Guest Bio:

Michael Pierce is a venture capitalist, technology executive, and founder of American Gun Owners, a California-based company focused on making legal, responsible gun ownership accessible to everyday Americans. Michael brings a unique perspective to public safety, entrepreneurship, and the growing demand for self-defense in major cities. Raised on a cattle ranch and surrounded by firearms from a young age, he approaches gun ownership as a practical tool rather than a political statement.

Show Summary

Why are more Californians who never wanted guns now feeling like they need one?

Michael Pierce joins Jon Slavet to explain why rising crime, slow police response times, and social unrest have pushed ordinary Californians toward personal self-defense. Michael shares the real-world conversations that inspired him to launch American Gun Owners and why California, despite being one of the most restrictive states, is exactly where this business needed to be built.

They dive into the challenges of buying a firearm legally in California, the confusion first-time buyers face, and how American Gun Owners uses technology and education to simplify the process. The conversation also explores policing shortages, deterrence, elites disconnect from everyday safety concerns, and what California must do to restore confidence and economic momentum.

This episode offers a grounded, non-political look at guns as a utility, public safety as a core government responsibility, and why fear has become a daily reality for many Californians.

Chapters
00:00 – Why Michael Is Building American Gun Owners in California

01:45 – Crime, Social Unrest & Slower Police Response Times

02:19 – Why LA Is Dangerously Under-Policed

03:50 – First-Time Gun Buyers and the Education Gap

04:19 – How People End Up with the Wrong Firearm

05:40 – Guns as a Utility, Not a Political Statement

06:55 – Why Buying a Gun Legally Is So Complicated

07:36 – How American Gun Owners Solves the Problem

08:23 – Using AI to Match People With the Right Firearm

10:05 – California Compliance, Training & Safe Storage

12:30 – Liability, Self-Defense Law & Castle Doctrine

14:13 – Crime in Wealthy Neighborhoods Isn’t Rare Anymore

16:02 – Deterrence and Why Signs Actually Matter

17:19 – What Elites Don’t Understand About Feeling Unsafe

19:50 – Fixing California’s Business Climate

23:02 – Rapid Fire: One Fix for California

23:09 – What Still Gives Him Hope

Connect with Michael Pierce

• Twitter: https://x.com/mpierce_ago
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpiercela
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americangunowners.online/
• Website: https://www.americangunowners.com/

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast

Connect with State of Gold

• X: https://x.com/realjonslavet
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en
• Website: www.stateofgold.com

Guest:
Dr. Houman David Hemmati, Entrepreneur & Political Activist

Guest Bio:
Dr. Houman David Hemmati is a physician, scientist, entrepreneur, and public advocate for medical freedom and ethical healthcare reform. With a background in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and ophthalmology, he’s advised pharmaceutical companies, led biotech ventures, and become an outspoken voice on issues ranging from pandemic policy to the misuse of scientific authority. Dr. Hemmati is also a frequent media contributor and a passionate advocate for patient rights, transparency, and innovation in medicine

Show Summary
Los Angeles is collapsing in real time and Dr. Houman Hemmati says it’s not accidental.

In this episode, Dr. Hemmati joins Jon Slavet to expose what he calls the “homeless industrial complex,” a system incentivized to grow rather than solve the crisis. From Westwood turning into “Skid Row West” to taxpayer-funded housing scams costing up to $2 million per unit, Dr. Hemmati details how California’s homelessness policies have failed both the vulnerable and the public.

The conversation then turns to the proposed billionaire tax, why it threatens startup founders and innovation, and how taxing unrealized wealth could permanently drive entrepreneurs out of California. Dr. Hemmati explains why the state doesn’t have a revenue problem, but a spending problem, and why tough love may be the only path forward.

This is a candid, no-holds-barred look at the policies, incentives, and political realities shaping California’s future and what gives him hope that voters may finally be reaching a breaking point.

Chapters
00:00 – Dr. Houman Hemmati’s Path from Doctor to Activist
00:36 – Westwood’s Decline and “Skid Row West”
02:30 – The Failure of Local Government in Los Angeles
03:18 – How COVID Supercharged the Homeless Crisis
04:45 – Prison Releases, Incentives, and Manufactured Chaos
06:05 – The Homeless Housing Scam and Taxpayer Theft
07:15 – Moral Hazard and Why Current Policies Make Things Worse
08:40 – The Billionaire Tax Explained Simply
10:51 – Why Entrepreneurs and Capital Are Leaving California
12:45 – Taxing Unrealized Wealth and Constitutional Concerns
14:30 – California’s Spending Problem vs Revenue Problem
16:24 – Why California Needs an Intervention
18:10 – Rapid Fire: One Fix to Save California
18:21 – What Finally Gives Him Hope
21:45 – Why Ordinary Citizens Are Starting to Push Back

Connect with Dr. Houman David Hemmati

• X: https://x.com/houmanhemmati/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/houman-david-hemmati-md-phd-aa0486/

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast

Connect with State of Gold

• X: https://x.com/realjonslavet
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en
• Website: www.stateofgold.com

Guest:

Joel Kotkin, Chapman University Professor

Guest Bio:

Joel Kotkin is a renowned urban studies scholar, author, and fellow in urban futures at Chapman University. His work has appeared in Forbes, The Daily Telegraph, City Journal, and more. A longtime Californian, Kotkin has spent decades analyzing demographic trends, class shifts, and political transformations shaping the Golden State. His recent commentary focuses on the decline of middle-class opportunity, rising costs of living, and the unintended consequences of progressive policy.

Show Summary

What happened to the California Dream? In this powerful conversation, Joel Kotkin joins Jon Slavet to unpack the root causes of California’s middle-class crisis. From skyrocketing housing costs and regressive climate policies to the rise of oligarchic politics and the exodus of working families, Kotkin makes a compelling case for how the state lost its promise — and what it will take to restore it.

He also calls out how the YIMBY movement, climate dogma, and one-party rule are shaping a state that serves the ultra-wealthy and subsidized poor — while leaving the middle class behind. If you care about California’s future, this is essential watching.

Chapters

00:00 – California's Middle-Class Collapse

01:10 – Kotkin on Coming to California in the 1970s

03:00 – Climate Policy: Idealism or Ideology?

05:00 – Who Really Pays for Green Mandates

06:30 – Why Reform Feels Impossible

08:00 – Billionaire Tax and Class Warfare

09:30 – Government Growth and Wealth Redistribution

11:00 – Why the Rich Get Richer in California

13:00 – California's Startup Problem

15:00 – Why the Middle Class Can't Stay

16:00 – The YIMBY Agenda Critiqued

18:00 – King for a Day: Kotkin’s First Fix

19:30 – The Closing Thought: Potential vs. Ruin

Connect with Joel Kotkin

• Twitter: https://x.com/joelkotkin?lang=en
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joelkotkin
• Substack: https://joelkotkin.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-kotkin-1883922/

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast

Connect with State of Gold

• X: https://x.com/realjonslavet
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en
• Website: www.stateofgold.com