State of the Second
by Gun Owners of America
Latest episode
The Suppressor Ruling Is the First Domino (ft. Braden Langley)
The Suppressor Ruling Is the First Domino (ft. Braden Langley)
About this podcast
"State of the Second isn’t your typical 2A podcast—it’s a backstage pass into the firearms industry.
Hosted by Kailey Nieman and John Fahrner, we sit down with the real people behind the brands, builds, and big ideas shaping the gun world. From shop owners to social media legends, each episode dives into how they got started, what keeps them going, and what it really takes to make it in the firearms industry, plus the battles they face along the way. If you’ve ever wondered how to break into the industry or what it’s like behind the scenes, this is your front-row seat."
Episodes
The newest 20 of 154 episodes
- The Suppressor Ruling Is the First Domino (ft. Braden Langley) · 1 h 9 min · Season 3 Episode 35The suppressor win wasn't the finish line. It was the first domino. This week, Braden Langley joins John to talk about what the suppressor lawsuit really opened up, why gun…
- A Suppressor Maker Explains Why Your Can Costs so Much (ft. Shadow Silencers) · 46 min · Season 3 Episode 34Why do suppressors cost so much, and what does August’s ruling actually change for the people who make them? John sits down with Danny of Shadow Silencers to talk about building…
- The $0 Tax Stamp Put Hi-Point in the Suppressor Game (ft.Hi-Point) · 1 h 6 min · Season 3 Episode 33Hi-Point's Dave is back on State of the Second, and this time we get into why the $0 tax stamp put Hi-Point in the suppressor business. John and Dave go through everything…
- The Real Reason Your Gun Costs What It Costs (ft. EAA) · 1 h 9 min · Season 3 Episode 32This week John sits down with Trey of EAA to discuss the part of the gun business nobody explains: why a $25 magazine adds $70 to the price tag, why a $100 optic cut costs you…
- The "Weapon of Mass Distribution" the ATF Can't Stop (ft. Hoffman Tactical) · 1 h 0 min · Season 3 Episode 31Kailey and John sit down with Tim Hoffman of Hoffman Tactical, the 3D-printed firearms pioneer behind the Super Safety. Tim explains how open-source design beats the ATF's…
- The Footage That Did More for Gun Rights Than Any Argument (ft. Four Boxes Diner) · 58 min · Season 3 Episode 30This week, Constitutional attorney Mark Smith of Four Boxes Diner joins John on what actually started the Revolutionary War, the 1792 law that still decides which firearms are…
- Building a Business That One Signature Could End (ft. AS Designs) · 53 min · Season 3 Episode 29This week, Matt of AS Designs joins Kailey and John on the legal ground his whole business sits on: what "common use" actually means when the threshold moves depending on how…
- The Thing Holding 3D Printing Back (ft. Bare Arms) · 45 min · Season 3 Episode 28This week Stephen Bozich of Bare Arms joins John and Kailey to argue that the Gun Control Act of 1968 never restricted firearms. It restricted commerce in firearms. Nearly…
- They Broke Into Her Home. She Couldn’t Touch Her Gun. (ft. Lady Liberty Australia) · 56 min · Season 3 Episode 27This week, Lady Liberty Australia joins John and Kailey to explain what life actually looks like without a Second Amendment: a 12-month wait to buy a single pistol, mandatory…
- You Shouldn’t Be In Love With Your First Gun (ft. Kore Essentials) · 1 h 12 min · Season 3 Episode 26This week, John and Kailey sit down with Vince from Kore Essentials for one of the more honest conversations we've had on this show about the state of the firearms industry; what…
- 17 States Will Ban Suppressors After the NFA Dies (ft. Jaguar Silencers) · 49 min · Season 3 Episode 25This week Cody Bennion of Jaguar Silencers joins Kailey and John to talk 3D-printed cans in Inconel and titanium, why nobody in this industry measures decibels the same way, and…
- Sights, Slides, Knives, Compasses: One Company Does It All (ft. Night Fision) · 1 h 4 min · Season 3 Episode 24Kailey and John welcome back Rachel from Night Fision, the team behind Night Fision night sights, Glow Rhino, Cammenga compasses, and now Zaffiri Precision. Rachel breaks down…
- 50 Years of Building the Perfect .22 (ft. Volquartsen Firearms) · 57 min · Season 3 Episode 23This week, Kailey and John sit down with Scott Volquartsen of Volquartsen Firearms, the Iowa family company building rimfire's finest since 1974. Scott makes the case that the…
- The "Redneck Cousin" Sneaking Gun Education Past the Algorithm (ft. Carlie Bodiford) · 1 h 3 min · Season 3 Episode 22This week John and Kailey sit down with Carlie Bodiford to talk about going from college TikToks to 700K+ followers, using humor to reach people who've never touched a gun, and…
- The First Thing to Do After a Self-Defense Shooting (From a Lawyer) (ft. Attorneys For Freedom) · 44 min · Season 3 Episode 21This week, Kailey sits down with Joey from Attorneys for Freedom, the law firm behind the Attorneys on Retainer program, to walk through what actually happens after a…
- One Rifle Took More Game Than His Other 62 Combined (ft. Steyr Arms) · 49 min · Season 3 Episode 20This week, John and Kailey sit down with Jim of Steyr Arms to get into the AUG's rise to one of the most-fielded rifles in the world, the surprising Steyr link to the Mercedes…
- They Left a Live AR on YouTube for 24 Hours. Here's What Happened. (ft. NineLine) · 1 h 23 min · Season 3 Episode 19This week, John and Nate from Nine Line Apparel are back for round two, and it goes everywhere: the new Gun Owners of America x Nine Line collab, why Gen Z is rediscovering…
- The Rifle the Industry Was Too Scared to Build (ft. One Horse) · 1 h 8 min · Season 3 Episode 18This week, John and Kailey sit down with Drew and Jeremy from One Horse to talk about building a 100% American-made AR that any gun owner can afford, and to drop a major…
- The Coolest Job in the Firearms Industry (ft. caliber.row) · 45 min · Season 3 Episode 17Alex from Caliber Row joins hosts Kaylee and John to talk about what she calls one of the coolest jobs in the firearms industry: photographing and filming brands. Alex runs…
- How a Single Patch Built a Whole Business (ft. Patch Ops) · 52 min · Season 3 Episode 16Tim and Michelle from Patch Ops join Kaylee and John on State of the Second to tell the story of how a single patch grew into a business. It started in 2018, when the couple…
