enough to own one, so none would admit it publicly. Whose job is firearm safety on a film set, the actor or the armorer? Ton Jones argues the armorer, not the actor, owns firearm safety on a film set. The actor's job is to act out the scene with the gun, while the armorer is responsible for making sure it is safe. Why does Ton Jones argue the Alec Baldwin shooting was not the actor's fault? Because on a set the armorer owns firearm safety, Ton Jones makes the case that an actor who fires a gun he was handed is not the one at fault. The responsibility for the weapon's condition sits with the armorer, not the performer. How did Ton Jones run firearm safety on Auction Hunters without an injury in eight years? Ton Jones says eight years of filming Auction Hunters ran without a single injury because the crew was meticulous and put human life over getting the shot. As he frames it, he would rather be overkill than on the way to the hospital with a kill. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and meet Ton Jones 01:25 — Rapid Fire: pizza, Bigfoot, and impulse buys 05:23 — Go-to home defense gun 07:00 — What Firebird Targets makes 10:10 — The new nine-color signal marker 11:20 — Reactive targets under clay pigeons 14:14 — Why design for safety, not destruction 18:57 — From the Soapbox: what happened to California 29:48 — Hollywood's closet gun owners 37:48 — Pro-gun actors and casting agendas 45:37 — The Alec Baldwin shooting and the armorer's job 52:05 — Safety on the Auction Hunters set 56:13 — Sponsor thanks and where to find Firebird About the guest Ton Jones is the Director of Operations and Marketing Director at Firebird Targets, where he makes reactive targets. He has worked in the film and television industry since 1996, on or behind the scenes of shows including Auction Hunters, Man vs Wild, Ink Master, Shark Week, Nat Geo Speed of Life, and a survival show called Darkness, and has done work on music videos for artists including Toby Keith and Slash. He is a California native, born and raised in Southern California. He holds his own FFL and keeps a small firearms collection. He says he was on Auction Hunters for eight years of filming. He can be found as Tun Jones Official on Instagram. Key quotes "You peel it, stick it and shoot it." — Ton Jones "We're not going to design something that's going to detonate other devices at ballistic speeds which can cause death." — Ton Jones "And that's the whole purpose, to grow the sport, not injure the sport." — Ton Jones "None of them want their friends to know, but all of them want to buy a gun because they think they're the only one responsible enough to own a firearm." — Ton Jones "The job of the actor is to act out a scene with the gun." — Ton Jones "I would rather be overkill than on the way to the hospital with a kill." — Ton Jones "we didn't have an injury because we were meticulous and we cared about human life over getting a shot." — Ton Jones