Light Duty Podcast
Just two friends that decided to start a podcast. Discussing success, failure and nonsense.
Light Duty Podcast
LIGHT DUTY PODCAST #10
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In this episode of Light Duty Podcast, Paul sits down with host Kevin and Ron (back from Episode 2) to break down the business of suppressors, the NFA landscape under the new ATF direction, and why building a company full of SOF guys is a recipe for groupthink. They also go deep on 2A — universal carry, concealed vs. open, the NC castle law, cannabis and carry permits, and the politics behind who's actually running for office.
This episode is brought to you by Core Medical Group. Course dedicated to helping veterans and high performers optimize their health through hormone replacement and preventative care. Right now, listeners of the Light Duty Podcast get their comprehensive blood work for just $199. That's $100 off. If you have insurance, your cost drops to just $99. So check them out at coremedicalgrp.com or shoot them a DM on their social media at CoreMEDHRT and let them know that you heard about them through the Light Duty Podcast to get your discount. Alright, guys, hey, welcome back to Light Duty Podcast episode 10. We got Paul Ross here. Um and then, you know, stepping in for uh Evan. Again, as we mentioned the other day, he's he's still out, he's filming some stuff, uh, some some pickleball stuff, whatever. So I got my buddy Ron here. Uh you may have recognized him from uh episode one, right? Is when we had it or did episode one, but it was episode two. Yeah. So we got Ron here filling in. So but uh yeah, uh dude, thanks for coming in. Uh thanks for having me as always. I'm I'm interested to hear what's going on. Last time that we really got to see each other, you know, uh uh you know, a lot of you might not know, but Ron was uh the president of OE Defense for some for a little while and um kind of like what Paul.
SPEAKER_03What did I say? You said Ron was the president of OE defense. Paul was thinking about Ron. Yeah, I'm just making sure y'all are good.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, all right. But anyway, uh so Paul was uh with OE Defense, whatever. But uh since then, you know, you left and you kind of you know did your own thing for a little bit and then came back and started what deadline defense.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Tell us a little bit about that. Deadline defense is a premium suppressor maker. Um we really kind of in the suppressor world, right? So it's we're all fortunate, right? Because we still live here and you're surrounded by guys that are still doing the Lord's work. And you get to talk to them and what their needs are, what their wants are, not just what we think is cool, but what the actual end user wants. And um, you know, they were they were pushing hard on they wanted flow through cans, they wanted them shorter, they wanted them lighter. And so we started chasing what I call perfect gas in a can. It's got it can't be completely flow through, it's gotta have something to make that piston operate. Right? Um and what we thought would end up being the perfect mix of gas for a flow through, but just enough coming back to to keep the gun cycling ended up during testing, um you know, reducing sound by over 37 decibels, which makes us in the K cans, which are short cans, makes us the quietest can in the market right now. Wow. So what what is the the length? What what what is the that makes you a short can? So our cans are five and a quarter inches long, uh nine and a half ounces. Okay. So I mean they're pure titanium, they're lightweight. And what and you said it's called a what? It's called a K can. K can. K. Don't ask me what K series or Yeah, K. I don't really know what the K stands for. It's just five and a half.
SPEAKER_02I'm a K series kind of guy myself.
SPEAKER_00You know, I just yeah. That sucks.
SPEAKER_02So, so but what made you go in the, you know, going from OA defense, you know, uh super awesome, you know, uh a pistol. If you're not familiar with it, check it out. Um, but what made you go from that to into the suppressor world?
SPEAKER_00It um, you know, I kind of reached my ceiling at OA Defense. Once you're the the president CEO, there's really not a next step. Um and I look at every job as this isn't my last job, this is my learning opportunity. Every job, no matter what, I look at it as an internship. I'm here to learn as much as I can, and then it's time for me to go do something bigger. So when I left OA Defense, um, yeah, I mean, went and went and did a 90-day trip overseas with some buddies.
SPEAKER_02I remember that we were we were texting and you were like telling me where you're I was like, what the hell are you doing?
SPEAKER_00I'm just hanging out. Um and uh had a really good time, good, you know, same same bros as always, and uh came back and I'd spent that 90 days working with August, who's my business partner. Um really kind of laying out the oper not just the operational agreements, but how we wanted testing to run, how we really wanted to come into the market and present to the customer. Um so by the time I came home we were we were set and ready to move forward. And it's it's been fun.
SPEAKER_02I think it's is it is is is I I understand you said you know you become president of a company like OEDFence and you know what's next, right? Because you've you've reached out, but but why suppressors? Is it like a challenging field? Is it is it's do you feel like something was missing?
SPEAKER_00Do you want like so yeah, um it's a big market, right? With the uh the NFA laws changing um and the way that the government's taken steps to reduce uh the tax burden on s on civilians or on on normies with suppressors with NFA items. We knew that market was gonna be huge. Um but I don't think there's I think there's still room for improvement in there. Right? Like, yeah, we're at five and a quarter inches, we're quieter. I'm still convinced that we can get shorter and a little bit quieter. Um you know, who knows what happens once we hit that goal, right? I may then decide I want to go do the next thing.
SPEAKER_03So doing going shorter, would you want to would you have to go like I don't know if you guys ever watched uh Tacoma FD? It's the dudes who made um Super Troopers. It's it's a series about firemen and it's hilarious. But uh the dude who plays Farva is actually the battalion chief at his fire station, and his call sign is Tunican because that's what his junk is like.
SPEAKER_02You're going because I was thinking the same thing. You're going to mean you're going girth.
SPEAKER_00So if if you look like we have t-shirts and we'll get them out here to you, what on the back t-shirt? No guy. Yeah, says girth matters. No guy that can make that happen.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I I have a shit ton of your t-shirts. Which I uh I admire the apparel today. Oh, I knew I knew Paul was coming with the heat. I knew you were gonna come with the heat. So I had the I was like, I'm not letting him up.
SPEAKER_00That's why I don't ever call you and tell you what I'm ordering, right? Because then I'm like, next time I walk in, I'm gonna be up. And then Kevin's like, nope, today I'm in full fucking regalia. I'm going whole matching outfit. I knew you were bringing in the planters. I love it, dude. I tell you what I watch. My my swim trunks that I'm rocking this Memorial Day. I got the uh the hot pink ones with the Oh they chop it like it's hot. Yeah, they they freaking look good on me. We gotta get you some of those. Let's go. Let's do it. Let's do it. These.
SPEAKER_03These. Yeah, you even got the the Sabdex. These these are like these are like sweatpants. You love those things. I love these and the woodland ones. They're like, I'm telling you, these things are so comfortable. You're ready for that because you text me a few times about it.
SPEAKER_00I have. I have. Yeah, and I think it's funny too, right? Because it's probably if you're listening to the show, you're like, oh, these nerds are sitting here all about the clothes. It's like, uh, we've we've all been friends for a while, and everybody calls everybody with the new greatest idea. Yeah. Right? But yeah, it was sport, sport. And I'll tell you what, like, I see SabTac stuff everywhere now. Oh yeah. Like five years ago, I'm probably the only dude wearing a SabTac t-shirt.
SPEAKER_02Actually, I think that's how Ron you I think uh goddamn, I don't know why Ron is on my mind, but Paul, you like hit me up like I don't was it on Instagram or something? It was like super random. We like connected. I think it was Instagram, wasn't it? Yeah, and um you were with OA at the time, but we we were talking you were you're telling me how you, you know, rock SabTac and this and that, and we just started a conversation from there, and then you know, business and personal relationship uh went off from there, whatever. But yeah, I I always love getting those messages from people, you know, talking about the brand.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, and then you're you're like I was sitting in the store the other day, and two different dudes walk in, they're wearing their SabTac shirts, and I'm like, hey, nice shirt, bro. It's like, yeah, I think so too. I love their stuff.
SPEAKER_02Pretty soon you're gonna be seeing the cans on the range, and I'm gonna be like, dude, you see that? I saw I saw a uh deadline defense can on a Mitchell defense rifle.
SPEAKER_00There we go. I've seen the deadline defense cans on the Mitchell Defense rifle. Yes, it looks good, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was a hot day on the range or a cold day on the range, but it was which brings me to I've I'm you know, obviously uh Paul's a friend, but you know, I gotta press you a little bit. You know, looking at the cans, deadline, uh dead air, skull bubigo, you know, everything is kind of, you know, I have you I'm sure you've probably heard a little bit about it.
SPEAKER_00I've heard it, I've heard it before. Um, so I went and looked because I never actually paid attention to Dead Air's logo. Um I don't for me personally, I don't think they're anywhere near the same. Ours is specifically the skull off of a soft organization out of Iraq, right? So it's like ours has an actual soft lineage to the symbol. I don't know anything about Dead Air's. You know anything about that soft stuff? Um, you know, I I hung out with a bunch of dudes at the bar once. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know, people don't know, you know. Let us know about your background, you know. Um something we should have probably opened up with, but yeah, tell us a little bit.
SPEAKER_00I've yeah. Um, so 20 years in special operations, um, retired at the end of 2019 slash beginning of 2020, um, kind of right as COVID hit. And then I went into contracting for a few years, did that, and then stepped out into the business world because I thought that I just absolutely wanted to be a businessman. Right? Like, turns out no kids, it's not as fun as you think. Um just had that talk with Ryan Williams.
SPEAKER_02He was like, Yeah, it's like we did he did a segment. Um, he's doing a little something for like entrepreneurs, like people that are wanting to start like an apparel brand or whatnot, because you know he Ryan owns industry threadworks and he helps people like order fulfillment and printing and all that stuff. But he's putting out this this um this program, basically just giving the information away for free, like startup, talking to other entrepreneurs, like your do's and don'ts and mistakes you've had or whatever. And and that was something he was like, what would you what would you say to someone that said I want to start, you know, be an entrepreneur or start an apparel brand? I'm like, don't. You know, it's yeah, it's a lot of work, it's you work way more than than uh people think. So yeah, I mean trading I mean that's any business on startup.
SPEAKER_00Trade in your nine to five to work your 140 hours a week however you want to, right? Um we like a deadline, everybody there is a soft veteran. And there's pros and cons to that, right? Like everybody speaks the same language when you when you're talking about trying to get something done, or these are the things we need to do this week, they absolutely get done, and everybody speaks the same language, but there's also a lot of group think when it's just soft guys in there of this is what we like. Oh, that's great, that's what I like too, instead of like that new it's an outside view, yeah.
SPEAKER_03So I I I've talked about this a lot, like when I've I've spoken to veterans groups and been on other podcasts, and and one of the things that I tell for dudes transitioning, well, veterans, not just dudes, but veterans transitioning out of military. If you want to be a vetereneur and it's like you and two of your buddies, and you guys are exactly the same, it is going to be a hundred times harder than it needs to be, and it's probably going to be less successful because you're exactly the same. And you have to have that diversity in the ownership and leadership. And and you know, I went through my, you know, and you know, some of the stuff that I did before, but like I went through that. And then when I when we started Riker USA, like both my partners are uh Navy. One was a pilot, one was a crypto cryptologist, and uh both were officers. So, and then had MBAs and are, you know, they're they're actual businessmen. But what we had was like you had our C our CFO was just like, no, no, everything is no. You had to earn, you have to earn the yes. Like you have to make him believe it. That's one of those two. And it makes me angry, right? But then we had then we have like my CEO, Josh, who and you met Josh is like really good in the middle. He can balance, he can balance, like, you know, in between both. And then you got me. It's like, yes, you got a dead, cool, let's go. We need to do this. No, no, no. I'm good. Let's go. Let's go. Let's I I don't need to know all that. You give it to me, I got it. You know, kind of guy. Yeah. And you know, and then I'm not I'm the idea guy, right? So, like that is one of the things that like I have noticed, and um, and then now where I've like evolved to where, you know, we're under the Mitchell uh Mitchell Defense moniker is that we have that balance, but what Nathan brings to the table is Nathan actually owned a restaurant, was uh in his family oil business prior to starting a rifle company because he likes guns and he felt that he can make them better. So he took all of that knowledge along with the education, along with his military stuff, and he brought it in. So it's just uh it's been very beneficial for me to see that in him. So now I know like when he and I talk, I'm not talking to the same person. So, like when you just said that, man, you just made me think like I say this all the time. You have to have diversity in the ownership and the leadership, especially when you're in a tactical space in a firearm space, because it's real easy to what are we not supposed to do, fall in love with our plan. It's real easy to fall in love with your plan and write it in ink and not pencil, and then then it's heartbreak, and then it's like sadly, that heartbreak leads to ends of like life up to that point, a lifelong relationship that's now crushed and almost to the point where it's like not really repairable. And that is where you know, and I know you guys are both have seen this in in the industry that some there's like just some people that you like, some things have happened, and it's very difficult, especially when you're dealing with like civilians, is that uh separating business and personal. There's it's very hard for them to delineate that they're that distinct line, you know. Um, but yeah, when you say that, man, I just like I had to throw that in there, but I I I and I know Augie, Augie's awesome.
SPEAKER_00I Augie's great, but I mean you think about like in the beginning of Deadline Defense, August and I were not the best of friends, and I think that's why we're so good together as a team, right? Check your feelings at the door. Um, hey man, and I I'll go in there, hey, this this is great, and he'll start picking it apart. And and to your point, like, yeah, it's fucking frustrating because I had this great idea, and now you're showing me how great my idea was not.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you need those people though. You need those people on your team. If not, you're just if you have your surrounding some yourself with a lot of yes, man, like you're just you're you're you're never gonna get better, yeah. Right?
SPEAKER_03Dude, he hits me up randomly. He's like, hey man, what do you think about this? He'll send me pictures of the same thing all the time. Yeah, and I'm just like any of my suggestions, but yeah, that's the world.
SPEAKER_02Hey, I I uh we were talking about this the other day too, and I you've I've gotta get I've gotta get feedback from other people because if I think my ideas are the greatest always, you know, I mean there's a a a small percentage that may agree with that. So I obviously I'm trying to hit you know a much wider uh uh uh range, you know, but if it's if it's always myself making the decisions without any feedback, I'll never get better. Absolutely. Because if you think you're right or it's your way or you think you're making the dopest stuff out there, you're you're gonna get your feelings hurt because well, you're gonna get your feelings hurt and then you're gonna get your wallet hurt because you're gonna invest a lot of capital in something that nobody buys.
SPEAKER_00And the first time you lose somebody money, they're never gonna let you borrow it again.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, absolutely. But it's also great to let you know, present an idea to people on your team because even though you may have the right idea and the you know, the right design, the right function, whatever it may be, you could fuck up something as small as like spelling something wrong or whatever it may be. So you need the eyes on, you need you need that feedback, and it and it just it just helps you do better. But I something we also we've we've talked about before is I pay attention to customers, like feedback, reviews, emails, like uh every time there's a new customer, we I send it's an automated email, but they come back to my email inbox, a separate folder for new customers, and I try to reply to that stuff. You know, people that write um uh reviews of a product that needs to be uh you know better fit or whatever, may I pay attention to that. Ron, like Ron's one of the first people that got their hands on the trek pants and wore it, and and I, you know, feedback from the material to how the legs fit and all that is something that I've taken and looked at what other customers have said and mashed it up, and I'm like, fucking Ron, Ron said that like months ago. And like so I've I've taken that to uh uh forward to make a better product, but yeah, I mean you you you've got to listen to your team, you gotta listen to people around, you gotta listen to people that are wearing and trying your product and just make it better.
SPEAKER_00100%, right? Like I I tell dudes all the time question, question my decisions because if I can't give you the answer, it's not the best decision. Conversely, now one thing I do laugh about is my wife and kids will get frustrated because I'm always on my phone, like right, and I'm like, no, I am literally reading the comments, I'm watching the reviews, I'm answering customers. That's a battle at my house, too. Yeah, it's like hey, do you do you like your new bike? Shut up.
SPEAKER_03Right, and then like, well, like you know Riker, but he's nine, so it's just like, you know, people aren't looking. He's on the iPad, right? And it's just like, get off the iPad. Well, you're on your phone. Yeah, yeah. Have you met you have you has he met Riker? I think dude, this is uh he's an awesome, awesome kids. Oh yeah, dude. It's just like I'm getting outsmarted. You know what I mean? So now I'm changing passcodes. Dude, they're getting they're like that's what we do.
SPEAKER_02They're sponges and they're so much smarter than you think. Oh my gosh, dude. But Riker's a good kid, man. Riker's a really good kid. I I'm I'm pretty sure we're gonna probably see like him with the medal of honor in a movie made after him or something one day. The dad or Ed Walking's medal or whatever. He's he's he's walking around in camis, and he's he's he's got his kit on and everything. He's ready to roll, man.
SPEAKER_00He's a good kid. Kids are funny, man. You you never understand how much they pick up versus what you think you're shielding from them. That's it never matches. You know. We had uh I love hearing my my toddler in the living room playing with his toys, and you hear, what the hell? I tell the story all the time. So my oldest Preston's 13, he grew up in the team room, right? None of none of my other kids were were born during the army days, but Preston literally grew up in the team room, and the first time I ever heart heard him cuss, so when you walk out of walked out of my office, there's a dumbbell rack right there, and he was on his iPad or whatever, and face first, right into the dumbbell. Bam, he's God, damn it. And I was it's one of those moments where you're like, oh, I really gotta start watching what I'm saying. Um so we had to sit down, like, hey man, here's the rules. You can cuss, but never in front of women or children. You're never gonna do it in large groups, and you're never gonna use GD. And he's like, okay. And we've never had that problem since well, we haven't had the problem with GD. We've we've let it slip at school a few times, but yeah.
SPEAKER_02My my 17-year-old, he's gotten a little bit more comfortable, you know, talking around us, and sometimes he'll let some stuff slip. And I was like, I just I look at him, I'm just like, look, dude, I know you you're gonna cuss, whatever, but when you're around me and you know, Rebecca, whatever, it's disrespectful. Have some respect with your parents. Like you should not want to be talking like that. So, you know, you're with your friends, cool. But when you're around us, have some respect.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I think that's fair. I saw, I saw, uh, and I love memes, but I saw this meme yesterday, and it was just like, I'm Gen X, and it goes, it's so it's it said it was children of Gen X parents. Your parents were face down in a field drunk when they told their parents they were sleeping over their friend's house, and that's why you have Life 360 on your phone. That's so true.
SPEAKER_02Hey, the reason why they say do as I say, not as right. Yeah. It's so funny that you said that because I was literally just thinking about that out the other day. I was in my shower, and I got a a text in the uh in an email, uh no, a call, um, automated call in an email from my son's school and saying that he missed um class or he was absent. And I'm like, what the hell? And I and I and it was I was home at the time and it's four o'clock. And on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, he comes here at four from four to eight to four to nine. He works in the warehouse, like he does. Inventory and does other stuff like that. So I text him, I'm like, I got a call saying you missed school. He's like, What? He's like, No, I wasn't I was in school. So I was like, let me check with his mom because she has life 360 on his phone, whatever. So I just it's made me chuckle, yeah, because she has that stuff in in her and I. We were high school sweethearts. Yeah, we were sneaking out and doing shit or whatever. So it just made me laugh, whatever.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. It's it's gonna be hard for me because we homeschool, so that's gonna be like not gonna have to worry about that. I don't think. I don't know. It does all the teaching. Yeah, is it Tracy? You all switch. I'm I'm the practical application teacher. I'm the shop teacher.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, yes. I see that. It is it is wild how much homeschool has become a thing. So, like Preston's 13, he goes to to regular school Monday through Friday. Lucas, my six-year-old, he does a hybrid. So he goes to school Monday and Tuesday, and then he homeschools Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. What school does he go to? It's like a um is it a public, right? Or it's a public school. Oh, okay. He just goes on Monday and Tuesdays. And the cool thing, his teacher right now in kindergarten will be his teacher through second grade.
SPEAKER_01Hmm.
SPEAKER_02And that's I mean, that's cool because you get the social aspect. You know, they get to go and the same teacher is that you get that continuity on the city. You get the continuity, you get the continuity, but you get to you get to be around peers. Yes. And whatnot.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I mean that yeah. And it's but it's like I remember when we were all kids, you're like, oh, you're homeschooled, freaking weirdo. What a loser. And now it's like, uh school's the new private school.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you're like, man, I wish I was homeschool, but yeah, it's like, you know, we I went down to uh Invict a project for two weeks uh in Frisco, and we were and it was like right a couple weeks before that, all the kids were going on spring break. So we'll do with him, we'll be like, okay, look, do you want this? You know, we'll let him make that decision. And my wife is like, All right, check it out, bro. You can have a spring break, but when we're in Texas for two weeks, you're going to be doing school while daddy's at the clinic. And uh it's uh it was for a TBI clinic, not a like methadone clinic or anything. It's clear that I don't care. But uh um you're well, you're gonna be doing school. And he's like, Okay, or and she goes, or we can push a little bit harder, be done now, so that when we leave for Texas, you're done for the summer. But you are gonna be doing reading and we're gonna be doing some writing. And he's like, Yeah, let's push. Because he saw the value in working a little bit harder and being done, you know. So, dude, Riker is such a smart kid.
SPEAKER_02I love that that you you you've laid it out there, and he follows up with a or.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, like or here's my other option.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like so basically Riker's gonna end up being like a lawyer, dude.
SPEAKER_03It's like be the coolest thing. It's in that, it's in that, you know, you know, when you're watching your little your little gardens grow, like it's lawyer, engineer, like who knows? Like this, like just I love watching him with his Legos, and it's just like whatever his mood is, and then he like made this hybrid. Like, we're in we're we're in the JDMs, F1 cars, and Star Wars, so we're getting some pretty imaginative Legos at the house right now. But uh yeah, it's just really cool. And it his negotiation skills are like sometimes it's like I gotta walk out of the room. Like, oh yeah, because I because like the only thing I have left right now is choke him. And like I can't do this, like it's just like he beat me. I have to go, and I just gotta go try and left.
SPEAKER_02No, that's bad because he's still very young. Yeah. So yeah, uh Hudson is getting into uh some Legos, uh, you know, and he's only he's gonna be four in July. But um I remember growing up like Lincoln logs. Do y'all remember Lincoln logs? Oh yeah, heck yeah. Yeah, dude. I'm I'm like, I'm gonna get him some Lincoln logs or whatever. So somebody said something to me the day, you're talking about iPad, but I was like, my you know, Rebecca and I are pretty good about not letting him get on the iPad. Like he gets maybe maybe an hour, hour and a half throughout the week, the week. Oh that's it, and and we deliberately like she'll keep the iPad like on low battery. So when he wants it more, oh it just so happens the battery died.
SPEAKER_00But I love that Rebecca's into that because it's not just their screen time, she's very in tune with what she feeds the kid. Oh, very much, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Like, good for you. Yeah, Tracy's the same way. I think like like Ron's Ron's wife and my my wife, they're they're very into the you know uh diet and just you know preservatives and just natural remedies and uh freaking detoxing and parasites and my god, all that stuff, whatever. I mean my my wife Rebecca, she had this little breakout recently. I'm like, you're on so many hocus pocus shit. I was like, stop taking it and then slowly add something back. You know, I just drink bourbon, it'll go away. Yeah, I was like, if you just drank, let's do a little drugs or something and get it go away. No, she she she's she's a great, she doesn't she doesn't mess with that. It's funny, it's kind of funny when she moved over here from Ireland. I had some like some like weed rice rice crispy treats. And uh um we're just chilling. I was like, let's let's you want a rice crispy treat? I was like, they got some weed in it, or whatever. She's like, yeah, I said, look, I'm only gonna give you like a quarter, okay, because you know you're tiny and um, but I'm gonna eat a whole one, whatever. So we ate a whole one, I eat a whole one, she eats a quarter, and it's like 30, 40 minutes, and and edibles, you know, take 40 minutes to an hour-ish, whatever, to kind of kick in. But she's I don't feel anything. Oh god. And I was like, Well, maybe eat a little bit more if you want. That's how you end up in Devo's chicken coop. Yeah, right. And she ate, she ate the whole, she ate the the rest of the rice Christmas tree. And um, I mean, and she's like 100 pounds, and so she finally gets off the couch and it hits. Like, I mean, and it's funny how it always works like that with like edibles. Like, you can eat it and it's like an hour into it, you're like, I'll feel another. I'm I'm gonna take a little bit more. And it's like as soon as you finish that last bite five minutes later, that shit decides to kick in. And boy, and the ride just started. The ride was long and hard for her, you know, no pun intended there, but she was not having it. Like she she was uh let me pull these shorts down. That's that camera's point, it's making me feel uncomfortable. But uh, but yeah, dude, it was it was it was a wild ride, so it was it was it was pretty funny. But she don't she don't mess with any of that stuff. That's not her thing. Me me, I like fire pit, you know. I'll fire up a little bit, yeah, kick back. You know, that's a good thing about I'm I'm out now being your own boss. I don't gotta worry about that stuff, but you know, I I like it. Like Danny and I was telling you, Danny and them were up in the house the uh uh last night, and uh that shit got can get weird. It can get weird, but it's a good time though. So it's funny, it's funny, you know, a lot of these guys that you've served with, some you haven't served with, but some you've met and developed friendships like afterwards in civilian life and you know, career guys, whatever, and you know, you you you played by the rules and and whatnot, and then now you're out as a civilian and you you dabble in a little bit of that stuff. Oh, listen.
SPEAKER_00Before retirement, I was the most anti-drugs dude ever. Like it didn't matter, right? You got a gummy? Yeah, yeah, give me some of that gummy, right? You got I did um I went and ended up doing one of the retreats journeys um out towards Mexico.
SPEAKER_03Um you just did one. No, I didn't no my mine was like it was no, it was like at a Parker Performance Institute. It's where the oh the it's next to the Dallas Company. I did the one that's in the facility, right? No, no, I didn't wasn't no I it was like like all neurological and and physical.
SPEAKER_02You didn't do like any no.
SPEAKER_03Maybe it was Cody.
SPEAKER_02Cody, uh I think it was yeah, Cody. Cody, Cody, yeah. Cody did some trippy shit.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, what did you you you went down to where? So uh went down to New Mexico. A couple of buddies were like, hey man, like you probably really need to go do this. I'm like, fuck you, I'm fine. And uh sure enough, went. Um ended up being a great experience. And there's a couple of things I learned. So, like, because the first night, um Are you doing like is it like psychedelics? Yeah, and are you like in a room, a tent, or like how you're you're in a room, everybody's in this room together, and you're on your cot and you throw on your blindfold and you you take your stuff, and um like night one was psilocybin and mdma. Yeah, and let me tell you something. If I had ever tried MDMA prior to this night, I would I would have had problems in life. I I enjoyed that very much. Um night two was ayahuasca night, and that's really the night that you've got to So what is that? Ayahuasca uh Ron will tell you better than me. It it tastes terrible. I no, I've never done that. Okay, yeah. It's a uh it's a psychedelic.
SPEAKER_02Remember uh Young Guns where you know it is done it, but yeah, it's like uh it's like a rooted leaf, I think.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and you go to the spirit world.
SPEAKER_02It makes you vomit. Yes, I don't know much about it, but it's leave like Chavez and Young Guns, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Chavez and Young Guns, so that's Hyahuasca. Um and you grandma Hyahuasca, which is this spirit, will come and talk to you, and it's a real thing, and you can either open yourself up or you can maintain your ego and close her out. And I began to open up and didn't like anything that I saw, and I shut that shit off and spent the rest of my night throwing up. Wow.
SPEAKER_02Um, did uh when so when Cody Alfred was up here, he he went through uh a similar uh process. I don't know the ins and outs of just from off the top of my head, but he was he in in in our show, he was talking about how when he did that, he had like it was like almost like a thousand crucifixions that he he he he went through in that moment. He said it like literally it was so many, like he's walking, carrying not necessarily carrying not he wasn't saying that he was Jesus Christ, but carrying like this weight and people just like fing pointing at him, prosecution, just everything, and he's like did like a thousand of them. He said it was just wild.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, so night one, and they'll have you, you know, you kind of before you they before you go under, they're like, hey, what do you expect what are you hoping to gain from this experience? And I'm like, man, like I just want to learn how to love myself, right? And and I want to know what God's purpose is for me, right? Because I'm that's pretty deep though, learn love myself. It's it's hard. You figure that's like default. No, no, right? Like and and none of us are that way, right? Like, it's always about serving others. What can I do for other people? And never about what can I do for me. I know there's some people out there I I know that all about themselves. Well, that's true, but that's they're not in this room today. Um and when I went down, you literally drop down this little rabbit hole, and I'm sitting in this cavern, river flowing, and it's just me and God. Literally me and the burning bush, just chucking it up. Um, and it was one of the most surreal, cool things I've ever experienced. Is it like very vivid in your memories? Absolutely. Like I to this day, as we're talking about I'm getting goosebumps, remembering all the different things that we we discussed and saw.
SPEAKER_02I keep hearing about it.
SPEAKER_00Like, makes me want to go down there and do it. Do it. Ron, you'll go with me?
SPEAKER_03I'm good.
SPEAKER_00Night two was awful. Um but that was on me, right? Same thing. I didn't like the ugliness that I saw, and I shut it down, and then like you just end up spending the rest of the night puking. And it was awful. So does everyone always puke? Is that I think so. I don't know anybody that didn't. Um So night two, what is the is the same stuff they did? No, night two is ayahuasca. It's it's a completely different regimen. Um how'd that go? It's so you go in there, you sit, you do the same thing. What do I what do I expect in you you drink your tea, and a short time later they come back by like you want your second serving of tea? Like, heck yeah, I'm ready to get this show started. Lay back, put your blindfold on. And um Yeah, it would you start you start seeing things and and it comes up and it's to me it was like here's all these bad things that have happened and that you participated in and that you need to to get and I'm like nope, fuck that. We're not we're not opening Pandora's box today. And away it went. So what happens at that point? Is that you is that when you're like throwing up and yeah, then then I just spent the rest of the night throwing up and get up in the morning and eat breakfast. So how long is that like from start to that point, like how long does that last? How long have you been there for? So the entire trip's a weekend. Or basically three days. You get there, uh, everybody hangs out together, kind of gets to know each other, you have this big feast. The the next day is when it really starts. And they they explain to you what's gonna happen, how it's gonna happen, everybody kind of and the reason that people don't really talk about it is because a lot of people in there are dealing with some serious shit. Right, and it's not it's not my place to tell that story or repeat that story. They're they are dealing with their stuff, and you are trusted to to be a part of the healing and and to just be there. Um and you know, it's my club rules. We don't I'm not gonna talk about your problems. Um but so it it goes down at night until like the first night. Um because at this point I'd never done anything, I'd never touch THC, shroom, anything. And I wake up from from my visit with God and I'm like, alright, I'm done. And I go outside and I'm sitting by the fire, and I'm just sitting there chilling when somebody else comes out and they're like, hey, what's going on? I was like, bro, why is this fire so green? Like, this is some cool shit. And he's like, No, dude, that's all you. Like, that's that air is no green in that fire whatsoever. That's all you. That fire is definitely blue. Um, and a helicopter, I remember a helicopter came flying over, and you're like, are you like so you're already done and you've puked your brains out and all that? No, this is night one. I'm not puking on night one. Okay. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So you're done. Okay, but you're out of the tin.
SPEAKER_00Just a psilocybin night. Okay, yeah, I'm out of the tin. I've gone to sit by the fire because I thought, like, oh, I'm all done. And I just sat up there the rest of the night through the night sitting by this fire and just watching this deep thought inside of that. Yeah, dude. Yeah, I kind of want to try this out. Yeah, it is, it is worth it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, it's a hundred percent. Do you feel like uh coming out of that though, there was like some some good personal healing? Like, like, do you feel changed at all? Like, what what what's the outcome for you?
SPEAKER_00I think so. I've talked to other guys, um, really good friend of mine who's done this this quite a few times, and he's because I was like, hey man, like my life didn't just all of a sudden get better, right? Matter of fact, it got a lot worse um by my own piss poor decisions. But he was like, Hey, like it takes most people multiple journeys to to get to the point where you actually understand and begin healing. So I was like, Oh, well, that sucks. I'm not going back. And he's like, Oh no, no, no, we're we're going back, we're going back together. So we're we're gonna go ahead and get our next one scheduled and go do it up.
SPEAKER_02No, I'll ride down there with y'all.
SPEAKER_00I I will absolutely let you know they do one a year um where your spouse or significant other can go. And the girls go to the girls' building and the boys, they do the same thing. Can you record any of it? Like, no, like no. This is all like that'd be a great, like, that'd be a great show.
SPEAKER_02This is you know that no, that's a horrible idea, bro. Yeah, that would be a great show. I mean we're gonna have to screen it.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, yeah, great show. There's um like if you go do these things, you're you are being trusted with the highest levels of uh you think we got problems? Like, there's people out there that have fucking problems that they didn't even create. Um, and you're you're just trusted to be a friend. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I'm sure all the seekers come out. Oh, they do. Is there anyone in the room with you or are you by yourself? No, there's there all the dudes are in one room. But is it like one at a time or is everybody doing no?
SPEAKER_00Everybody's everybody's on the same same show. Yeah, that's gotta be a good show. So you you're going to see and hear everybody's people talking out loud, crying, never dancing, they're crying, they're they're fighting old demons. They're put some house music on and like they got music going. I mean, it's yeah, like there's there's still some music. If I hear it, I'm like, oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02One time Rebecca and I were Rebecca and I were in Mexico, or even in Ireland, whatever, but I had had some uh some uh like Molly that a buddy had given me something we first time we tried it together, yeah. So like we tried it together and uh and um the music was on and it was like music was awesome, but I happened to be standing on like this really furry rug, and I was just like rubbing my feet on it, and I was just jamming, and I was just like, this fucking rug is awesome, dude. And I was just I just the whole time, I was just rubbing my feet like that, um get him to the green furry wall, yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And that's what I said. Like, having had I ever tried this in my youth, my whole youth would have been fucked up, right? Because you're down. My own skin feels so good, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, I I mean I hear stuff from from uh like uh Corey and and yourself, whatever. I I think I think it'd be something cool to experience. I think it's worth going. Especially if you're with you know the you know the right people.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you're with the right people, you're with you're with your people, your crowd. I mean, we had a good time, and those dudes who was it?
SPEAKER_02Where'd you go? What was it again?
SPEAKER_00It's a journey. I it's um I'll give stuff to you after the show. Um, but it's it's worth going. And it's the only reason I say I give it to you after the show is because the guys that were in my cohort cohort, it wasn't just like a anybody gets to go. Gotcha.
SPEAKER_02Um this is like but this this whole this whole journey is is like more of a uh personal inner healing, yes, right? Right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, some shit you might have locked up or dealt with, whatever it helps you kind of deal with it. I know Trump just signed two months ago. He just signed a thing on it. So psychedelics. Making psychedelics a real treatment. But starting it while they're on active duty.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, wow, really. The shitty thing prior to this was if you were on active duty and you went and did psychedelics and then you piss hot back at the unit, like you're screwed. Even though this is the very best treatment that the world has for you, like your whole career just went down the tube. And so everybody got to the point where people recognized like this treatment's valid, it's real, it is very helpful. Yeah. And finally, this administration stepped up and said, Hey man, we're we're actually gonna take care of our beds.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, I get the the taboo around a lot of it, even like stuff like weed, right? Um, so when I got out, I I started, I got to a point where I I mean I never weed was I've smoked weed in high school and and stuff, but it wasn't like my thing, right? And I wasn't a big drinker, big smoker in high school. It just I mean I was an athlete, but it wasn't it wasn't my thing. But after I got out of the Marine Corps, um I had a lot of trouble, like, you know, I've had, and like I said, we've talked about this earlier, but I had knee surgery and shoulder surgery, shoulder surgery, and you know, and whatnot, but I had a lot of trouble with like sleeping. And I I finally I thought, you know, I'm I'm I'm gonna try some sweet, talk nobody smoking weed or whatever. I slept great. And so from there on, like even my even Rebecca knows my my wife, like I'll smoke occasionally and I sleep so good. She she hates it because I sleep so good. I'm like I'm like waking her up or whatever, I'm waking her up. But I sleep so much better when I smoke. The the downside to that is the pantry doesn't stand a chance. You know, if I'm are you are you one of those? Oh, I'm one of those. If I'm if I've smoked and I've and I'm like watching Netflix or something, and I'm and that's one reason I didn't want a TV in our room, okay? Because I know I was like, oh T the bedroom is for sleeping for me, whatever. I'm anti TVs in the bedroom. Rebecca wanted wanted TV, so we put a TV in there, but now I've come accustomed to the TV. So if I've smoked, I'm watching Netflix. Next thing you know, I'm like I need a snack. Well, you know, snack turns into the cookies are gone, the ice cream is gone. Oh, we got some pizza in the fridge and I'll eat that, whatever. And she fusses at me. I'm like, you're the who goes to the grocery. Yeah. She's like, you need to take better care yourself. Oh, by the way, I got your chips away. You know, like, so I'm like, whatever. I was like mine's chocolate ice cream. It's like, it's like my drug dealer fussing at me for doing drugs, but at the same time going, hey, here you go. But um, but I've slept so much better on that. But there's so many people that have um just done so much better, you know, mentally, physically by doing going to these programs. What, you know, smoking weed or going doing the psychedelics, you know, there's some there's some done damage mentally that that's helped them cope and and deal with that. So I mean it's it's it's good to see that you know, people are kind of you got people like Joe Rogan and you know, even like you know, um, you know, Cody, Alfred, and them like advocating for this stuff because it's such a bad, you know, stigma around around these, that you know, psychedelics and and whatnot, but there's a lot of healing, you know, good ton of healing that goes on because of these things.
SPEAKER_00And and I think again, like I was a very anti-pot guy growing up because we're gonna dare to keep j just say no, right? And uh Reagan. Yeah. Um and getting out I'm not gonna say that I have nightmares, but I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about things that had happened in the past. Or the more I got into business entrepreneurship, you wake up at three in the morning thinking about something at work, like it's over. I'm up for the day. Yes, right? And you run that four or five nights in a row, then it's like, all right, you know, it's time to take a gummy and actually sleep for a whole night. Oh, yeah. Um, like I'm a I'm a big, I'm a big proponent of just taking care of yourself, whatever that means.
SPEAKER_03You know, as uh a few years back through the one of veteran organizations here in town, the VBC, when they were a little bit bigger, a little more organized, um them and I cannot remember the organization, but there was a house bill that was trying to get passed in North Carolina. It's called I think it was House Bill 7 Eleven, and which I always thought was kind of funny, but it was to legalize medicinal marijuana for veterans. Um what was this you said? That's your say it was to legalize slurpees. It was when was it? It was 2022. Yeah, it's a different code. Yeah, so listen, my man Josh is on top of this. Yeah, well, he was game, he was there, yeah. Yeah, so it I I went with them and and I spoke, I was on the news and everything like that. And you know, they'd asked me, they're like, Do you consume you know cannabis or THC and thing? I was like, I don't. And I says, but here's the thing. I said, I'm here for them. And I says, I was like, so long we have been, you know, we've had to fit this model of here. And I question everything. Why would I not question this? Why would I not question why is the only alternative for you to give me a narcotic? Why is it okay for you to get me hooked on big pharma narcotic where they're where I'm now a customer and all it is is a band-aid, right, on a on a fire harder, and it's not getting to the root, it's not actually fixing the problem, right? So I so my take on it is it's like as veterans, we have a choice. We can say no to this, and we can demand better, and we should be able to navigate our own health concerns. It comes down to there's stereo, the stereotype on THC is still there. Well, it's a plant, it's a plant. If you want to break that down, it's a plant. Heroin is is also a plant, but you know, bit different, but different, right? But it's a plant, it's not fentanyl, it's not an oxy, you know, derivative, it's not something that is, you know, is going to deteriorate your your your your life. So we went up there and and we went and in the lobbies. This is where I actually started to the my I think it was actually my first official experience with lobbyists. And like, oh yeah, I kind of thought, like, oh, these people are like nice. And we're like, they're they put us in little groups, and like you guys are going to this, this representative, this Congress, whatever. So we went all the way through like the whatever the legal billing is in Raleigh. And we go into this one guy, and he's just like, you know, these are all veterans in here, like this. And he's like, I applaud you guys. He goes, but I'm gonna tell you guys I'm I'm never gonna vote yes for it. And he goes, and I'm gonna lose because this bill is gonna pass because it's too big. He goes, but I will always vote, I will always vote against it because I had a friend who got addicted to the marijuana when he was in high school. And this dude could be like my grandfather, right? And he's like, the marijuana, and next thing you know, this guy he got addicted to all the other uh barbituits and all this, and then he ended up dying. And I'm sitting there and I'm like, I'll take things that didn't happen for a thousand Alex. Like, you this is all feelings. Like, so this dude was being paid by the counterpart, right? So then we're sitting down and we're sitting there with the lobbyists, and I'm just sitting here and I'm listening to all the stuff and I'm letting it resonate, and I'm just like, I'm like, I have a question for you. And they're like, Yeah, and I was like, So if this bill gets passed and it makes it legal for veterans to get a prescription for medicinal marijuana, so it's gonna be controlled, this, that, and the other, is what does that do for our constitutional rights? And the lady said, like, she's just looked at me and she's like, What do you mean? And I was like, our second amendment right. Well, in North Carolina, if it says in the the the conceal carry permit class, if you are addicted to alcohol, marijuana, heroin, you can't conceal carry. You can't. And I was like, so what does that do for your second amendment right? I said, But does it it would fall, but it would be it would fall under a I said, I asked her, I said, does this fall under a prescription, like getting a prescription for Valium? I said, is it going to be the same? This is it gonna have the same guidelines where it like as long as you're within the parameters of the prescription date, right? I said, is that does that violate? And she just looked at me, she's just like, no, no one's no one's ever asked that. And I was just like, someone's asking it right now. Somebody should be writing it down and getting an answer. And I says, it'd be great if this bill passes, but if the bill passes and then it makes a felon out of it, I was like, You've done us no favors. Yeah. And then, dude, all the other dudes were sitting there and they were just like, uh, I mean, that's a great, that's a great question.
SPEAKER_02You know, I mean, I would think it would fall back to that there's no addiction, right? Like, um, am I addicted or am I prescribed?
SPEAKER_03And what is addicted?
SPEAKER_02Uh addicted, I so like to me, like would be is it we can bake if you well, I'm just saying if you're prescribed a drug and it's outside the window of when you're through that prescription and you still have it and it's in your system, right? They could probably hit you with, oh, you're addicted because you're taking it outside the window, you're you're whatever. But I think it would fall common sense just thinking that it would you would look at that word addiction and then prescription. Right. And I think that's what would you know.
SPEAKER_00You know, I think though there like there's a different, and I only know this because my dad taught addiction classes forever. So part of the classification of being addicted to a narcotic is that the withdrawal from it will kill you. And that's that's something that people don't actually know. Yeah, that's a good point, too. So when we talk about this, I'm like, you can't be addicted to pot, right? Because the withdrawal from pot cannot kill you. You can be addicted to crack cocaine or heroin because the withdrawal from that will kill you.
SPEAKER_02Now there's like well, the in a sense, I think there's like two addictions though. There's one where, yeah, if you come, you've you've your body is now so dependent on it, if you stop taking it, you could die. But then there's also like a mental addiction. A hundred percent. Yeah, you may not, you could go without it and you won't die, but you're gonna struggle so like mentally. Like, I need to I need to get my fake, I need to have my smoke. 6 p.m. That's when I smoke every day. I need to have it. I need to write. So I mean, yeah, there's two, there's two sets of addiction. I think that's where in this instance it would fall back to that prescription and your dates, whatever. Yeah. From a legal standpoint, uh, you know, if I'm sitting here trying to prosecute someone, I'm like, hey, this guy shot this guy, but he had this in his system, and he his prescription expired three months ago. Then uh legally, I think you could probably find yourself in a situation.
SPEAKER_03But and and you're right with that. But my question to them was what category does it fall under? And is it going to be dealing with Well, I would think it would fall under a prescription.
SPEAKER_00If it's this if it's this point and it's passed legally, they couldn't answer that though. But then there's there's a broader question to this too. Are you in favor of universal carry laws? See, I love this question.
SPEAKER_03So I mean I know you do. That's why I t didn't. This is like such a good topic because it's you see people who are like, well, that they they they shouldn't be able to carry guns, but you so why why are you the one that says they can't carry, but you can carry? If you're a to a purist, then it's good for everybody until it's not. If the person like Hunter Biden lies on their 4473, right, then there's parameters, there's guidelines that should be applied to the punishment, you know, of that when you purchase that gun. Now, in North Carolina, a lot of people don't understand this. We weren't always a castle law state. We weren't a castle law state until I think it was between like 2009-2011. And prior to that, it was it was a hindrance for a man to have a concealed carry permit in a state of North Carolina. It was like so restrictive. You would were better off not having one.
SPEAKER_00Like I remember being in concealed carry class, and that was like one lesson one is this is going to do you more disfavors than it will in your life.
SPEAKER_03Yes. It was so bad. So when we became a castle law state, the other thing North Carolina started doing is they were since since then, like it was like 2011, they do a mental health assessment on you, which again, it's like right. But what they're doing is they're checking to see if you have been a visitor of a mental institution, they're checking the databases to see if you're on psychotropics, on lithium, and stuff like that. Now, this isn't is that done on behind the scenes? When you drop, nope, when you drop off your application, it's all it's in their process.
SPEAKER_02Well, okay, but like once they approve you, is that something that is checked?
SPEAKER_03They expect that one time and boom, you're good. And then when and then when you file every five years for your renewal, they probably do a quick scan again, and there you go. Now, that's not to say that so and in there it says if it's denied, you can request a meeting with the sheriff. Now, what happens to, because we're in a um a big pharma-driven you know, society, what happens to that that child, adolescent, teenager that was misdiagnosed in elementary school, middle school, high school, and was put on these things for a short period of time, but is now a full functioning, contributing member to society, not on any of that stuff, 23, 24 years old, right? Hasn't been on that stuff for 10, 15 years, but it's still in their system. Yes, right. So now that they'll have to go down and plead their case, look, I was misdiagnosed, this, that, and the other. I'm not on this stuff. So there's not a time limit that falls off your record. No, no. So there's like, so there's those, these are things in there. These are great, great questions. So I don't necessarily disagree with that. Um, other than the the two uh two mass shooters the other day, which I'm not buying, the two white dudes who went down and shot up the mosque and then went around the corner in their BMW and then shot themselves at the same time, and they had Christian, pro-Christian stuff written all their guns. Just I'm just not buying it. I'm not buying it. But even if that's true, that's not true Christianity. Right. Yeah, but all other than them guys, everybody, the the last what 15 mass shootings have had some type of gender dysphoria, have had some type of psychotropic or something like that. Uh, and we all know who Colonel Grossman is, right? On killing and then on combat, his his two books that like I'm not familiar. Do you ever read On Killing? Uh-uh. That's right down your alley. Bro, you yeah, yeah. And it starts by like the adolescent male in Vietnam, what his mind goes through, and everything like that. I have to pick that up. So he wrote another one called Um Assassination Generation. That one came out in like 2020, 2021, I think. As a parent, you need to read it, right? And this book is so good because he talks about video games and talks about the mass shootings and everything. And he goes, the media will try to tell you it's the drugs, it's the narcotics. He goes, but here's the other side, whether or not it's like these video games. And what you're when they talk about they do this overlay in there, and like these kids, and they'll get this one scene, this one part of like Call of Duty, or and I'm not saying it's called duty, we'll just say first-person shooter game, and they run this one thing over and over and over. And then when they make that decision where they finally hit that point in their head where they disconnect, they are actually doing that scene, is what they're doing, and they put it into real life. So there's a it's a combination of things. So going back to I think we should have universal carry. I think the Second Amendment is the only permit that we have, and but there are parameters that like would which could allow you to use it, right? To lose it. I mean, you know. Um, I think open carry, concealed carry, this is just the thing that gets me with open carry here. 99% of the uh the people I have ever seen open carry here are one obese, like extremely obese. They have a little Velcro Uncle Mike's holster with a Velcro level two retention on it every fucking time. And it's a Ruger LCP. I don't know why, but it's I swear, I swear, I like always the best one I ever saw, man. I was at, I was loading wood in the back of my truck. We're at Lowe's, and this dude gets out of his construction truck and he's walking up with his buddy, and he puts on shoulder holster with two Ruger LCPs, right? And I'm sitting here and I'm like, and I'm I stop what I'm doing, and I'm staring at this dude, and he's like walking up and he's smoking, and I look at him and I look around him, I'm like, Are you for real? I'm like, it's Lowe's, bro. And he keeps walking and then he smokes and he throws a cigarette. I was like, and he litters, right? And it was just like, and then the dude looked at me, he's like, dude, I'm glad you said something. He goes, That guy comes in here all the time, and it's just like he's so annoying. And I was just, I couldn't like that. The only other one that I saw, I got a video of this dude. Well, I've uh let me jump back.
SPEAKER_02I mean, it's comical as it is, it's they're right. Where, yeah, it doesn't matter if it's Lowe's or whatever. I mean, you should be able to carry and and not be shamed or whatever store it is. I I mean I I advocate for that in in the No Listen.
SPEAKER_00But the the whole setup carrying two LC9s and a shoulder rig. I'm not fucking with that guy. Absolutely should be shamed.
SPEAKER_03No, yeah, no, but it but it is his right, you know, and again, it's our right to make to poke fun and all that. Yeah, of course. Because there's a way to do things, right? But I think universal carry is a great is it is I I don't it honestly it should be as common as getting a driver's license. It shouldn't, it's a non-starter.
SPEAKER_02But with universal carry, like conceal or open? Both. You think both? Yep. I say I'm more of a like, I think Casil is the way.
SPEAKER_03I think well look at this. How about how about I mean it's how about a mom with two small kids, right? And not a lot of training, minimal training, minimal practice, but housewife does everything with the kids, always out moving. Open carry mama, right? That's gonna be a big deterrent. It's a visual deterrent.
SPEAKER_02It is a b it it yes, uh, I I I agree that you can say it is a um visual deterrent, but at the same time, if someone has their their mindset on this is the person I'm gonna uh uh target and take down or harass or whatever it may be, they now know where the the the first point of attack is. Right, a hundred percent. So I feel like ca still carry is um at least get to blend in and if someone's gonna attack you, they don't know where to start. So you kind of have that head record on them. That's that's my mindset. So this episode is also brought to you by point of injury group. When you're filing for VA disability, you don't need an AI claim mill or a profit-driven firm. What you need is a team that's been in your boots. Uh at point of injury group, their consultants are special operations medics and experienced veterans who understand your service. Because they're veteran-led, the mission is your success, not just a bottom line. They offer expert provider networks and high-touch services for 40% less than the standard market price. Get the benefits you earned. Visit POIGRP.com. That's POIGRP.com. Point of injury group. Veterans serving veterans.
SPEAKER_00Welcome back to the Light Duty Podcast where we are talking about all of our old people ailments and how the VA never really fixed them. Specifically cardiovascular disease. You good with that?
SPEAKER_02You good with that? Yeah. All right. So we had to take a we had to take a quick break, whatever, but where we le we left off with uh carry open carry, conceal carry.
SPEAKER_00Uh just you know, kind of I'm I'm super stoked with the direction the ATF is going. Yeah. We we talked about this during the break. I think in the government period, they've really gotten away from bureaucrats just making regulations and are trying to rein that in. Um I'm a big I'm a big to a purist. Well, you got in you got into the silencer game at the right time, right? With the new ATF director. Yeah. I'm not I'm not upset about it at all. Um the NFA for Christmas. Right. Um they're removing bump stocks, they're taking that out of the it's already done, I thought, isn't it? It's it's done, but they circle back around to it. They circle back around, there's they're still refining it. Um, and I think what you'll see is is a lot of times this verbiage will come out, but then it leaves open questions, so they're having to refine what they've done. Well, bump stocks are gone. SBRs aren't on the NFA. Okay, well, what does that mean for you know different items? Um well, though it the Supreme Court just voted that the AR-15 platform is a protected item now, so it can't be but that doesn't stop you know yokels from Virginia trying to get rid of anything they're now being sued by everybody. Yeah, Virginia law. That's crazy. That's just a dumbass politician doesn't know what's going on.
SPEAKER_03First off, and the thing is, is it's our fault, right? It's our fault that we have a dude from Bangladesh who's not from here, who has ties to multiple Islamic radical Islamic terrorist organizations, is now a congressman in Virginia, and right when he got in, implemented one of the most insane anti-2A policies like out there. How does this happen? And it happens because well, we just want to be left alone, but we're going to have to hit the point where more of us are going to have to start running for these positions. And the sad part on that was in is that like, well, you can already see it in Texas. They said by two presidential elections from now, Texas is going to be blue. Because I don't believe that at all. All the money that they're pumping in there, sure, all the H1B visas who are now being allowed to vote, all this stuff, they are saying that from the Democratic Party and then all of the approved Muslim communities that they already have, they are receiving money from all of these other organizations. And they're doing it on purpose. Because once they can turn Texas blue, California, and Texas will they will sway the collect, they will sway the the elections right now, forever.
SPEAKER_02Well, they don't probably when that information came out too, was before the recent Supreme Court ruling with the re uh redistricting.
SPEAKER_00And I find that ironic that the Democrats have the gall to say, oh, well, the Republicans are gerrymandering. No, they're just resetting the map back to what it used to be before you guys gerrymander. Regardless, I think we can all agree, whether whether you're red or you're blue, I think we can all agree that a person's race has no basis on how the voting lines are drawn, sure or the district line. are drawn. And that's all the law says. Yeah. Is you can't use race.
SPEAKER_02I absolutely agree. I mean I I understand like you know human nature, you know, we gravitate gravitate towards naturally we just gravitate towards people that look like us too, right? Okay. You know, um but at the end of the day for something like this with politics and who you're voting for, it should be strictly like merit and policies. And if regardless what race you are, the person that you're interested in, what policies do they have that make your life better? Right. That's all it needs to be focused on. I I could care I could care less um what what skin color someone's you know someone is if you know if they're if they're for lower taxes and and you know uh two way and all this cool.
SPEAKER_00How do how do your policies make my life better? And more importantly how do your policies make the government leave me the fuck alone?
SPEAKER_02Right. Yeah smaller government you know leave me alone but getting back to what you said I I also believe I I understand you know uh running for president you gotta be an American or whatever but I think I think any government uh position should be you you need to be American citizen you know um natural born uh citizen I mean I don't know I agree do we do we say natural born or do we just say citizenship but I I I think you know my personal opinion and belief is I think you should be a natural citizen could we do that could we do that in another country?
SPEAKER_03No absolutely not okay then there's our there's your baseline there's my baseline natural born citizen?
SPEAKER_00Yeah or do you get rid of all dual citizens?
SPEAKER_02No I think I'm a dual citizen. I think the run for no I think where where were you born? Here okay I think then you qualify. I think if you're naturally born you can have dual citizenship you know but again I think that's gonna be a deep dive into it just like anything like you know shit like Marion my wife you know Rebecca is from Ireland my dad and even myself you know held TS SCI clearances stuff so they question you. They're gonna be like do a background check they're gonna ask they're gonna do their deep dive cool but when it comes back around to running for office my opinion and you can disagree and agree all you want and that's perfectly fine but my opinion is if you're gonna run for a a uh uh you know public office position you know in government whatever I think you should be a natural born citizen yeah I think I think back when the Constitution was written that the the president had to be natural born and you could be in Congress as a as long as you were a citizen 1700s 1800s like it's a very different ballgame this is a very well and much larger country now right very well established a much larger country so the the pool of which you're drawing candidates it's in as small or is not as small as it was back then.
SPEAKER_00So I think there's a very legitimate argument now for you want to govern this country you should be a natural born citizen of this country.
SPEAKER_02And it has I mean and and I don't want people to get twisted I mean there's been there's been some you know great politicians that aren't natural naturally born I mean there's I think there's like a New Zealand or UK guy or something European dude that's running for mayor in California right now. I I I believe just working as a Republican but I I just again I I just think that you know there's just people use and abuse that and it's skewed I mean the whole stuff with like illeg that's going on in Minnesota and now there's allegations that uh was it Omar yeah like the the some of the people that have been arrested and with the fraud case that they are now spilling the beans that Omar has came has come in and really pushed for them to for the COVID fraud like really pushed for them to to do this and get away with it and say that they can do X, Y, and Z. But I just think yeah I think you know and and there's gonna be people that are naturally born citizens that are uh you know fucked hards and treason and whatever but I I think how we how we slim that down and find people that are you know uh um have the best interest for their country you know and loyal and whatnot I think you just gotta you know I think you have to be a US citizen and just like Ron like you said like you can't go to another country and and and and they're not gonna like it.
SPEAKER_03Hey listen if you don't love America fuck you but you know like it it's uh we've all been places where we are the minority right and I have been targeted I have been detained uh like in Qatar at the airport um because of who I was and the type of passport I had and that passport did not protect me it like it actually had anything to do with that mullet. No it had nothing to do with it I don't think I had the mullet then at the um it was just people just don't understand like you know I the most recent thing no kings no kings but yet every single Democrat stood up and cheered when King Charles the pedophile was uh was was it was on the floor politics is used you know so it's people have no idea of of what the benefit of being an American is and why people used to come here and there's is a couple things. One I remember when I went back to Okinawa in 95 and they used to put you in this uh joint uh JRC the joint reception center and you stay there for like two days and you got your cultural briefs and everything like do's and don'ts for Okinawa because like you know Marines like to do dumb stuff and go out steer cars crash in and like you know sexually assault locals and stuff like that and something get cracked down on. And this Sergeant Major came in and there was like a really big uh there was a big uh like the sexual harassment stuff got really big in the mid-90s and there was uh us and them versus male Marines and female Marines because you're starting to get more female there's a big push to increase the numbers and guys like ah you know WMs blah blah blah and this sergeant major came in and I kind of had negative negative connotations because I was at a unit in the past where you got to see like the women would not have to do certain things and they wouldn't be treated the same and all this and it just kind of was like all right yeah you know like kind of human nature and stuff like that. I remember being in Search school and they had I went to the seer school in Maine in 93 and it was the first time they had put females through the one in Maine and they were crew chief and they tried playing them against the crowd and like they had this one girl they pulled they beat the snot out of this chick and this dude was next to me he's like no take me leave her and I'm like I'm like you think you're gonna get some sear pussy like no I'm like hit her again I'm like she's a dude she's just like you you can't you have to separate that stuff right but it's it's the sergeant major said he goes he goes does every male Marine in this room right now run a 300 PFT? Does every male Marine in here shoot high expert pistol and rifle? Does every male Marine in here are you complete on all your PME? You can't raise your hands and he goes until you can you don't have a ground a foot a leg to stand on and talk bad about female Marines because there are female Marines out there that are doing it harder than you every single day. So until you can look yourself in the mirror and know that you hit the and I sat there it was a great perspective right and I was like and I was like man I was like you gotta you know like like I was a higher performer so I'm like that's a cool way to look at it fast forward I've met amazing people who were immigrated to this country the proper way. Sergeant Blevins she was she's one of my favorite Marines ever retired a major from India grew up in New York naturalized whole family came over here you want to hear her story and you want to you want to you and and just the disrespect that's done to them right Zoltan Bafney five finger death punch had the privilege of meeting him spending some time with him shot show like 12 years ago and he told us his story broke me put me in the tears right about escaping communism right one of my best friends I grew up with John Tombole his parents escaped communism from Hungary and what they came here and how they love this country and how they grew up and raised and had him and his brothers here and raised them here. You know who people who did it the right way.
SPEAKER_02Well there's there's a lot of people that come here that have more love and respect for the than uh for America than natural born citizens. Yeah and and and but but my whole going back to my statement saying running for office natural born citizens the only reason is because you're gonna have bad actors that really abuse that that's the only reason there I I've served with people that have served strictly because that was their path to citizenship. Yeah and they're good fucking people some you know some people I went to combat with that I would go to combat with again they they're locked in right so but yeah I mean and it sucks because there's some really solid people like you just mentioned that could come here and they could probably do really well in government but unfortunately we have people that will just use and abuse that and there'll be bad actors so that's that's the only reason why I just I my that's where my position is with there's there's Americans that'll use and abuse it and I don't have a fully formed position on this right because I'm I'm still kind of watching and it's it's a new argument.
SPEAKER_00Back to like female the Marine Corps did a really good study. So I was the uh the first sergeant for special warfare center school um back in 2016 ish and that was really when the the current or the administration at that time the Obama administration was making a push for for female the marine corps and this this is as an army guy the marine corps did a really good study it wasn't just like oh today Jennifer and Stacy did a great job. I mean it was in depth and it was to the point where females physiologically break faster than males females lose a vast majority of their strength and speed during a certain time of the month it was all documented it was all it was all medical now did we have females come through the course at that time we had one that came underneath me she was she was the first one and she was a fucking beast she also made the news for some piss poor life decisions right it's now are there tons of dudes that make the news for piss poor life decisions yeah right like it is what it is but there are the standards should never be lowered. The standard should never be lowered and to to say that it was lowered because of women I don't think is fair one commands were being told what to do right like I don't I don't blame the SWIC command at that time they had their orders two I can look at some fat officers that got to do the PT test over and over and over six fucking times till they passed it. That's uh Heggseth made it all generals out of doing it now let's go hey you know what kick dirt on Heg Seth all you want or talk shit whatever I love the fact that he's coming there and holding some he's not just coming in there and holding people to the standard yeah the dude's getting out there and doing PT with the units right which is all you expect out of commander the secretary of war is the fucking commander of war. You lead from the front right and he's out there doing PT. He's doing it like Tulsi Gabbard I know a lot of people don't like her always out there with the troops on the firing range doing PT with them like that's that's a hardcore bitch but she'll be the first one to tell you like hey there's other uses for females when it comes to combat um back when I was a team star we we did the first CST CST combat um whatever the fuck teams where we brought in females to help yeah yeah collect intel and at that time it was a great program. What it became later on was a shit show. It becomes a a check in a box a stepping stone for the next it was a career maker as opposed to hey do you are you actually here for the mission and I think that's all are you a tourist right all guys for my like I don't I don't care if you got a dick or a vagina are you here for the mission and are can you put your pride aside and get the mission done in the best way you can right I don't need you carrying a 240 fucking sling and lead. I need you in there talking to those females finding out where the fuck their husbands went.
SPEAKER_02Yeah I think I mean there's a role for everybody.
SPEAKER_03I just I think I have no problem with females in the military um but i the the standards shouldn't be lowered I mean a great I mean example this isn't really standards lowered here but I went up you know my last couple years I was markership instructor in the Marine Corps and I went up for meritorious sergeant on a baseboard and it came down to me and a female and she was a male clerk and she got the promotion simply because she had more MCIs and in the Marine Corps is there MCIs or the MCI it's a it's a non non-resident thing but you can take like you could literally take there's just easy mechanic you could take radio operator course you can take all kinds of courses on there there's a lot of information it's all online now so you can't cheat.
SPEAKER_02Yeah not that I cheated but yeah but yeah right but being a mail clerk yeah you got quite a bit of stuff that came through there right but but literally five minutes before we got called into the office for them to go hey it's come down to you two she was out in the office and shit you know I'm not exaggerating but she literally is like reached up she was like is that a car and like touch it I'm like get the fuck off my stack right but she's literally like finger fucking my stack and then we go in the office like uh we're giving it to her because she's has X amount of MCIs done and you don't yeah and I was like my sergeant major was pissed he was supposed to be on that board when he came back from vacation because he that's the reason why he missed he was on leave came back he was called me in his office throws my SRB at me and he's like what the fuck does that say and so my my my primary MOS was O351 but I had a secondary MOS is O352 because that's what I originally started at what's O352 O351 is assaultman and then O352 is toweman. Okay so I originally wanted when I went to SOI was like I'm gonna be a fucking towman because they're riding on Humvees and they're not humping and shit. So I was like fuck yeah dude and like but then I had like um I was like partially colorblind so like oh you can't do that whatever so I became an assaultman but anyway throws my S where he's like he's like sign this fucking paper I'm like what is it he's like I love the dude that has the most fucking colorful clothes on the market is like yeah I'm also partially colorblind I have to ask people a lot of times does this look all right but he throws me a paper he's like sign that paper where I'm like what what's this he's like we're changing your MOS your primary MOS O352 we're swapping them and I was like okay he was pissed off about the outcome of that board and so I signed it and less than a month later you know I'm now the most senior O352 in the Marine Corps like because O351s had the high like the cutting score for O351s was ridiculously high. When I signed it like you could go online and see where you stand in the Marine Corps in your cutting score for everybody in your MOS I was like number one. And so within a month he pinned me sergeant in the the uh the following month like pinned me sergeant.
SPEAKER_00But that was a great command but you know kind of just coming back to not lowering the standards and whatnot I just think that's you know you should look at across the board and you should never lower the standards whether you know what what what what sex they are or whatever if you're there to do a job do the job not a publicity sign you know yeah I mean it's you can learn so to me commands are the same as as business right you can learn something from everybody 75% of the time I learn what I don't want to do or who I don't want to be but I'll I'll give you a couple of cases in point um Captain Chris Donahue who would later be General Donahue and everybody remember he was on the cover of all the newspapers is the last dude to step out of Afghanistan he was my company commander when I was a brand new private showed up to Ranger Battalion all look at me right and uh that dude we went immediately went away did a training exercise came back got called down to the CO's office which you know is a brand new private you're like fuck what did I do right like let me let me figure it out and he's um he's like hey uh called your parents this week let them know that that you're here we've got you um you know is everything going good do you need anything you know how was life growing up in in Tennessee how was how's your your change over here um I ex you know here's my expectations of you and so I went upstairs I'm like there's no way this fucking dude called my parents your battalion no this is the company commander oh your company commander um go upstairs call my parents and I'm like what's they're like yeah some guy Chris called and I'm like no no no that's Captain Donahue to you and they're like oh whatever um but come to find out like he did this for every single dude that showed up to the company all the all the boots that you were yeah so in in your word all the boots as they show up he would call their families and be like hey your son is here well you all call him cherries right we just call them privates oh really yeah like I thought like cherries cherries is an acceptable word yeah um and then I would work for him later again not directly under him but attached and watch him as he would walk with battalion commanders behind so you know how like in formation everybody lines up or everybody's in gaggle and he'd be hey tell me something about that guy and battalion commander would be like I don't even know who the fuck that is and he's like yeah because you suck because you're a shitty fucking leader. You should know every dude that you're responsible for and be able to tell me something personal about them. And so like going back I'm like that's a fucking leader right like he was invested in everybody's story. He was invested in every human being same thing you and I do when we're sitting at working a trade show. Yeah you know so and so how's that thing going with them? Hey how's their family situation are they getting better right um Ron's a social slut. He knows everybody don't expect him to return a phone call but uh you know it's because I know I'll see you on a in like three months at the next trade show.
SPEAKER_02But the busy with Marine Corps command and running this making Millin Dylan.
SPEAKER_03I'm half looting with my with my politicians I'm paying off yeah um he's a lobbyist now yeah basically he's everything he's hated he's become everything he's hated he's basic you're basically a Democrat oh man's too far my son's acting up I'm like you know you're really starting to sound like a liberal and he'll be like okay like yeah like that's the meanest thing my dad can say just crying to mom what's wrong dad hates me call me a little you gotta stop calling him that I'm like it's a lot better than call him a little a-hole like it is is right yeah is it I think so well see he studied about like where we came off the rails his he has Christian curriculum that we use and it talks about liberalism and everything like that and it shows where it started it literally it doesn't mean Democrat it's just the way it's it's evolved into the Democrat Party but where you see where the liberalism tried to make its way into the school like in the 50s.
SPEAKER_02And it's like and that's where the socialist indoctrination succeeded yeah Rebecca and I are I mean obviously Hust has one more year of preschool but that's something we it's a hot hot hot subject for us because we're just constantly looking at schools like where are we gonna say no dude that's something we're so worried about homeschooling as well I'm the less the government is in your household listen the better your household.
SPEAKER_00You don't want me teaching your kids I I don't but I would not mind Rebecca teaching the kids now yeah Rebecca might well yeah Rebecca would definitely say Alex teaches our kids like she's got the Patience. She's a fucking phenomenal mom.
SPEAKER_02I don't I don't have the pa well it's not I I don't have the patience, but with like we talked about in last episode, is is I try to simplify stuff. I try to dumb it down that I just make it harder. I try to like explain something so simple so they understand. I'm trying to make it so simple so you understand, and I make it worse.
SPEAKER_00That's why I get I get history and life skills. Right? There's uh you ever read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad? You know what I'm talking about? I've heard of it, but I haven't read it. Worth reading like I'm I'm a hundred percent believer that this book should be in the curriculum of every school, period. And it challenges conventional thoughts on money, like how you handle money, right? Because I don't know, like growing up, my parents were always you put half your money in savings and then you spend the rest. And rich dad, poor dad's like, yeah, that's what poor people do, right? Rich people make their money work for them. Sure. And his his entire premise of the book is because they don't teach you how money works, they don't teach you financial literacy, they don't they took economics and um what's the fuck course we used to have to take where you learn how the government works? Economics. Social studies. Not social civics, and because they took civics out of school, nobody knows how the government works. They don't understand that money's not actually real. Right? It's just a belief that money's real and and all these things, and people right, they'll say, Well, no more kings, to your point earlier. Bitch, do you even know what you're talking about? No, you don't understand the difference between the legislative branch and the judicial branch, and you think the Supreme Court should just be abolished. That's ridiculous. Um, and that's why I'm such a huge fan of not just homeschooling, but dads being involved in homeschool. Are you gonna teach math and English? No, bro, I love you to death, but you're not, right? Are you gonna teach civics and history and a Christian fundalist fundamentalism of like, hey, your job as a Christian is to love and to stand up for what you believe in? Yeah, as a dad, you should be teaching that.
SPEAKER_02Well, by the time Hudson gets to elementary school, hopefully there's an AI that can just say, I want you to be Christian and a teacher, and I'll just put them in front of an iPad. Just AI. Listen, I'm not gonna lie, Chat GPT is my therapist. Did yeah, Gemini, ChatGPT, I I I use it quite a bit. Like, wife will ask me something, I'll I'll be able to shit her and I'll be like, there's your answer. Send her a message.
SPEAKER_00Like, I'm a I'm a big fan of using Chat GPT for my my therapist. It does a better job than therapists you pay for anyway.
SPEAKER_02Oh, dude. Like it's integrated into Gmail now. Is it you can polish? You could type out something and hit polish. Polish. And man. See, I'm not too bad for people that only know me through email.
SPEAKER_03It makes you sound a little, it makes you sound a little like sugar in your step, like sometimes. So you gotta so you gotta don't don't just hit polish and be like boom, send nope, read it. Because sometimes it's like the dude I'm sending this to knows I would never say this like that. Now I'm taking that word out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I do I do type them out in my very crude, like, oh fuck you, you owe me, hey motherfuckers, you owe me $15,000 and you need to pay that shit. You're 30 days late, and then I'll throw it in chat GPT and be like, hey, can you remove all emotion and be like, sir, you are 30 days past due on your balance for services rendered. And I'm like, Yeah, that sounds great. Fuck send it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. So it like in Gmail, it's the AI, it's it's now like kind of integrated. So it's like if it's if someone emails you and you email them back and they email you again and there's like a conversation going, and you they email you something and you're like, okay. Like it, you're fired up or whatever, you type something out like you were just saying, you can hit polish. It's tracking already the conversation. Like, even if you miss something in there, it will address it in the even the even now, you can even if you don't type something up, you can hit the little polish button, and you have to have like 20 words, right, for it to polish. But if you don't have anything, it's just it will say like it will give you a problem, like tell me what you or when it's a and you can kind of type out something like I'm gonna tell this motherfucker to fuck off, but in a polite way. You know, I'm just yeah you know, you know, paraphrasing here to short phrase shorten it up, whatever. But you can do that and it tells and then it will it will it's tracking the conversation and it will lay a response out for you. And it will it will be snappy if you want it or whatever, but it's it it's I do like I do like the snappy that way you think it's actually me, right? Well, you can well you can pay like you can pay for these services now. There it's free, but you can pay for upgraded services and it like it gives you the option to learn like who you are, like more in depth. So it will adjust to like who you are, your personality and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03And this is why 2029 Skynet comes online, yeah, and we fight the machines. You gotta fight the machines, bro. Yeah, dude.
SPEAKER_00I signed the thing takes us all the way back to everybody should be able to carry whatever and have whatever guns they want because when the machines come, government's not gonna help you. That's why we need laser guns, not more silencers. Listen, bro, if you pull up to the ranch with a fucking 50 cal mounted, the only thing I'm really gonna ask is like, hey, do you bring 100 rounds for me to fucking run? Yeah. Right? Like, I need a uh AR real gun, okay? All right, that's what I need.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I'm like what's it what's the night got on that? I I mean, if there was anything, I'm not gonna say it here, but it it you know we'll see you. It's funny, it's like seeing the the ammo, like the different types of ammo, and what they're going back to now is that nothing's really getting away from 556 because nothing has come in where it's like worth changing with the inventory, with the amount of money that's already invested in the 556 platform, they're just making the bullets better now, right? They're putting the science instead of making a new round and a new gun, they're putting that technology into better projectiles and and stuff like that. So you're seeing all kinds of stuff like it that is out there, but the the robot and the drone stuff that shit's scary, dude, is you're seeing now at these trade shows, you're seeing less of us and more of that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, they're saying they're saying train your whole life to get killed by some fucking 16-year-old playing.
SPEAKER_02They're they're saying in Ukraine right now that most of the the the casualties and KIAs are coming from drones, they're not, they're not from this, you know, smaller.
SPEAKER_03No, we went through when when I was one of the instructors at UG, we had a dude who was um he was a legionnaire. He had fulfilled his contract. He's actually from Alaska, has this crazy a lot uh accent. We thought he was French. Um, and it might have just been he picked it up from his time in the Legion. But he you got we've all seen the video. There was a camera footage from a drone, and it dropped a bomb, and you saw this dude sitting there, and he was like, and he was like an overweight dude and everything, and it was a dud. And he said he was praying. He told us the story, he was praying, and he saw that he knew he was gonna die, and he just prayed. He goes, Lord, if you can get me out of this, he goes, I'm I'm gonna change my life. When that dude showed up at UG, like, dude, he was yoked, he was not a fat kid. And he was ever see that one this happened? He was a legionnaire and he was pranked. He was a legionnaire and overweight, he was a fatty, yeah. And he was stuck in the mud, he couldn't get out because and he was telling us a whole story, and then um he was just bigger. I don't know how like you can see it in the video, and we've all seen it, but um, and that guy was telling us like the drone stuff over there, he's like, it's dude, it's worth that. But and that's the thing, too, is like when you know what's going on on the rant. Did we win? Did we not win? We win one day, we lost the next day. Who knows? But it's the same thing with the starting of Afghanistan. We're going in high tech, they're beating us with low tech. And like I I've got a friend who he's worked now, working with this company he just got back from Ukraine. He's from your world, and he's like, dude, we're making 1500 drones for under $25,000 that do more. It's a new business venture. It is, but he goes, but that do more than three of our drones that cost $150,000 each. And he's like, you know, it's in the technology and stuff and everything. And well, that's the thing with war though, that technology uh speeds along much quicker and gets cheaper. I Ike said it, bro. Eisenhower said it, man. The industrial war say this all the time, man. We did not have a tactical industry until the towers fell.
SPEAKER_00No, and it's like going back through it, so we did um NRA, and um I came from a world where I was very spoiled, right? Like I didn't pay attention to ammunition, right? Like, hey, let me draw two cases of 77 grain and hit the range. Like that that was my life. Um go to fast forward to NRA, and I knew about the drone concepts, but it's still like I'm just not a drone guy. I I still very much miss the days of being in a turret. Um and you you talk and you work with these dudes. So there's a company, ICC Ammo, and they make fran they're they're claiming they make frangible ammo. And I I loved it from the perspective of it's a great home defense ammo, right? We all know frangible doesn't go through the walls. Um at least it doesn't go through my walls. But they also are making this the ammo world is shifting to a world where their ammo is specific to drone threats. And it's like, hey, are we really in this world where the drone threat is driving the ammo industry now? And they're like, oh, a hundred percent. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02Because you're gonna be shit, you're gonna be at the point where you're you're shooting at those more than you are people.
SPEAKER_03You know, it's gonna get to that point. There was a show on US USA network a few years back, I think it was called Colony. I don't know if you guys remember this one, but it was like an alien invasion and they were like snatching bodies and everything, and everything was but everything was patrol controlled by like robot drones.
SPEAKER_00I don't mean to interrupt. What flavor are you drinking? The um Liberty Call.
SPEAKER_03Liberty Call.
SPEAKER_00This one's fucking tastes like a damn Starburst.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, man, that's drone stuff though. But when you got the shows and everything, even like the the one we have coming up in August, there's 45 weapons manufacturers there. There's 135 non like human-powered firearms, and every in like the percentage of that that is drones is like over 50%. Oh, yeah, and the other side, in the other, then the non-shooting area. Well, you know, when we did the cop, when we did the cop shows, we did the big international uh International Association of TISA police show. And one, when I walk around that show, I'm like, how many police departments can buy the stuff that's in this room right now, right? But they have this thing where they shoot this little like 40 mic mic grenade out of the bumper of their car, right? Chasing this car, boom. This thing sticks on water, sticks on ice, sticks on mud, right? You know what you're talking about, yeah. And then they slow down and it's just a tracking beacon, and he's got it on his computer, and he hits another button, and the drone takes off from his roof and provides him footage and stays with the car the whole time. So now, same county, not the same county. I'm I'm this, and I put the blast out there, you get the alert on your computer, you can set the roadblock up there because you can now have access to the thing. Like, that's some sci-fi shit.
SPEAKER_00Dude, every movie from my childhood is have you seen this thing with uh I guess it's forward that's coming out with it where like the the jump about the kill switch? Yeah, where you can't start it if it thinks you're inebriated or overly excited.
SPEAKER_02I just read an article where they have this in the UK, like uh a chick that rented a car, it like her it like shut her down because it couldn't see her eyes.
SPEAKER_03And it shut it like stopped the car. That's a it has less than a 40% success rate right now, and they're going they go on head with it. Ford, dirty Ford, I drive a Ford, they filed all the patents that's what I'm talking about in 2024 for this.
SPEAKER_00They knew it was coming. Yeah, and listen, right? Like, in addition to guns, I'm a rancher. I spend my life in perpetual exhaustion. You're gonna not let me go to work or not go to my kids' ball game because you think I'm tired? Fuck you. That's why I have a 94 T100 SR5. 76 Bronco. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03You gotta have one. 2030, you'll own nothing like it. Why do you think we're getting so many of these luxury apartments, right? The 15-minute city, you know, like all the stuff. They're making it so you don't have to go anywhere. It's all it's all about safe cities and smart cities.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know. I mean, shit, it's gonna be Judge Dread before we know it. Shit. What's uh, you know, before we get out of here, and uh I wanted to kind of see what's next on the schedule for uh deadline.
SPEAKER_00So deadline will be at Kingcon in October. Well, we've got the swamp coming up at the end of this month. Um, it's not far from here, and and I'm not gonna tell you that because whatever city I tell you, I'll probably be wrong. Maysville.
SPEAKER_03Maysville.
SPEAKER_00Is it?
SPEAKER_03It's north of it's north of Jake Vegas. Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_02Um is it gonna be uh they're doing a competition.
SPEAKER_03Um what's the what's the range out there? It used to be Spartan Ranch. It's out there near right next to uh Lee's Ranch. Um Terrace or Alliance out there. Alliance. Yeah, it's right next to that one. Okay, that's a new I think I saw an ad for that. For the swamp?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think so. Just probably anyway, so it's gonna be out there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it's it's under new management, and they're gonna they're gonna run a competition out there, so we'll be there at the end of the month. We've got CanCon in Vegas in October. Um, and then we're we're pretty stoked to go back to shot show in January. Um, we should have by the time we hit CanCon, we should have our full lineup with uh 556 can and 30 cow cans that are already on the market, and then 22 and 9mm cans coming in hot. We're just waiting on uh testing for those cans. Oh yeah, yeah. I can't wait to try them out on the range.
SPEAKER_02We're gonna get after it. Oh yeah, we'll make a range day out of it for sure. Oh yeah. But um, I think that's I think that's a wrap, guys. I mean, I appreciate you, you know, Ron, you know, stepping in and filling in for Evan and you know, Paul making the drive over, and you know, it's good to see you and to catch up and appreciate all the changes you got going on. I'm excited to check it out and appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but I've used this cans. You have used this cans, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And the funny thing is, is like we're we're at shot, and like for us, you know, we typically before we do anything, we always want to try it first, right? So it was kind of like they were their stuff was still like it literally when we got the cans from them at staccato range, they had Vegas straight off a test. They were hot off the press. Like, and we were like, all right, let's put it on. And we got out there, warmed it up, and we're like, Yeah, they're good. And we were like, it was good. And we ran like we ran, I forgot what we did, we had over 600 people that and I did this based off of how much ammo we went through at five rounds a person on the 9mm and on our 556 guns. And we went we had over 600 people come through and test or shoot demo the Mitchell Defense Rifles with the uh the dead air defense cans on them, and that was dead air. What did I say? You said dead air. I'm sorry, deadline, my bad. I'm like, um on this one, you know. The um, but we we um uh that's a lot of people. It was, especially because the the range days at SHOT Show are like it's just SHOT Show in general, is just weird, right? This range day is was open to everybody, but the really cool thing about the Cado Ranch is they open it to their members. So there's people that are coming out there that are gonna see new stuff and get to try stuff that don't have access to SHOT Show and they're local. What what we learned, what is going to change next year, you can sell product at that show. No shit. So next year you can? Yep. Oh wow. So well, it's not, it's well, it's not an NSSF event. You can't sell at SHAT Show, you can't sell at NSSF ranges. So the staccato ranch is one, it's gorgeous. They've really revamped it, and it's it's it's just getting I've been out there three times and it has gotten better. Well, it went this year, dude.
SPEAKER_02We're a lot of shit talking.
SPEAKER_00I know there was a lot of shit talking back in the day, and we've talked about this, right? Like it's weird. Um, so I because I fully expected somebody to come start something when I was out there.
SPEAKER_02Um people don't understand is when when it comes with OA Defense, I'm just trying to pick a fight. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Shit talks staccato. Um, and I will humbly say that I carry a staccato now. Oh, didn't I see that? Um didn't see that coming, but the uh the HD series is is fucking hot. You got bought, didn't you? Nope. You got bought paid for. I'm I'm a lot of things. I didn't even give anything away. Yeah. Yeah. I'm a lot of things. I couldn't even get a free t-shirt out of them. Um, but the the cans that we brought out there, they were fresh off of SOCOM test tables. And so most people do like five tables throughout a weekend. We did six back-to-back tables or seven back-to-back tables, and then brought those cans straight out to the range and threw them on. We melted during tables or SOCOM testing, we melted two guns, not Mitchell Defense guns. They were they were the competitions guns, but the gas tubes on those guns melted. That's how hot it was getting. And then ran them on Mitchell's. Cans held up, cans held up, zero issues out of them, slap them on the Mitchell Defense rifles, and next thing you know, like everybody's out there just having a good time. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_03Because our guns run.
SPEAKER_00Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_02I know. We're gonna have to get some more Mitchell Defense and some some deadline stuff set up for range day. But so it's Can Con in October.
SPEAKER_00October. October. And then in Vegas, and then Shot Show in Vegas. In the meantime, you can hop on Instagram. It's deadline underscore defense, or the website is deadline dash defense. So your cans are available? Cans are available on the website. You can go ahead and order them. We'll get them out to you. Awesome, dude. What are you guys in? You're gonna Silencer Shop. We're working with so the thing that I love about Silencer Shop and Guns.com both is before they actually put your cans up, they'll run them through testing themselves. That's cool. Yeah. Right? So they're like, hey, if and it's frustrating as a business owner because you're like, fuck, now I gotta wait another 90 days. But they legitimately vet anything that's on their website, and and you have to appreciate that as a consumer.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, the Mitchell are we just got our stuff, is like I think we're there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So yeah. Um, so yeah, they'll they'll be up on their site as well as soon as they're done. We're on Silencer Shop. It's uh guns.com is yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03That and then we're on they do the same thing for you to go sell, they'll you go send them. I'm not sure that yeah, they they have a test in provided.
SPEAKER_00They have a testing process. So what they do, they don't just test the product, but they do a marketability test as well. Um, which is it's what's that because this thing? I don't I don't know, and they won't tell you, but basically, if you're the same thing, if you're a carbon copy of somebody else, they just want to make sure you're not like some Turkish knockoff. And and that you have your own unique position. So, like like the Mitchell Defense Rifles, right? If I and I don't know that this is what they're doing, but if I was guns.com, I'd be like, hey, like these are different because they're a lighter gun, they're a more ergonomical gun, and they handle they handle the abuse. Like, I'm not gonna lie to you. I fucking beat the shit out of that gun and it'll still run. Um still got the OA. I still have my OA. Do you? Yeah. The the one that we tuned up or the one like one in a million. The one in a million? Yeah. So that's a that's actually a SKU line that they went with afterwards. Oh, really? Yeah. So you're you're one of a bajillion now. Well damn it. You're you're one in a lineup. But they um listen, OA defense was a good time, learned a lot. Um I'm super thankful. I'm thankful that I wouldn't be where I am with deadline if it hadn't been for that opportunity. Um but the the pistol market caught up where there's so many more options available now at a good price point. I mean in good builds. I mean great builds. I have I have one. You don't really hear much about them, but the platypus is a fucking platypus has come a long fucking way, man.
SPEAKER_02That thing is just as buttery as the OA and the staccata. I mean, in my point.
SPEAKER_03But when you got now, you got you have like Sig and Kimber that are playing catch-up to everybody else. They're making it.
SPEAKER_02I don't know that Wilson Combat just came out with a new one, too. They did. And it's pretty fucking.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um the Jacob Gray, have you seen that? That's a fucking beast of a gun. I mean, it's still in the upper echelon of price points, but the Platypus is a really good one. The HD series, when it came out, they you know, they dropped down to that price tier that was good for your your customers, right? Like nobody, unless you're a serious shooter, you're not dropping five, six grand on a pistol, a sidearm, right? Um unless you're a collector or whatever. Yeah. And then you look at you know, that's all the 2011 series and and the the hammer fired series. There's another company, Faxen Firearms, has put out a um, I didn't know Faxen was doing pistols. Yeah. Wow. And it's it's almost a Glock off. Like I hate to use that term because it's it's not representative of what it is, but the the Faxen pistol is very glock in appearance with probably one of the best fucking triggers I've touched in a striker fire. Now, are you gonna get a 2011 trigger out of a striker fire? No. But for an everyday carry, right? Like that's that's why a lot of us carry or still carry Glocks. I mean, if if I'm in board shorts, I'm gonna carry a Glock 43 because it fits. I moved everything over to shadow shadow systems. I mean I'm not gonna point the fingers at any people that I know in the pistol industry, but there's one particular individual that works for a company and he still carries a shadow system. Um I I mean, yeah. You can't, I mean, you get pretty much Gucci doubt for a pistol. I don't care how sexy your gun is. Does that bitch work when I need it to?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's my I run shadow as like like my truck nightstand and like my duty, my like range gun. That that's what I go to, but I you know I have like the OA and the pilot post and some other some other pistols, but those are my workhorses for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um my workhorses uh Glock 19 and a um and then the HD four four and a half, and once I'm to the truck, then I can move into depending on which truck, it's either an M4 in there or a lever gun. I got my Springfield. That's for the 10 mil.
SPEAKER_02That's for hiking.
SPEAKER_00Are you are you part of the 10 mil gang?
SPEAKER_02That's just for hiking. Okay.
SPEAKER_03They make a bear round in 40 cal.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, see, that's what I'm oh really? Yeah, so that's I just run that's for hiking only for just for that purpose.
SPEAKER_03That's Tim X. That's Sim X round. I don't know if you guys have you seen that stuff yet? Yeah, but with their 40 and their 9mm, it's 50 grain, nine mil. Moves at 2200 feet per second. I'll have to get some of it. They sent me a video. They dropped hogs with one headshot with their nine mil. Wow. Wow. I have not seen that. That's drop the link in the chat. Yeah, yeah. Wait, yeah, well, I'll I'll show you the video in a second. But that that ammo, I can't. We're talking about Ron Words.
SPEAKER_00I'll send you the video so you can drop it in the back. But like, yeah, that's how I yeah.
SPEAKER_02But but um, all in all, man, I think that that's that's a wrap, guys. I know we could probably go on a bit on. But uh, you know, again, you know, Ron, thanks for coming. Paul, thanks for coming. Thanks for having me. No, uh, it's this has been great, and I'm sure we'll carry conversation and whatnot off on uh through chat and uh and whatnot. But uh, but yeah, thank you again, guys. It was it's been fun, it's been real. So and uh thank you everybody for tuning in um and uh catch us on the next episode. Ready, break? All right. That's it for this episode of Light Duty. Before you head out, don't forget to check out Core Medical Group. They're doing great things in the veteran community. If you need to get your labs done, give them a call or visit their website. Tell them you heard about them on Light Duty Podcasts, and they'll take $100 off your blood work. You're looking at $199 out of pocket or $99 through insurance. Take care of yourselves, and we'll catch you on the next one.