Yeeting The Haters – The People Behind Hi-Point (ft Hi-Point Firearms)

State of the Second host John sits down with Dave from Hi-Point Firearms, the man some industry circles call "Handsome Dave" and the voice behind the Yeet Cannon. Dave has worked with Hi-Point for about 15 years and walks through what most people get wrong about the brand. Hi-Point isn't a single company. It's a brand built on several outfits: MKS Supply handles marketing and distribution, Strassell's Machine produces most of the firearms, Haskell Manufacturing makes the .45 and now the .40 handgun, and Mid Ohio Graphics does the hydro dipping. Dave knocks down the myth that each gun is made in a different facility to dodge lawsuits, and pushes back on the "Saturday Night Special" and "Ring of Fire" labels people throw at Hi-Point. He points out the company has been around 35 years, is a real manufacturer that carries insurance, and builds a gun meant to be affordable so everyone can own a firearm. The conversation covers the 2019 "name our gun" campaign that produced the Yeet Cannon, the wider MKS lineup including Full Forge Gear and Inland Manufacturing's reproduction M1 carbines, and the loss of Barnaul ammunition after the Biden administration's action on imported Russian ammo. Dave details the scramble to bring in ammo on two-year import licenses, the rumor of a Russian-government seizure at port once the war in Ukraine started, and why building a new imported-ammo relationship is slow and risky. He defends steel-case ammo as solid and explains why Hi-Point won't chase a stainless slide or a Browning tilt-lock action that would price the gun out of reach. In the Soapbox segment, Dave's take is a warning against complacency. He's a longtime Trump supporter, but his message is that the government is still not your friend, and gun owners need to stay vigilant at the state level even under a friendly federal administration. He and John point to Colorado's ammo tax, a Memphis AR-ban lawsuit, and background-check problems in Washington, and urge listeners to contact lawmakers through GOA's site to push bills like the Hearing Protection Act and national reciprocity. They close on Hi-Point's lifetime warranty, the gun found with 32 to 34 rounds of .45 stacked in the barrel, why most torture tests are pointless, and the new pistol-format carbines (995P, 4595P, 1095P) dropping at SHOT Show. Links www.gunowners.org www.blackoutcoffee.com patriotmobile.com Questions this episode answers What is Hi-Point Firearms, and is it one company or a brand made up of several? Hi-Point is a brand, not a single company. It is built on several outfits working together, with MKS Supply handling marketing and distribution and separate manufacturers producing the firearms. Which companies make Hi-Point products, and where are the guns actually produced? Strassell's Machine produces most of the firearms, Haskell Manufacturing makes the .45 and now the .40 handgun, and Mid Ohio Graphics handles the hydro dipping, while MKS Supply manages marketing and distribution. Is the myth true that each Hi-Point gun is made in a separate facility to avoid lawsuits? No. Dave knocks down that myth, explaining Hi-Point is a real manufacturer that has been around 35 years and carries insurance, not a setup designed to dodge liability. How did the Yeet Cannon get its name, and what happened with the customer naming campaign? The Yeet Cannon name came out of Hi-Point's 2019 'name our gun' campaign, in which customers were invited to name the firearm. What other brands and products fall under MKS Supply besides Hi-Point? The wider MKS Supply lineup includes Full Forge Gear and Inland Manufacturing's reproduction M1 carbines, alongside the Hi-Point brand. What happened to Barnaul ammunition, and why did Hi-Point lose that line? Hi-Point lost Barnaul ammunition after the Biden administration's action on imported Russian ammo, which forced a scramble to bring in ammo on two-year import licenses, complicated by a reported port seizure once the war in Ukraine began. Why won't Hi-Point switch to a stainless steel slide or a different action to make a lighter gun? Hi-Point won't chase a stainless slide or a Browning tilt-lock action because those changes would price the gun out of reach, and the goal has always been to make a firearm everyone can afford. What is Dave's warning to gun owners about complacency under a friendly administration? Dave, a longtime Trump supporter, warns that the government is still not your friend, urging gun owners to stay vigilant at the state level and contact lawmakers through Gun Owners of America even under a friendly federal administration. Chapters 00:00 — Meet Dave from Hi-Point 01:25 — Rapid fire: impulse buys and aliens 03:31 — Home defense and the lever gun 05:11 — Most realistic firearms movie 07:02 — Is Die Hard a Christmas movie 07:50 — Who and what is Hi-Point 09:00 — Debunking the Hi-Point myths 11:19 — The 2019 Yeet Cannon naming campaign 14:21 — Full Forge Gear and Inland carbines 18:42 — Losing Barnaul and imported ammo 24:02 — The risk of unknown import brands 30:31 — Warranty and rounds stacked in the barrel 34:11 — Soapbox: don't get complacent 41:03 — Illinois and the melting-point law 45:18 — Torture tests and the C9 target story 48:46 — Prepper stockpiles and Ursula's high points 52:01 — New pistol-format carbines at SHOT About the guest Dave represents Hi-Point Firearms and has worked with the brand for about 15 years. He works for MKS Supply, the marketing and distribution company behind the Hi-Point brand, and deals with writers, media people, and end-user customers on social media and by phone. He is known in some industry circles as "Handsome Dave" and is associated with Hi-Point's "Yeet Cannon." Key quotes "High Point isn't even. I should say it's a brand. It's not a single company." — Dave "We're, we're. We're a real manufacturer. We carry insurance" — Dave "We wouldn't still be in existence making crap, you know, if for 35 years" — Dave "This Trump admin could be the best thing we've ever had, and I think it will be. But they are still not your friend." — Dave "Now is not the time to become complacent. Now is the time to actually push these people that you elected to do what they said" — John "And that's always been the goal, to make a gun that everybody can afford." — Dave "if you come up to me and tell me you want to intentionally destroy my product, I'm gonna tell you to take a hike." — Dave