The 2nd Amendment Protects the 13th Amendment (ft. Primary Arms)

John and Kaylee sit down at SHOT Show with Ken Ross of Primary Arms for a conversation that starts with optics and ends up somewhere bigger. Ken walks through his path into the industry: born in Michigan, he started as an instructor about ten or eleven years ago, realized he didn't know what he was doing, took classes from a number of talented people, then worked for Athlon Outdoors magazine and Century Arms before Primary Arms made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He lays out the company's five business units, optics, the .com site, the government division, Expo Arms parts, and wholesale, and tells the story of founder Marshall Lerner starting the company out of his barbershop after being challenged on a forum to build affordable optics. The middle of the episode is a product tour from the show floor. Ken covers the new releases: the flagship 1 to 8 compact, a 1 to 10 with the bright Nova reticle, two push-button red dots with user-configurable reticles (one with a solar backup), the GLX microprism, and the RS15, the first pistol optic with the Vulcan reticle and its 250 MOA circle that guides a shooter back to center when the dot drifts off target. He also explains why every single box gets opened and inspected before it ships, even though it costs the company time, and he addresses the sourcing question directly, including the new Houston building where Primary Arms plans to produce US-made optics. From there the talk widens into the title idea. Ken says if you can take away the Second Amendment, the 13th is in danger. The hosts and Ken dig into hunter education leaving schools, youth shooting sports being cut, parents stepping back from school boards, and a culture that has drifted away from hunting as a normal part of life. They close on the firearms community itself: a small, tight-knit world where competing brands co-market, people remember the small details, and SHOT Show is less about guns than about like-minded people who value their families and their friends. Questions this episode answers How did Ken Ross get into the firearms industry and end up at Primary Arms? Ken Ross started as an instructor about ten or eleven years ago, took classes from talented people, then worked for Athlon Outdoors magazine and Century Arms in Florida. Primary Arms later made him an offer he couldn't refuse. What are the five business units that make up Primary Arms? Primary Arms runs five business units: optics, the .com retail site, a government division, Expo Arms parts, and wholesale. How did Primary Arms get started, and what was founder Marshall Lerner challenged to do? Founder Marshall Lerner started Primary Arms out of his barbershop after being challenged on a forum to build affordable optics. Which new optics did Primary Arms launch at SHOT Show this year? Primary Arms showed a flagship 1 to 8 compact, a 1 to 10 with the bright Nova reticle, two push-button red dots with user-configurable reticles (one with a solar backup), the GLX microprism, and the RS15 pistol optic. What does the Vulcan reticle on the RS15 pistol optic actually do? The RS15 is the first pistol optic with the Vulcan reticle, whose 250 MOA circle guides a shooter back to center when the dot drifts off target. Why does Primary Arms open and inspect every single box before it ships? Primary Arms opens every box, inspects the optics, and stamps them before shipping for quality control, even though Ken Ross acknowledges it costs the company time. Where are Primary Arms optics made, and what is happening at the new Houston building? Ken Ross addresses sourcing directly and points to a new Houston building where Primary Arms plans to produce US-made optics. Why does Ken Ross say the Second Amendment protects the 13th Amendment? Ken Ross argues that if the Second Amendment can be taken away, the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, is in danger, tying an armed citizenry to protection from that kind of subjugation. Chapters 00:00 — Meet Ken Ross of Primary Arms 00:19 — Ken's path into the industry 01:17 — The five business units 02:57 — Expo Arms and wholesale 03:58 — Where optics are made and the every-box inspection 05:56 — Texas, Houston, and a gun culture company 09:00 — Gun people building for gun people 10:10 — SHOT Show new product launch 14:16 — The RS15 and the Vulcan reticle 15:50 — The airport ad and SHOT Show pride 19:02 — Hunting stories and America's gun 20:49 — Why the 2nd Amendment protects the 13th 22:04 — Shipping bans and blaming the industry 26:04 — Culture, hunter education, and school boards 39:01 — Respect for life and the hunting debate 44:42 — A tight-knit community and co-marketing 51:06 — Where to find Primary Arms and sign-off About the guest Ken Ross works at Primary Arms and was born in Michigan. He started in the firearms industry around ten or eleven years ago as an instructor, then took classes from a number of talented people before working for Athlon Outdoors magazine for a couple of years and later for Century Arms in Florida. He joined Primary Arms after they made him an offer he couldn't refuse and calls it one of the most enjoyable jobs he's had. He previously worked in the automotive industry. [VERIFY title/role at Primary Arms] Key quotes "If you support the Second Amendment, then you're on our team." — Ken Ross "Open every single box, inspect those optics, stamp them before we send them out." — Ken Ross "If you can take away the number two, 13 is in danger." — Ken Ross "If we really want to change this in the New Yorks and the Californias and the Washingtons, we need to start raising people from a young age to appreciate how to be a human being again." — Ken Ross "You shouldn't be blaming the company. You should be voting people out of office who are stopping the company from being able to exist in that sphere." — Kaylee "The second amendment isn't about hunting, but hunters should be about the second amendment." — Kaylee "It's about finding like minded people, good people, people who see things the way that you see them." — Ken Ross