The Origins of Palmetto State Armory, Bump Stocks and More! | #19 Jamin McCallum Palmetto State Armory

Jamin McCallum, co-founder of Palmetto State Armory, joins State of the Second hosts John and Kaylee to trace PSA from a garage idea into what he calls the number one firearms and accessories website in the world. A CPA by training, Jamin came home from his second deployment with a traumatic brain injury that left him unable to focus on tax work. He quit, told his wife they were going to start a gun company, and pulled his brother out of a shoe store to join him. The first plan was to make 6.8 ammo and compete with Silver State Armory, but the licensing and equipment were too complex. They pivoted to selling Magpul PMAGs on a website they built in a sandwich shop, did $221 in their first month in April 2008, and were doing about a million dollars a month by that November. Jamin walks through the moments that pushed the company to each new level: a "you lie" engraved lower tied to Congressman Joe Wilson that the New York Times and Huffington Post linked to, which re-indexed the whole site; a deal with FN in Columbia to take over barrel production that left them swimming in barrels right before Sandy Hook, which launched their AR-15 line; and the shift from assembling parts to making their own. PSA now runs about 2,000 uppers and 1,000 handguns a day, makes roughly a million bolt carrier groups and 1.2 million barrels a year, employs 50 full-time engineers, and built its own ammo plant in West Columbia after repeated ammo scares left it unable to get rounds even to test-fire guns. The company also picked up AAC suppressors and the H&R brand out of the Remington bankruptcy. The back half turns to policy. Jamin frames PSA's whole mission as spreading freedom, keeping guns affordable so more people get into the hobby before any future ban can take hold. He and Kaylee dig into the ATF redefining rules by edict, the bump stock ban, the pistol brace ban, and the new rule targeting private sales, arguing bureaucrats are writing what amounts to law without going through the House, Senate, and the President. They make the case that comment periods matter, that lawsuits run hundreds of thousands of dollars and are funded by taxpayers on both sides, and that gun owners have to stay tenacious because the government has unlimited funds to wear them down. Kaylee highlights GOA's round-up-at-checkout partnership with PSA feeding its Second Amendment preservation fund and the group's growing campus presence, and both close convinced the culture is shifting toward seeing the right to self-defense as a civil right. Links palmettostatearmory.com Questions this episode answers How did Palmetto State Armory get started, and what was its first product? Jamin McCallum and his brother formed Palmetto State Armory in 2008 after an early plan to make 6.8 ammunition proved too complex. They pivoted to selling Magpul PMAGs on a website built in a sandwich shop, doing $221 their first month in April 2008 and about a million dollars a month by that November. Why did Jamin McCallum leave his career as a CPA to start a gun company? A CPA by training, Jamin came home from his second deployment with a traumatic brain injury that left him unable to focus on tax work. He quit, told his wife they were starting a gun company, and pulled his brother out of a shoe store to join him. How did the "you lie" lower tied to Congressman Joe Wilson change PSA's web traffic? PSA made a "you lie" engraved lower tied to Congressman Joe Wilson that the New York Times and Huffington Post linked to. Those links re-indexed the whole site and pushed it to a new level of visibility. How did PSA's barrel deal with FN and the timing of Sandy Hook launch its AR-15 line? PSA struck a deal with FN in Columbia to take over barrel production, which left the company swimming in barrels right before Sandy Hook. That timing and supply launched its AR-15 line. How many uppers, handguns, barrels, and bolt carrier groups does PSA produce? PSA runs about 2,000 uppers and 1,000 handguns a day, and makes roughly a million bolt carrier groups and 1.2 million barrels a year. It also employs about 50 full-time engineers. Why did PSA build its own ammunition plant? Repeated ammo scares left PSA unable to get rounds even to test-fire its guns, so it built its own ammunition plant in West Columbia. The move secured its own supply instead of depending on outside sources. What did PSA acquire out of the Remington bankruptcy? PSA picked up the AAC suppressor line and the H&R brand out of the Remington bankruptcy, adding them to a lineup that grew from assembling parts to making its own products. Why does Jamin say comment periods and lawsuits matter in fighting ATF rules like the bump stock and brace bans? Jamin argues the ATF redefines rules by edict on bump stocks, pistol braces, and private sales, writing what amounts to law without Congress. He says comment periods matter and lawsuits cost hundreds of thousands, so gun owners must stay tenacious against a government with unlimited funds. Chapters 00:00 — Meeting Jamin and PSA's scale 00:28 — From CPA to starting a gun company 02:33 — The ammo idea that became PMAGs 04:00 — Early growth to a million a month 08:38 — The "you lie" lower goes viral 12:04 — The FN barrel deal and Sandy Hook 18:15 — Build-it-yourself uppers and handguns 20:01 — Making products and the road to SHOT Show 24:04 — Spread freedom and the 1986 machine gun ban 28:46 — Affordable price points and the 90% market 35:53 — AAC, the ammo plant, and H&R 42:38 — GOA partnership and the round-up fund 44:46 — Bump stocks, braces, and ATF by edict 47:47 — Why comment periods matter 50:08 — Staying in the fight and shifting culture 1:00:36 — Wrap-up and SHOT Show teaser About the guest Jamin McCallum is a co-founder of Palmetto State Armory, which he describes as the number one firearms and accessories website in the world. He is a CPA by education and trade. He served in the Army, deployed twice, and took IED blasts on his second deployment that left him with a traumatic brain injury. He started the company with his brother Josiah, forming it in February 2008. He later joined with Julian Wilson (Congressman Joe Wilson's son) and Ed LaRocque to form JJE, the ownership group behind PSA. He taught at the University of South Carolina in the evenings and served in the National Guard as a company commander. He grew up outside Philadelphia. Key quotes "So I just, I quit my job, told my wife, you know, hey, we're gonna start a gun company." — Jamin McCallum "But that's kind of the story of how it all got started." — Jamin McCallum "We went from assembling products to making products." — Jamin McCallum "our vision is to spread freedom" — Jamin McCallum "if you want your freedom, you got to be more tenacious and more dedicated than the people trying to take it away" — Jamin McCallum "It is only an echo chamber that they control if we refuse to speak." — Kaylee "The right to defend yourself is a civil right." — Jamin McCallum