The Bro Culture Behind GoonTape (and why it works) (ft. GoonTape)

Adam, the founder of GoonTape, joins host John on GOA's State of the Second to explain how a heat-resistant athletic tape became a brand with a community behind it. The product started during COVID. Adam was doing enterprise software sales, commuting four hours a day, and hated it. He trained at the Executive Protection Institute, ran black-tie security gigs in New York City, then watched that work disappear when corporate events stopped. As an AK shooter, he wanted a cheap, disposable way to handle a barrel that gets hot fast. After some hillbilly testing across metals and cloth types, he landed on a cotton-poly blend, committed to a factory minimum, and ended up with 10,000 rolls of tape in his apartment and the sudden realization that he now had to sell them. The name does double duty. A goon is an enforcer and a goon is a bad guy, and Adam saw goon culture in the Second Amendment space as a way to say he carries to defend his family, not to hunt deer. The marketing leans into what he calls advertainment, the kind of weird, artistic gun content people either love or hate. That approach pulls in people who tell him they have no interest in guns but liked the marketing. Adam talks through the surreal feeling of seeing GoonTape stickers and shirts in the wild, the handwritten notes the company still puts in every package, and the bro community that has formed around something as simple as tape. He also recaps GOALS in Knoxville, where smaller companies and big names like Smith and Wesson all felt approachable. The back half is the soapbox. Adam's gripe is that the gun community needs to recruit people on the fence instead of preaching at them, reaching gamers, airsoft and paintball players, and people overseas who only know guns from mass-shooting coverage. He and John trade real situational-awareness stories, from a near home invasion to being followed on the Las Vegas Strip, and argue the police often arrive after the danger is over. They cover constitutional carry, the racist origins of gun control, Virginia's 2020 turnout in Richmond, and why a concealed-carry event might bring more people in than open-carrying rifles. Adam closes on the gun-store experience as many newcomers' first impression, praising welcoming ranges and calling out egotistical salespeople who run people off. Linkswww.gunowners.orgwww.blackoutcoffee.compatriotmobile.comQuestions this episode answers What is GoonTape and what is it actually made of? GoonTape is a heat-resistant athletic cloth tape made from a cotton-poly blend, marketed toward firearms and combative sports as a cheap, disposable way to handle gear that gets hot, like an AK barrel. Adam describes it as soft tape for rough work that can be used for anything. How did GoonTape get started, and what was Adam doing before it? Adam started GoonTape during COVID after working in enterprise software sales and running black-tie security gigs in New York City that dried up when corporate events stopped. As an AK shooter, he tested metals and cloth types, landed on a cotton-poly blend, and committed to a factory minimum of 10,000 rolls. Where did the name GoonTape come from? Adam chose the name because a goon is both an enforcer and a bad guy, and he saw goon culture in the Second Amendment space as a way to say he carries to defend his family, not to hunt deer. How does GoonTape use marketing to bring people who aren't into guns into the community? GoonTape leans into what Adam calls advertainment, weird and artistic gun content that draws in viewers who tell him they have no interest in guns but liked the marketing. Reaching those on-the-fence people is the entire goal, reinforced by handwritten notes in every package and a bro community around the tape. Why does Adam believe situational awareness matters more than relying on police response? Adam and host John trade real stories, including a near home invasion and being followed on the Las Vegas Strip, and argue that police often arrive after the danger is already over. The takeaway is that staying aware of your surroundings is your first line of defense. What does Adam think the gun community gets wrong about recruiting people on the fence? Adam argues the gun community preaches at people instead of recruiting those on the fence, and should reach gamers, airsoft and paintball players, and people overseas who only know guns from mass-shooting coverage. The goal is growing the Second Amendment community, not just talking to insiders. Why can a welcoming gun store matter more than the gun itself for a first-time buyer? Adam points out that the gun store is many newcomers' first impression of the community, so a welcoming range can bring people in while an egotistical salesperson runs them off. He also suggests a concealed-carry event may draw more newcomers than open-carrying rifles. What did Adam take away from GOALS in Knoxville? Adam recapped the Gun Owners Action Leadership Summit (GOALS) in Knoxville, where both smaller companies and big names like Smith and Wesson felt approachable. Chapters 00:00 — Meet Adam from GoonTape 00:43 — Rapid fire questions 03:08 — Adam's revolver-heavy EDC 05:03 — Home defense guns by state 09:09 — How GoonTape started during COVID 13:21 — Why the name is GoonTape 15:31 — When sales took off 17:42 — GOALS in Knoxville 20:42 — The coolest uses for the tape 23:25 — Building the GoonTape community 26:48 — Soapbox: recruiting people on the fence 29:56 — Situational-awareness stories 39:53 — Constitutional carry and gun-control history 42:43 — Virginia, lobby day, and going on offense 55:15 — The gun-store experience for newcomers 59:43 — Sponsor gift and where to find GoonTape About the guest Adam is the founder of GoonTape, which makes a heat-resistant cotton-poly blend cloth tape marketed toward firearms and combative sports. He is from Long Island, New York and now lives in Northern Virginia. Before starting GoonTape he worked in enterprise software sales, then trained through the Executive Protection Institute's driving school and seven-day bodyguard program and worked black-tie security gigs in New York City. He started GoonTape during COVID and has run it for over four years. He is a self-described revolver fan and FUD who carries firearms for self-defense. Key quotes "We make heat resistant athletic tape. We market it towards firearms and combative sports. Essentially we say it's soft tape for rough work, but you could use it for anything." — Adam "We are here to grow the second amendment community full stop." — Adam "we had had multiple people tell me, I don't, I'm not interested in guns. But I really liked your marketing and it piqued my interest. And I'm like, that is our entire goal." — Adam "I want the gun community to add more people that are trying to recruit people on the fence." — Adam "If you want to know what the society would look like if good people couldn't own firearms, go to Manhattan." — Adam