Taking photos of Guns turned Business? (ft. Kill Flash Photography)

State of the Second sits down with Jordan from Kill Flash Photography, an engineer turned firearms content creator who built a marketing business out of taking photos of guns. Jordan came up in the defense contracting world, decided he was being too technically minded, and bought a camera. He started an Instagram he never expected to run, since he hated Facebook and didn't even have a personal account before that. About five years later he shoots content and does marketing for a range of companies in the industry, and he has started his own mechanical design business to bring firearms accessory products to market. The company is Republic of Arizona Research, Razor for short. Much of the conversation is about the people. Jordan and John met through content work, talked for hours by phone and message, and felt like old friends the first time they met in person at the GOA booth at SHOT Show. Jordan describes the 2A industry as people from very different backgrounds who hover around one centerpiece and find common ground. He credits a no-gatekeeping culture for his own start, where established creators shared camera settings, flash setups, and technique freely. When Meta's shadow banning and censorship hit, creators built a private collaboration group so they could share posts and lift each other up. Jordan's view: the only way anyone grows is together, high tides raise all ships. The back half turns to policy. The hosts walk through GOA's recent California roster win that added guns like the Hellcat and the 365, the pistol brace injunctions, and the still-pending bump stock case, and they tie each one to real economic impact, citing a billion-plus dollars tied to pistol braces. Kaylee lays out her framework that culture sits upstream of politics, politics upstream of the industry, and the industry upstream of the individual gun owner, which is why creators fighting the culture war on platforms that don't want them there matters. They warn that gun control gets buried deep inside unrelated bills under a vote-now-read-later culture, praise GOA's Federal Affairs team for sifting through thousand-page bills, and push listeners to research candidates rather than vote by the letter next to a name. The episode closes with a call to pick up a camera, join the community, and use the 2024 election to be heard. Linkscampsite.bio/killflashphotoQuestions this episode answers How did an engineer from the defense contracting world end up building a business taking photos of guns? Jordan came up in defense contracting, decided he was too technically minded, and bought a camera to get more artistic. He started an Instagram he never expected to run, and about five years later he shoots content and does marketing for companies across the firearms industry. Why does the firearms industry collaborate instead of treating each other as competition? Jordan describes the Second Amendment community as people from very different backgrounds who gather around one centerpiece and find common ground. His view is that the only way anyone grows is together, a high tide that raises all ships. How do firearms content creators handle Instagram and Meta censorship and shadow banning? When Meta's shadow banning and censorship hit, creators built a private collaboration group to share posts and lift each other up. The idea is that supporting each other's content is how they keep growing on platforms that work against them. What is the private creator group and why did creators build it? It is a private collaboration group creators formed in response to Meta's shadow banning and censorship. Members share each other's posts and support one another so their content can still reach people despite platform suppression. What helped Jordan get started as a firearms photographer? Jordan credits a no-gatekeeping culture, where established creators freely shared camera settings, flash setups, and technique. That openness let him learn the craft and build his own following. What was the impact of GOA's California roster win and the pistol brace injunctions on companies and gun owners? Gun Owners of America's California roster win added guns like the Hellcat and the 365 back to what residents can buy, and the pistol brace injunctions carried real economic weight, with the hosts citing more than a billion dollars tied to braces. Why does gun control end up hidden inside unrelated bills, and how does GOA's team catch it? Gun control often gets buried deep inside unrelated bills under a vote-now-read-later culture. GOA's Federal Affairs team sifts through thousand-page bills to find those provisions before they pass. How should voters evaluate a candidate's real record on the Second Amendment? The episode urges voters to research candidates rather than vote by the letter next to a name. Jordan's point is that you need to know who you are voting for and what they truly stand for, not just their party. Chapters 00:00 — Meet Jordan from Kill Flash Photography 00:18 — Engineer turned firearms creator 01:20 — Why photograph guns: building meets art 02:35 — The relationships are the best part 04:51 — No gatekeeping when you start out 06:16 — Censorship, shadow banning, and collaboration 09:44 — The 'A team' creator group 13:01 — Pick up a camera and touch 100 people 16:16 — Advice on building your first firearm 17:54 — California roster win and taking freedoms back 20:07 — Pistol braces and the billion-dollar impact 22:46 — Culture upstream of politics and the industry 29:05 — Gun control hidden in bills, vote now read later 32:08 — Do your research, don't vote by the letter 34:17 — Wrap-up and where to follow Jordan About the guest Jordan is the creator behind Kill Flash Photography and, by trade, an engineer who spent time in the defense contracting world. He has said he felt too technically minded and wanted to branch out and get artistic, so he bought a camera and started an Instagram, having never used one before. About five years in, he shoots content and does marketing for a range of companies throughout the firearms industry, and he has started a small business doing his own mechanical design to bring firearms accessory products to market, called Republic of Arizona Research (Razor for short). He works at the Hub in Arizona. Key quotes "The people that I've met in the industry through these, doing content for them, and those kind of connections are some of the best people I've ever met." — Jordan "It's a little bit cliche but I always love the saying high tides raise all ships." — Jordan "You may only get 100 followers or 100 subscribers, but that's 100 people that you've touched." — John "You have culture upstream of politics, politics upstream of the industry. The industry is often what's upstream of the individual gun owner." — Kaylee "When you get into the perspective of pass now, read later, there is not a higher responsibility for them than to know what they're voting on." — Jordan "You need to know who you're voting for and you need to know what they truly stand for." — Jordan