The Unfiltered HONEST Truth About the Firearms Community (ft. Whiskey & Windage)

State of the Second host John welcomes the crew behind Whiskey & Windage, the cigar-smoking, bourbon-drinking trio of Adam, Mike, and Matt Brass. The conversation opens with a Blackout Coffee rapid-fire round (time travel, aliens, firearms movies, what they're binge watching, and current EDCs) before settling into the real subject: what their show is and why they do it. Mike, the founder, explains the idea came from the way guys talk guns around a campfire, and the mission is to humanize an industry people assume is full of heartless companies. The group makes the case that even the big names are still family-owned American businesses, and that a lot of the manufacturing is shared across the industry like 'two A farmers' crop sharing parts. Mike even owns up to being the kind of guy who used to poor-shame budget guns before he learned how the supply chain actually works. From there the episode turns to the media landscape and why podcasting is on the uptick as a place people go for unbiased news and real conversation, with a side complaint about America's gnat-sized attention span and the way pure stupidity goes viral while valuable content stalls. The crew agrees the election went the way they wanted but warns against letting the pendulum swing too far, and presses the point that voted-in politicians have to be held accountable to preserve the Constitution. The show's 'From the Soapbox' segment, brought to you by Patriot Mobile, is where it gets pointed. Mike argues America has a judicial system, not a justice system, and that anyone deemed fit to return to society should get their rights back, including the right to own a gun. Adam frames it as three options: termination, incarceration, or full citizenship with no felon label hanging over you. They apply the no-compromise logic to Hunter Biden, agreeing that if he's not in prison and not violent, he has the same right to protect himself as anyone. The back half digs into veterans and rights. Adam, an active-duty Army drill sergeant and medic, calls the VA a failed system and explains why the fear of losing firearms keeps service members from seeking behavioral health care. Mike, speaking as a non-veteran, argues a VA card should be accepted at any hospital, the same care politicians and four-star generals get. The episode closes on the ATF, where Mike says the chant should shift from 'abolish' to 'reform,' and lays out a plan to move suppressors out of ATF control by building a uniform, OSHA-compliant hearing-safety standard the silencer industry could compete on. John thanks the guests and notes Palmetto State Armory and AAC sponsored gift packages for season two guests. Find Whiskey & Windage at whiskeyandwindage.com and across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, and Apple. Linkswww.gunowners.orgwww.blackoutcoffee.compatriotmobile.comQuestions this episode answers Who is Whiskey & Windage and how did the three of them come together? Whiskey & Windage is a firearms podcast hosted by a cigar-and-bourbon trio: Mike, founder and owner of a Nashville firearm shop; Adam, an active-duty Army drill sergeant and medic; and Matt Brass, a collector. It started October 1, 2023 on Tyler Hoover's Antihero channel, then went solo January 1, 2024. What does Whiskey & Windage mean by humanizing the firearms industry? The trio's mission is to push back on the assumption that the firearms industry is full of heartless companies by showing that even the big names are still family-owned American businesses. Founder Mike modeled the show on how guys talk guns around a campfire, putting real people behind the brands. How much of the gun industry actually makes its own parts versus sharing manufacturing? The crew argues a lot of manufacturing is shared across the industry, with companies crop-sharing parts the way farmers do rather than each making everything in-house. Mike admits he used to poor-shame budget guns before he understood how the supply chain actually works. Why do the hosts believe podcasting is becoming where people go for news and unbiased stories? They see podcasting on the uptick as a place for unbiased news and real conversation, in contrast to mainstream media. Their side complaint is America's short attention span and the way pure stupidity goes viral while valuable content stalls. What is the difference between a judicial system and a justice system, and why does it matter for gun rights? Mike argues America has a judicial system, not a justice system, and that anyone deemed fit to return to society should get their rights back, including the right to own a gun. Adam frames it as three options: termination, incarceration, or full citizenship with no felon label attached. Should a non-violent felon or someone like Hunter Biden be allowed to own a firearm? The crew applies its no-compromise logic to Hunter Biden, agreeing that if he is not in prison and not violent, he has the same right to protect himself as anyone else. Their broader position is that a non-violent person returned to society should have full rights restored. Why does the fear of losing firearms keep service members from getting VA behavioral health care? Adam, an active-duty Army drill sergeant and medic, says the fear of losing a basic constitutional right stops many service members from seeking behavioral health care, and he calls the VA a failed system. Mike argues a VA card should be accepted at any hospital for the same care politicians and four-star generals get. How could suppressors be moved out of ATF control using an OSHA hearing-safety standard? Mike says the chant should shift from abolish to reform the ATF, and proposes moving suppressors out of ATF control by building a uniform, OSHA-compliant hearing-safety standard the silencer industry could compete on. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and meet Whiskey & Windage 01:09 — Rapid fire with Blackout Coffee 07:51 — How the trio found each other 09:11 — Humanizing the firearms industry 11:57 — Poor-shaming and shared manufacturing 16:31 — Starting the show and the grind of podcasting 19:32 — Podcasting, media, and attention spans 24:44 — The election and holding politicians accountable 29:35 — From the Soapbox: justice vs judicial system 34:51 — No compromise on Hunter Biden's rights 37:00 — The VA, veterans, and firearm rights 38:38 — ATF: reform instead of abolish 46:47 — An OSHA standard for suppressors 50:20 — Sponsor thanks and where to find them About the guest Whiskey & Windage is a firearms podcast made up of three people. Mike is the founder of Whiskey & Windage and the owner of a firearm shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Adam is an active-duty Army drill sergeant and a medic. Matt Brass describes himself as a collector. The show started unofficially on October 1, 2023 as part of a daily-drop channel organized by Tyler Hoover of the Antihero podcast, then went out on its own on January 1, 2024. The crew says they put in around 40 hours a week on the back end of the show between the three of them. Key quotes "But our whole goal is to humanize this industry." — Mike "A lot of folks in our, you know, in the 2A industry want to support, want to support American businesses." — Matt Brass "We have a judicial system now. We do not have a justice system." — Mike "It's preserve the Constitution." — Adam "I think it inhibits a lot of service members from getting the help they need because of the fear of losing a basic constitutional right." — Adam "I think our chant needs to change from abolish to reform." — Mike