In-depth interviews with outstanding founders and builders in the civilian defense industry. Culture is upstream of politics, and technology is upstream of culture.
Joe Fox and Cameron Toor are the founders of ShotPay, where they're building payment infrastructure for the shooting, hunting, outdoor, and tactical industry.
0:00 - Introduction
3:57 - The Genesis of ShotPay
8:57 - Challenges in the Firearms E-commerce Space
12:27 - Innovative Payment Solutions: BNPL and Layaway
18:52 - Navigating Payment Processing Complexities
28:40 - Building a Stable Payment Infrastructure
30:56 - The Evolution of Payment Processing
37:09 - Navigating the Buy Now, Pay Later Landscape
46:40 - Supporting Veterans and Community Initiatives
54:46 - The Importance of Mentorship and Guidance
27 May 2026
Doug Ritter of Knife Rights
Doug Ritter is the founder of Knife Rights, which for our money is one of the most effective single-issue advocacy groups out there. See how they've singlehandedly changed the path of knife laws in the US, with a tiny staff and budget.
Go to ultimatesteel.org to see the gear available in the Knife Rights' 2026 fundraiser.
0:00 - Introduction to Knife Rights
2:43 - The landscape of knife laws
5:52 - Bipartisan strategies in advocacy
8:47 - Legal challenges and court successes
11:40 - Building relationships with legislators
14:44 - Lessons from Knife Rights for other advocacy orgs
17:50 - The origins of Knife Rights
34:20 - The Federal Switchblade Act and its impact
39:05 - The origins of knife bans and their implications
44:09 - Legal battles and the future of Knife Rights
51:44 - Knives as tools and their role in self-defense
57:06 - The future of Knife Rights and advocacy
7 Aug 2025
Marc Nemati of GrabAGun
Marc Nemati, President and CEO of GrabAGun, discusses IPOs, regulatory navigation, and M&A opportunities within the firearms industry, offering insights into business strategies; this is an interview.
24 Apr 2025
Tim of Hoffman Tactical
Tim is the founder of Hoffman Tactical.
0:00 - Intro
0:23 - How has 3D printing evolved compared to what Tim expected?
9:16 - Does 3D printing need a killer app?
14:22 - Opportunities in destructive devices
18:20 - Tim likes anti-materiel rifles
18:49 - Gun designs are dictated by their manufacturing technology
20:39 - Hoffman Tactical’s customers
24:24 - Drones, automated defense systems, and the potential there
35:12 - Community isn’t strictly required for private defense
40:59 - The Super Safety
43:30 - Debating the value of forced reset triggers and full auto fire
52:12 - Why small companies out-innovate big ones
56:32 - Tim on hot air balloons
26 Mar 2025
Rob of Constellation Response
Rob is the founder of Constellation Response, the store for gun culture 3.0.
Timeline:
0:00 - Intro to Rob and Constellation Response
4:44 - Why modern civilian comms are changing from the old days
8:11 - The rise of Meshtastic and its applications
18:45 - Acceleration in radios
21:43 - Why Constellation Response is getting into drones
24:17 - Drone training courses
30:01 - The impact of regulation on the cool things you could do with drones
36:31 - The future of autonomous drones
42:11 - 3D printing, drones, AI, and comms feel like something really cool is swirling into shape
46:18 - Are signal jammers going to become a thing in the US?
51:16 - Tethered drones
56:38 - Follow Constellation Response
22 Jan 2025
David Han Jr. of Canine Defense Technologies
David is the founder of Canine Defense Technologies, which makes drones for defense professionals and serious civilians.
Timeline:
0:00 - Intro
0:49 - Drone nomenclature
1:44 - Counterdrone tech and the competition between offense and defense
8:42 - Technological lessons from Ukraine
16:16 - Applying those lessons to civilian drone tech
19:16 - What is the FAA getting in the way of?
25:50 - Panics that could drive bad regulation
32:08 - History and mission of Canine Defense
43:29 - Supply chain as limiting factor
44:55 - Innovations in drone propulsion and power
50:10 - Drones as Second Amendment arms and why fears of misuse are probably overblown
58:50 - Growing Canine Defense’s business
1:05:38 - Future products from Canine Defense
1:08:22 - Decentralized community-building with drone swarms
19 Dec 2024
Jon and Sarah Hauptman of PHLster Holsters
Jon and Sarah run PHLster Holsters, makers of the Enigma, other holsters, and groundbreaking education about how to carry comfortably.
Timeline:
0:00 - The journey to making holsters
7:58 - What was the need PHLster was responding to?
17:34 - When did Sarah know the Enigma was going to be good?
35:57 - How much of a breakthrough was the Enigma for PHLster?
41:35 - Education and holster fitment as a science
49:28 - What's wrong with telling people to dress around the gun
58:13 - The importance of online communities
1:08:52 - The dynamic around gun products marketed to women
1:20:21 - Social media as a design and manufacturing tool
1:29:48 - Nobody goes to the anti-gun range
20 Nov 2024
Jay of Pew Science
Jay is the founder and technical director of Pew Science, the world's top silencer testing company.
Timeline:
0:00 - Are low back pressure silencers the end of history?
4:50 - Why silencers break the FN SCAR 17
7:12 - Pistol silencers are hard
19:21 - What were the breakthroughs in silencer technology?
24:06 - Consumers, not the military, are now driving the silencer industry
44:16 - Is there value in modular cans?
48:48 - The mechanics of silencer assembly
54:59 - Standardization in silencer attachment
1:00:41 - Consumer demand vs. military standards
1:05:36 - Flash hider vs. muzzle brake for suppression
1:09:34 - Understanding the SCAR's sensitivity to silencers
1:18:27 - About Pew Science
30 Oct 2024
Isaac Botkin of T.Rex Arms
Isaac Botkin is a longtime leader at T.Rex Arms and the perfect first guest for the Open Source Defense podcast. We talk about the beginnings of T.Rex, whether guns actually prevent tyranny, and future tech in the civilian defense industry.
Timeline:
0:00 - Intro and Background
2:44 - Milestones and Growth of T.Rex Arms
9:51 - Challenges of Growth as a Company
17:45 - Hiring for Passion and Mission Alignment
25:55 - Transparency and Honesty in Marketing
32:58 - The Evolution of Gun Culture
38:56 - Gun Culture 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0
51:44 - Do Guns Prevent Tyranny?
1:02:33 - The Future of Gun Culture, Body Armor, and Night Vision
1:21:47 - Lightning Round on Upcoming Gun Tech
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
19 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 13 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
5
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
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