Marc is the president and CEO of GrabAGun.

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:29 - Why to IPO, and what it’s like
• 3:54 - Navigating regulatory scrutiny and having mission-aligned shareholders
• 13:29 - Stock buyback
• 15:10 - M&A opportunities in the gun space
• 22:33 - An everything store for guns
• 24:43 - GrabAGun technical systems
• 29:07 - Data and analytics in the industry
• 32:59 - Operational challenges and opportunities for growth
• 37:03 - GrabAGun’s board of directors
• 41:01 - Building a team
• 46:52 - Managing risk in the early days of a startup

Tim is the founder of Hoffman Tactical.

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:23 - How has 3D printing evolved compared to what Tim expected?
• 9:16 - Does 3D printing need a killer app?
• 14:22 - Opportunities in destructive devices
• 18:20 - Tim likes anti-materiel rifles
• 18:49 - Gun designs are dictated by their manufacturing technology
• 20:39 - Hoffman Tactical’s customers
• 24:24 - Drones, automated defense systems, and the potential there
• 35:12 - Community isn’t strictly required for private defense
• 40:59 - The Super Safety
• 43:30 - Debating the value of forced reset triggers and full auto fire
• 52:12 - Why small companies out-innovate big ones
• 56:32 - Tim on hot air balloons

Rob is the founder of Constellation Response, the store for gun culture 3.0.

Timeline:

• 0:00 - Intro to Rob and Constellation Response
• 4:44 - Why modern civilian comms are changing from the old days
• 8:11 - The rise of Meshtastic and its applications
• 18:45 - Acceleration in radios
• 21:43 - Why Constellation Response is getting into drones
• 24:17 - Drone training courses
• 30:01 - The impact of regulation on the cool things you could do with drones
• 36:31 - The future of autonomous drones
• 42:11 - 3D printing, drones, AI, and comms feel like something really cool is swirling into shape
• 46:18 - Are signal jammers going to become a thing in the US?
• 51:16 - Tethered drones
• 56:38 - Follow Constellation Response

David is the founder of Canine Defense Technologies, which makes drones for defense professionals and serious civilians.

Timeline:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:49 - Drone nomenclature
• 1:44 - Counterdrone tech and the competition between offense and defense
• 8:42 - Technological lessons from Ukraine
• 16:16 - Applying those lessons to civilian drone tech
• 19:16 - What is the FAA getting in the way of?
• 25:50 - Panics that could drive bad regulation
• 32:08 - History and mission of Canine Defense
• 43:29 - Supply chain as limiting factor
• 44:55 - Innovations in drone propulsion and power
• 50:10 - Drones as Second Amendment arms and why fears of misuse are probably overblown
• 58:50 - Growing Canine Defense’s business
• 1:05:38 - Future products from Canine Defense
• 1:08:22 - Decentralized community-building with drone swarms

Jon and Sarah run PHLster Holsters, makers of the Enigma, other holsters, and groundbreaking education about how to carry comfortably.

Timeline:

• 0:00 - The journey to making holsters
• 7:58 - What was the need PHLster was responding to?
• 17:34 - When did Sarah know the Enigma was going to be good?
• 35:57 - How much of a breakthrough was the Enigma for PHLster?
• 41:35 - Education and holster fitment as a science
• 49:28 - What's wrong with telling people to dress around the gun
• 58:13 - The importance of online communities
• 1:08:52 - The dynamic around gun products marketed to women
• 1:20:21 - Social media as a design and manufacturing tool
• 1:29:48 - Nobody goes to the anti-gun range

Jay is the founder and technical director of Pew Science, the world's top silencer testing company.

Timeline:

• 0:00 - Are low back pressure silencers the end of history?
• 4:50 - Why silencers break the FN SCAR 17
• 7:12 - Pistol silencers are hard
• 19:21 - What were the breakthroughs in silencer technology?
• 24:06 - Consumers, not the military, are now driving the silencer industry
• 44:16 - Is there value in modular cans?
• 48:48 - The mechanics of silencer assembly
• 54:59 - Standardization in silencer attachment
• 1:00:41 - Consumer demand vs. military standards
• 1:05:36 - Flash hider vs. muzzle brake for suppression
• 1:09:34 - Understanding the SCAR's sensitivity to silencers
• 1:18:27 - About Pew Science

Isaac Botkin is a longtime leader at T.Rex Arms and the perfect first guest for the Open Source Defense podcast. We talk about the beginnings of T.Rex, whether guns actually prevent tyranny, and future tech in the civilian defense industry.

Timeline:

• 0:00 - Intro and Background
• 2:44 - Milestones and Growth of T.Rex Arms
• 9:51 - Challenges of Growth as a Company
• 17:45 - Hiring for Passion and Mission Alignment
• 25:55 - Transparency and Honesty in Marketing
• 32:58 - The Evolution of Gun Culture
• 38:56 - Gun Culture 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0
• 51:44 - Do Guns Prevent Tyranny?
• 1:02:33 - The Future of Gun Culture, Body Armor, and Night Vision
• 1:21:47 - Lightning Round on Upcoming Gun Tech