Humanizing Firearms: How Guns Out TV is Changing the Narrative

John Keys spent twelve years on active duty in the Marine Corps and another eight as a federal civilian marine before working as an executive at a broadcast media company in DC. For most of that time he was not a gun owner. As he tells hosts John and Kaylee, the bad examples he saw made him feel the responsibility of gun ownership was a challenge for the people around him, so he kept it out of his life. The pandemic changed that. His first firearm purchase was reactionary, driven by isolation, civil unrest, and the fear that gun stores might close for good. The rabbit hole opened almost immediately, and as friends and family joined him at the range and bought their own firearms, the idea for Guns Out TV took shape. The show started on local television on ABC 7 in the Washington, DC area, got two episodes out, and was canceled close to January 6, which the station used as the reason. Keys and his partner Shermichael Singleton found out by email while filming in Texas. Warrior Poet Society Network gave them a season to tell their origin story, GOA backed them before and after the cancellation, and their YouTube took off. Now approaching year four, Guns Out runs as a media platform and a full production company built around three pillars: keep it lighthearted but grounded in responsibility, keep it grounded in training and education, and humanize firearms culture. Much of the conversation is about access. Keys talks about diversity in the gun community, the narrative on the left that gun owners are all old white men, and his work going into underserved communities where people own guns but were never taught to handle them. He argues the community needs more people who aren't against firearms, not just more gun owners, and that reaching them means making the conversation palatable and meeting people where they are. The hosts build on that with the idea of an on ramp into the Second Amendment community and an off ramp for people leaving anti-gun positions. Keys also makes the case for free, government-subsidized mandatory training for first-time buyers, and the group covers the veterans funding win GOA fought for, zero-tolerance enforcement against small dealers, and the lead ammo ban that GOA members flooded with comments. He closes with Range Day 2024 and the first GOA convention in Knoxville. Linkswww.gunsouttv.comgunowners.orgQuestions this episode answers Who is John Keys and how did he go from not owning a gun to founding Guns Out TV? John Keys is a Marine Corps veteran and former broadcast media executive who was not a gun owner until the pandemic, when isolation, civil unrest, and the fear that gun stores would close drove a reactionary first purchase. As friends and family joined him at the range, the idea for Guns Out TV took shape. Why did Guns Out get canceled from local television, and how did GOA and Warrior Poet Society Network respond? After two episodes on ABC 7 in the Washington, DC area, the show was canceled close to January 6, which the station cited as the reason, and Keys learned by email while filming in Texas. Warrior Poet Society Network gave the team a season to tell their origin story, and Gun Owners of America backed them through it. What are the three pillars behind the Guns Out platform? Guns Out is built on three pillars: keep it lighthearted but grounded in responsibility, keep it grounded in training and education, and humanize firearms culture. Now approaching its fourth year, it runs as both a media platform and a full production company. What does it mean to humanize firearms culture and break down the barriers to gun ownership? For Keys, humanizing firearms culture means showing the human side of gun ownership and making the conversation palatable to people who were never taught to handle firearms. He frames guns as tools, with the focus on the person, the intent, and the responsibility of whoever wields them. How do you reach people who are indifferent or opposed to firearms without pushing them away? Keys argues for making the conversation palatable and meeting people where they are, saying the community needs more people who aren't against firearms rather than just more gun owners. The hosts frame this as building an on ramp into the Second Amendment community and an off ramp for people leaving anti-gun positions. Should first-time gun buyers be required to take training, and who should pay for it? Keys makes the case for mandatory training for first-time buyers that is free and government-subsidized, so cost is not a barrier to learning safe handling. He ties this to his work in communities where people own guns but were never taught how to use them. How does Guns Out work with underserved communities where people own guns but lack training? Keys goes into underserved communities where people already own firearms but were never taught to handle them, focusing on access and education. He also addresses diversity in the gun community and pushes back on the narrative that gun owners are all old white men. What does Guns Out cover beyond the show, from GO News and GO Films to GOA's policy wins? Beyond the show, Guns Out runs as a production company spanning news and films that show the human side of firearms culture. The episode also covers GOA policy fights, including a veterans funding win, enforcement against small dealers, the lead ammo ban, and the first GOA convention in Knoxville. Chapters 00:00 — Meet John Keys and Guns Out TV 00:40 — Marine career and why he wasn't a gun owner 01:47 — A reactionary first purchase during the pandemic 03:51 — Influencing friends and the first episode 06:01 — Local TV, then canceled near January 6 08:38 — GOA steps in and YouTube blows up 11:50 — Empowering others and a new era of gun ownership 12:38 — Diversity in the community and breaking the wall 17:30 — Public-facing range days that represent America 26:51 — Building the on ramp and the off ramp 40:54 — The case for free mandatory training 47:48 — The game of inches and staying vigilant 53:55 — GO News, GO Films, and showing the human side 59:42 — The first GOA convention in Knoxville About the guest John Keys is the co-founder of Guns Out TV. He is a Marine Corps veteran with twelve years of active duty and another eight years as a federal civilian marine, working at the Pentagon and at Headquarters Marine Corps Quantico. He later worked as an executive at a broadcast media company in DC. He was not a gun owner until the pandemic, when he bought his first pistol and rifle, an experience that led him to build Guns Out into a media platform and production company alongside his partner Shermichael Singleton. He describes himself as apolitical. Key quotes "Guns are just tools, and it's about the person, the intent, and the responsibility of that person that wields it." — John Keys "We're not here to compete. We're here to empower." — John Keys "We just need more people that aren't against firearms." — John Keys "the mission from guns out has always been to humanize firearms culture" — John Keys "almost as important as an on ramp is an off ramp for the anti gunners" — Host