Shownotes
State of the Second welcomes back Dan and Danielle Morton, the husband-and-wife owners of Ammo Squared, for a wide-ranging conversation about ammunition as a stored asset and what real preparedness looks like. The Mortons started Ammo Squared in 2015 out of their garage and describe the company as building an ammunition safety net for America. Their model flips the usual transaction: you buy a generic need, like 9 millimeter practice, store it with the company, and have it shipped whenever you want. Since their last appearance the business has grown fast, from about 40,000 members to 147,000, and they just opened a second facility in Texas after celebrating a 10-year anniversary in Boise.
Most of the episode digs into how a storage-first ammo company actually operates. Dan walks through the caliber-of-the-month approach, the lesson learned from once offering more than 500 calibers and getting stuck on ones they could not restock, and why widespread adoption has to exist before a caliber makes business sense. They talk through how shortages work on their side, where an auto buy keeps running and customers wait in line for allocation, and why major NATO calibers get prioritized by manufacturers during a crunch. Kaylee adds the consumer view, including how the platform simplifies choices for first-time gun owners by labeling rounds by purpose instead of brand, and the dopamine hit of watching an account grow in the background. The hosts and guests also riff on April Fools' products that accidentally revealed real demand, and Dan previews a next-generation platform that would let members speak or type what they want and use AI to build an ammo plan.
The back half turns serious. Dan frames ammo as a store of value, comparing it to gold and silver and noting some customers have sold stored inventory back when they needed cash. In the From the Soapbox segment, the conversation moves to personal sovereignty, public education, and Second Amendment education, including GOA's reminder that rights are constitutionally protected rather than government granted. Ammo Squared's stated long-term vision is to store one billion rounds over the next ten years across 10 to 20 warehouses, positioning itself as America's ammunition reserve so future shortages lose their sting.
Questions this episode answers
What is Ammo Squared's business model, and how is it different from buying ammo through normal e-commerce or a gun store?
Ammo Squared is a storage-first ammunition service: members buy a generic need like 9 millimeter practice, store it with the company, and have it shipped whenever they want. That flips the usual transaction, letting people build a stockpile in the background instead of buying and taking delivery all at once.
How much has Ammo Squared grown since the founders' last appearance on the show?
The company grew from about 40,000 members to 147,000 members. It also opened a second facility in Texas and marked its 10-year anniversary in Boise, with a team of roughly 28 to 30 people.
Why did the company cut back from more than 500 calibers, and how does the caliber-of-the-month program work now?
Ammo Squared once offered more than 500 calibers and got stuck holding ones it could not restock, so it pared back. Now it adds calibers through a caliber-of-the-month approach and does not stock a caliber until someone signs up for it, then stays just ahead of that demand.
What happens to a customer's auto buy during an ammunition shortage?
During a shortage the auto buy keeps running while customers wait in line for allocation. Major NATO calibers tend to get prioritized by manufacturers during a crunch, so they flow more reliably than niche rounds.
How does the platform make buying ammo easier for first-time gun owners?
The platform labels rounds by purpose instead of by brand, which simplifies the choice for first-time gun owners. Members can set it and forget it, then log back in later and watch the stored count grow in the background.
Why do the founders describe ammo as a store of value, and can members sell it back?
Dan Morton frames ammunition as a tangible store of value comparable to gold and silver, something that will not go to zero. Some members have sold stored inventory back to the company when they needed cash.
What is Ammo Squared's long-term goal for stored ammunition and warehouses?
The stated long-term vision is to store one billion rounds over the next ten years across roughly 10 to 20 warehouses. The aim is to position Ammo Squared as America's ammunition reserve so future shortages lose their sting.
What new platform features are the founders planning, including how AI might fit in?
Dan Morton previewed a next-generation platform that would let members speak or type what they want and use AI to build an ammo plan for them. The episode also touched on April Fools' products that accidentally revealed real customer demand.
Chapters
- 00:16 — Rapid fire questions
- 02:45 — Who Ammo Squared is and the safety-net model
- 03:53 — Rapid expansion to 147,000 members
- 06:54 — Caliber strategy and caliber of the month
- 11:25 — When a new caliber is worth carrying
- 15:02 — How shortages and waiting in line work
- 16:34 — Simplifying ammo for first-time gun owners
- 20:37 — Set it and forget it, plus variety boxes
- 23:55 — Next-gen platform and AI ammo plans
- 27:32 — April Fools products that revealed real demand
- 31:07 — What's next: one billion rounds stored
- 36:02 — Ammo as a store of value
- 40:28 — From the Soapbox: sovereignty and education
- 53:29 — Where to find Ammo Squared and GOALS 2026
About the guest
Dan and Danielle Morton are the owners and founders of Ammo Squared, which they started in 2015 out of their garage and run from Boise. The company stores ammunition for members and ships it on demand, and the Mortons describe it as building an ammunition safety net for America. By this episode the business had grown to 147,000 members, recently opened a second facility in Texas, and marked its 10-year anniversary with a company of about 28 to 30 people. Danielle has said they homeschooled their three daughters and graduated their last one this year. Their stated long-term goal is to store one billion rounds of ammunition over the next ten years.
Key quotes
"essentially, America's ammunition reserve is what we talk about in our tagline. It's literally a safety net." — Dan Morton
"we don't stock that caliber until somebody actually signs up for it. And then once they sign up for it, we just need to stay ahead of them." — Dan Morton
"There has to be widespread adoption because if there's not, then it just doesn't make sense to carry it." — Danielle Morton
"you set it up like we say set it and forget it and then you forget about it. And then you log in and you're like wow, I've got 300 rounds." — Dan Morton
"We're actually looking at a goal of storing 1 billion rounds of ammunition." — Dan Morton
"when you think about ammo, it's a store of value, right? It's like silver. In my mind, it's like silver. It's like gold. It is something tangible that will never go to zero." — Dan Morton
"your rights are constitutionally protected. They're not government granted, they're not gifts because, you know, we have rights, not privileges." — Kaylee
Transcripts
Welcome to get Owners of America State of the second podcast.
Speaker A:I'm Kayleigh.
Speaker B:And I'm John.
Speaker B:And I'm glad to welcome back our friends Dan and Danielle from Ammo Squared.
Speaker B:Guys, thank you for coming back on the show again.
Speaker C:Thanks for having us.
Speaker D:Yeah, thank you so much for having us.
Speaker B:So do we need to do rapid fire?
Speaker A:Why not?
Speaker B:All right, we're gonna go into our first signet rapid fire questions.
Speaker B:We're gonna ask you five questions.
Speaker B:What is the number one selling caliber right now?
Speaker C:9 Mil.
Speaker D:Always 9 mil.
Speaker B:It was a basic answer.
Speaker A:What is one firearms movie that you would make more realistic?
Speaker D:More realistic.
Speaker C:Can we say realistic gun movies?
Speaker C:The way of the gun.
Speaker C:Oh, that and Heat are my top two.
Speaker A:Top two?
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:I don't know about more realistic.
Speaker D:Probably Star Wars.
Speaker D:The stormtroopers would no longer miss.
Speaker D:They would be an actual threat.
Speaker B:I think you just want lightsabers and blasters.
Speaker B:I'm just.
Speaker D:Well, who doesn't?
Speaker B:Well, since we're on the Star wars theme, I guess I'll continue with it because this is great.
Speaker B:Jedi or Sith?
Speaker C:I guess Jedi.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker D:Well, the Siths get more done, but I'd say immorality sake.
Speaker D:I'd have to go with Jedi.
Speaker B:Get something done called sis.
Speaker A:Who was your latest impulse by?
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:Impulse by.
Speaker D:Oh, I'd probably.
Speaker D:Well, okay.
Speaker D:I bought the Institutes by John Calvin.
Speaker C:I bought a more interesting impulse buy.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I was like, that's not.
Speaker C:Has these.
Speaker C:They're these cases that look like a chair.
Speaker C:Like a.
Speaker C:Like, you know, a folding chair, but it's for your shotgun.
Speaker C:And so you put it in there and then you just sling it on your back.
Speaker C:You can put it in your car.
Speaker C:I haven't actually used it yet, but that was.
Speaker D:We don't vacation much.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:That's a thing.
Speaker D:The American flag, like navy blue, say the American flag.
Speaker B:That's the next shale by that, in our view.
Speaker B:So awesome.
Speaker B:What is your dream gun to buy that you don't already own?
Speaker C:For me, it's MP5SD.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:Hold on.
Speaker B:It's a good one.
Speaker C:How about you?
Speaker D:The M249.
Speaker B:Both great.
Speaker B:I can't argue with any of that.
Speaker B:We're gonna go ahead and get into this, reintroduce the folks to who you guys are, what you guys do.
Speaker B:Kind of your background.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So we are Dan and Danielle Morton, owners, founders of AML Squared.
Speaker C: So we started ML Squared in: Speaker C:AML Squared.
Speaker C:The best way to say what AML Squared is is we are building a ammunition safety net for America.
Speaker C:So we've totally changed kind of the idea of buying ammunition because we, with our business model, you buy the ammunition, but you also store the ammunition with us.
Speaker C:And then instead of buying something specific like you'd go either E commerce or you'd go into the store with us, you're buying a generic.
Speaker C:So say 9 millimeter practice that fills a need.
Speaker C:And then we ship when, whenever you're ready to, to get your ammo, we'll ship it to you.
Speaker C:And we ship a variety of, of brands and bolt weights that meet your needle.
Speaker C:And so we're taking it out of the realm of just an E commerce transaction and making ammo more of like an asset that you can store.
Speaker C:And then if you want to, you can exchange it for other things you can, we can even sell back if the price goes up.
Speaker C:So it's a, it's a whole different take on ammunition.
Speaker B:So since we talked last, you guys have had rapid expansion.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:A lot of new people.
Speaker B:What do you attest that to?
Speaker C:Honestly, we were talking about today?
Speaker C:You know, so a lot of businesses seems like they'll go for eight or 10 years and then all of a sudden there's an inflection point.
Speaker C:It's like a tipping point.
Speaker C:I think that we just finally kind of hit that.
Speaker C:We've had a lot of time when it was a plateau and in 24.
Speaker C:So last year we've pretty much quadrupled since the beginning of 24.
Speaker C:So I was looking back at our stats from the last time we were on the show.
Speaker C:We had about 40,000 members.
Speaker C:Members.
Speaker C:And then right now we've got 147,000 members.
Speaker C:That's almost tripling.
Speaker C:But, but the growth is just kind of part of.
Speaker C:I think that we finally kind of caught up or I guess the public caught up to the idea of what we were trying to do because for so long we were kind of just this crazy, crazy idea.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker D:And we have an amazing marketing guy.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker D:People know about you.
Speaker D:They sign up.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker C:Well, that's been.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker D:That's huge.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:Having the right person doing the right job.
Speaker C:Well, and that's.
Speaker C:And if I'll just kind of go a little bit more.
Speaker C:I was just talking to our.
Speaker C:We just had our 10 year anniversary.
Speaker C:So we brought all of our folks out to Boise where we're at and we had a big event for, for the week and we, we put it on our blog.
Speaker C:And one of the things looking in this room of we had 28, 30 people at the time and just thinking about how much more horsepower we have as a company.
Speaker C:And so it's like every time we add a new person, then that adds a little bit more horsepower to the company.
Speaker C:And so for so long, it was, you know, it started with just us, and then we had just a couple employees.
Speaker C:And then, you know, so it's a long period of like just say six to 10 employees.
Speaker C:And then looking at it on a chart, from 20, mid 24 until now, we're just kind of going like that as far as just adding people.
Speaker C:And so we're able to.
Speaker C:Now it's all kind of.
Speaker C:That horsepower creates leverage.
Speaker C:And then.
Speaker C:So now I don't have to do the marketing.
Speaker C:I've got my guy, Bob is doing the marketing, but now he's got a team.
Speaker C:And so, you know, it's just this leverage.
Speaker B:It's great.
Speaker B:That's amazing.
Speaker B:And I'd love to see how you guys have grown so much in the last year.
Speaker B:You know, the same question that we had last time, and I think it is imperative to keep bring it back up again, is when you guys start deciding, I mean, you, we, you guys had a limited number of calibers.
Speaker B:Are we expanding calibers?
Speaker B:What is that looking with this new growth of people coming in, going, well, I want this or I want that, and kind of expanding the business side.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So the, the biggest thing in the early days, we.
Speaker C:We only.
Speaker C:We started off with four calibers.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:We only wanted to offer that.
Speaker C:And then we gradually added calibers.
Speaker C:And then we made the mistake of just adding every caliber under the sun.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Literally went through the midway USA catalog and just added everything.
Speaker C:Because the way our business model works is that we don't stock that caliber until somebody actually signs up for it.
Speaker C:And then once they sign up for it, we just need to stay ahead of them.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:So I have that inventory on hand.
Speaker C:And so we had 500 plus calibers.
Speaker C:But then what we realized during the shortage was that you can have people sign up for these things, but if I can't stay ahead, I can't buy, then that's a problem.
Speaker C:And so then after the shortage, then we trimmed it all the way back down to 60 calibers.
Speaker C:But then since then, we've been adding them back.
Speaker C:And we were talking earlier about the ammo of caliber of the month.
Speaker C:And so this month it's 25 and 32 auto, which are not ones that we normally stock.
Speaker C:But we're putting it out there to our members to say, hey, this month only buy as much as you want so that you can store it with us and it'll be there.
Speaker C:Then the end of the month we'll turn it off.
Speaker C:And then, you know, we'll decide at that point if it makes sense to offer it.
Speaker C:Like we brought back 410 for, for permanent for now because it's, it's a very popular caliber.
Speaker C:But it's a balancing act of giving people the calibers that they want to sign up for.
Speaker C:But, but from a business standpoint, being able to guarantee that we can get them.
Speaker C:So that's kind of where we're at.
Speaker B:So you're telling me I can't get like something weird like a.32 Smith Wesson long.
Speaker D:Know someone with a revolver in that.
Speaker C:327 Federal, you know, you could shoot that.
Speaker B:We were just talking about 327 federal the other day.
Speaker C:Oh wait.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker B:It's one of those weird cartridges that I got really into like looking it up because such an interesting.
Speaker B:It's some of those things like the weird cartridges that have been coming out.
Speaker B:So like just yesterday and this is way.
Speaker B:So people who are watching this in the future like, wow, that was a long time ago.
Speaker B:Like 22 Creedmoor.
Speaker B:And we're seeing a resurgence in different caliber offerings now.
Speaker B:Like, you know, recently on the pistol side we had 30 super carry.
Speaker B:And 327 federal has been kind of making this weird shift.
Speaker B:And now even today there's a lot of people who are talking more about like 32 because 32 is starting to pick up and things like that.
Speaker B:So as a, as a business, you know, how do you keep on with all these new ammo trends with.
Speaker B:Especially with the long range calibers that keep.
Speaker B:There's a new Creedmoor PRCR coming out every other week or something like that.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So we actually just.
Speaker C:Our caliber the month for last month was 6.5 PRC.
Speaker C:And so it's, it's that.
Speaker C:And we, we gauge that demand based on that.
Speaker D:So we literally have customers emailing us, can you carry this caliber?
Speaker C:Oh yeah.
Speaker D:Like when customers email us, we keep a list of those requests.
Speaker D:And you know, as we get more requests for calibers, we'll first introduce it as a caliber of the month.
Speaker D:And then there's the potential for it becoming something we regularly carry.
Speaker C:But I think for us it's like having a strategy around it as opposed to what we did in the old days, which was, oh, we'll just throw them all out there and like let people auto buy them forever.
Speaker C:And it's like that's not really going to work now.
Speaker C:Yeah, I do have some 30 super carry that is bring it back on a shelf because we.
Speaker C:We offered it way back when it first came out and it was during that time we had every caliber you can imagine.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker D:And then we couldn't give it away.
Speaker C:Yeah, we could.
Speaker C:Like literally we.
Speaker B:And that's.
Speaker B:That's always the fear when it comes to like a new caliber because people will carry it and then you got to worry, okay, well people actually going to buy this is something going to try.
Speaker B:30 Super carry is one of the interesting ones that the more I start researching it, the more I'm like, oh, it's kind of cool.
Speaker B:But also like not a goodbye 380.
Speaker D:Or 90 the platforms.
Speaker B:True, true.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:And so if they had chambered, you know, if they had done something a little more common, it was chambered in the shield.
Speaker D:It was a shield and a Nighthawk and that was it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker B:And then you had what this is.
Speaker A:We.
Speaker B:We had a discussion as a group of friends a couple a week ago and talking about calibers.
Speaker B:224 Valkyrie.
Speaker B:Remember Valkyrie?
Speaker D:It was like everybody popular and then.
Speaker B:It died because nobody could get the barrel twist right.
Speaker B:Yeah, they were.
Speaker B:There was a long argument between one and six and a half and one and seven and a half.
Speaker B:And the one in six and a half was so fast that the projectiles were blowing up halfway down range because projectiles just couldn't handle it.
Speaker B:And it's weird.
Speaker B:Like they're as an industry and you guys from the ammo side, you.
Speaker B:You guys want to see this innovation.
Speaker B:A lot of people are calling for innovation and things like that.
Speaker B:But then if there's not a demand for a caliber and then you guys are like three people call you and like I want this.
Speaker B:Well do now comes down to a business decision of do we really want to stop this?
Speaker B:Is this something that's going to last?
Speaker B:How many chamberings are there?
Speaker D:There has to be widespread adoption because if there's not, then it just doesn't make sense to carry it.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:We just added I think 6 arc last year.
Speaker C:So I think 6 arc is kind of like 2.
Speaker C:224 Valkyrie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know, so it's kind of that it's in.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:65 PRC.
Speaker B:I'm a big fan of.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, I took that.
Speaker B: I took it out to: Speaker C:Oh, nice.
Speaker B:It's a good, good round.
Speaker B:Highly recommend because somebody sent me.
Speaker B:I had a rifle with chambered in.
Speaker B:I'm like, what am I going to do with this?
Speaker B:Like 65 PRC.
Speaker B:What is 65 PRC?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:As a business being hit, having to be nimble around certain calibers and what's going on?
Speaker B:Like what besides your customers reaching out.
Speaker B:And if you go, at what threshold do you go, well, maybe this is something we should actually carry and do and see what it goes?
Speaker B:Or is it kind of like, okay, with this new caliber of the month?
Speaker B:Is it, let's test the water, see how it goes, and then kind of go, all right, we're going to go full into this.
Speaker C:I think we've learned to be a little more conservative, move a little slower and test the waters first.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So if, you know, shot show manufacturers, if they're rolling out some new calibers, I won't be immediately creating, you know, auto buys for, for our customers.
Speaker C:Like I was just saying, 8, 6.
Speaker C:I mean, 8, 6 is popular.
Speaker C:What is it?
Speaker C:338 Creedmore?
Speaker C:Is it 338 arc?
Speaker C:338 Arc.
Speaker C:So we haven't jumped into that bandwagon yet.
Speaker C:But, you know, if it becomes popular and some, a lot of folks are asking for it, then we'll, we'll.
Speaker C:We'll dip our toes in the water, we'll do the caliber of the month.
Speaker C:Because the, the reason we do a caliber of the month, so kind of just to back up a little bit.
Speaker C:So the way our business model works is that you sign up for an auto buy of something like 9 millimeter practice, and that's setting a specific dollar amount and it's, you know, infinite, like at, you know, so there's no stop.
Speaker C:But it's not like, oh, I'm only going to do this for three months.
Speaker C:You can stop it.
Speaker C:But like, on our side, we don't say it's only good for three months or something like that, except for caliber the month, which we only do it for that month.
Speaker C:So then at the end of that month, we turn it off.
Speaker C:So now I know exactly how many rounds of that I need to have stored for my customers.
Speaker C:Because.
Speaker C:So if we did offer something like an 8.6, we might do it that way.
Speaker C:And then if we have enough people buy into it, then I buy X amount of ammo, we store it, and then when people ship, we'll ship it.
Speaker C:But, but then my, I guess, risk on that caliber is limited.
Speaker D:We.
Speaker D:We've seen shortages before, and manufacturers will put all their resources into the major calibers during a shortage.
Speaker D:So it's.
Speaker D:Yeah, it behooves us to be a Little bit more cautious with those rounds that just aren't quite as, you know, maybe they're more hunting rounds.
Speaker D:They're not really, you know, because it's typically the NATO rounds that.
Speaker D:That they crank out during shortages.
Speaker D:And so, you know, it behooves us to.
Speaker D:To make sure that we're.
Speaker D:We're stocking the things that we know we can get.
Speaker D:And so more limited offerings and things that maybe are seasonally manufactured or they might be shut off entirely to make way for other things.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker C:Well, I remember during the last shortage, we had 6.5Grendel, and that was that we couldn't get it.
Speaker C:And so it was like a year, basically.
Speaker C:So the way our thing works is that if there is a shortage, your auto buy is still running, but it's almost like you're.
Speaker D:You're just waiting in line.
Speaker C:You're.
Speaker C:Yeah, we're waiting in line for you.
Speaker C:So that when that caliber becomes available, then we allocate it out to our customers.
Speaker C:And so it's like pre buy in a way.
Speaker C:And so I had a whole bunch of customers for a year that just.
Speaker C:They were just, you know, waiting for their 6.5Grendel, and we couldn't get it.
Speaker C:And we couldn't get it.
Speaker C:And then finally, obviously, things, because the manufacturers were working on their 5, 5, 6 and their 9 mil and all the majors.
Speaker C:And then once we finally got it, then it's kind of like a flood.
Speaker C:It's like, okay, we just got a bunch of it, or it could be a trickle and then a flood.
Speaker C:You know, so it's a little.
Speaker C:We allocate a little bit, and then those people, maybe they were waiting, then they ship it.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:But that's essentially how we handle these shortages.
Speaker A:So I. I will speak as the consumer side, because I. I have.
Speaker A:I'm very proud of my accounts with you guys.
Speaker A:I don't know exactly how long I've had the account.
Speaker A:It's been a while now.
Speaker C:Was it before our last podcast?
Speaker B:I think it was at the podcast.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I think I signed up before because I think I signed up to do some.
Speaker A:Some research about you guys.
Speaker A:I think it was like, all right, I got to figure out how this thing works.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so I've been impressed of the.
Speaker A:I don't want to say addictiveness, because I'm putting it in a bad light, but there is something kind of fun and a nice little dopamine hit when you go and you check your account and you're.
Speaker A:You're seeing, you know, the rapid the rapid growth of having the account set up.
Speaker A:But I think, you know, I, I look at things through probably a different lens than, than John because he, he, he focuses more on things having been in the industry for a while and from, from that side of the thing, that side of the spectrum.
Speaker A:And I look at things more from what would be in the best interest or in the mindset of a first time gun owner or a new gun owner who's starting to get more into practicing.
Speaker A:Because I feel like there's so many potential roadblocks and barriers to the lack of education, of knowing, you know, what goes in my gun, you know, what is practice rounds versus defensive rounds.
Speaker A:And so one of the things that I love about your platform is how, I don't want to say dumbed down, but how easy it is for someone who may not have any experience or very little experience in purchasing outside of maybe their first transaction at a gun store when someone said, oh, buy this and they can go, okay, Well I have a 9 millimeter and yes, I need, you know, defensive rounds and I need practice rounds and okay, cool, I'm, I'm set up.
Speaker A:And then they can have it set to kind of auto ship.
Speaker A:And it's a nice little like way for individuals to feel confident about their purchasing and to take some of the, the mental stress or the, the barrier to entry away from the actual transaction part to get people and encourage people to get out on the range.
Speaker D:Yeah, I mean we, we definitely simplify the choices.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Because you, you, you know, let's say most people's first purchase is typically a pistol.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And, and you know, depending on different things, they usually choose a 9 millimeter.
Speaker D:And so you know, you, you, you create an account with us and you look at 9 millimeter and it's not like, you know, it doesn't say brand names, it says purpose.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:So, oh, I'm practice, oh, self defense, you know, subsonic.
Speaker D:I don't know what that means, Get you down the road on that one, but it does simplify it.
Speaker D:And actually a lot of first time gun owners really do love our service because of that.
Speaker D:Because also they, you know, there's always kind of that fear of looking dumb.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And you shouldn't feel that way.
Speaker D:But you know, if you're new to something, you don't know much.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:You don't even know what you don't know.
Speaker D:And so it's a little bit of a relief to just go online, look at that, see the purpose of things.
Speaker D:Because if you're looking at Any other E Commerce.
Speaker D:You don't know the purpose of those rounds that you're buying.
Speaker D:And so it really does simplify it for the newbie.
Speaker D:And then also just for people who are okay with I know what I'm going to use it for.
Speaker D:Just send me that.
Speaker D:And then breaking up percentages, right?
Speaker D:Because you don't want 100% self defense rounds if you're going to be practicing.
Speaker D:You want to break it up.
Speaker D:So you set your budget and then you say okay, well I want you know, 70% to go to practice because I know I need to be practicing.
Speaker D:But also like 30% to for self defense so that I can stockpile that so that I'm, you know, I'm confident that I have things that, that I can use for self defense.
Speaker D:So it's really, it really does simplify it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And what you said, the, you get that dopamine hit.
Speaker C:So there's, I think there's a couple different dopamine hits.
Speaker C:There's one of watching your account.
Speaker C:Like you, you log in and you see more rounds every time and it, and it runs in the background so you don't have to do anything.
Speaker C:You set it up like we say set it and forget it and then you forget about it.
Speaker C:And then you log in and you're like wow, I've got 300 rounds.
Speaker C:I didn't even realize it.
Speaker C:And then the other thing that, that I'd like to say is that when you finally do either set up an auto ship or you just go in and hit the ship button and then you get that box, you don't really know what you're getting.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And so it's a little bit like the, the loot crates and the different things where they send a variety, we send a variety that meets your purpose.
Speaker C:And so and we do try to throw in, you know, smaller brands once in a while.
Speaker C:Like real premium rounds once in a while.
Speaker C:So for example we did, we bought a bunch of the polymer cased308, the true velocity.
Speaker C:And, and that stuff's expensive.
Speaker C:You know, it's like 250 around or something like that.
Speaker C:But like for our, the two categories that we had it in for, we had it in match and we had it in a hunting category.
Speaker C:We would just throw in a box.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Because we're just, we're just letting people try things and so we'll do that.
Speaker C:We had some G9 which is, it's actually an Idaho company, but, but they have like a, it's a external hollow point and so it's not something that you might pick off the shelf if you're buying it yourself at a Cabela's or something.
Speaker D:Pretty expensive.
Speaker C:It's pretty expensive and it's, it's different.
Speaker D:Ye.
Speaker C:And so, but with our model we can, we can include that, but we don't include 100% of that.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And so if you have, you know, let's say a 9 millimeter self defense, we send you the tried and true, the gold dots, the HSTs, you know, that kind of stuff.
Speaker C:And then, and then, but we'll include some, some other things as well.
Speaker A:I like that variety too on the consumer end because, you know, we're all sitting here in a pretty good place of privilege, right?
Speaker A:Like we get to know all of the brands, we get to try a lot of things out.
Speaker A:But it is, it's exciting to try different brands and it's kind of rewarding in a sense because you know that you're helping some of those smaller brands make their mark on the industry as well.
Speaker A:And so you kind of feel good about that.
Speaker A:You get that variety and I, I like it.
Speaker A:I, I'm continuing to be a part of your membership, the ever growing membership.
Speaker A:Feel like I should get a T shirt like I've been a member.
Speaker D:We got you.
Speaker B:Well, Kaylee brought up new time gun owners and I'm gonna be honest, I haven't been on the Ammo Squared website for a minute, so shame on me.
Speaker B:But have you guys ever considered doing like a drop down tab of manufacturers and, and caliber so people can go, okay, I've got a Glock.
Speaker B:I know it's a Glock and I know it'.
Speaker C:We, yeah, we've kind of done that by.
Speaker C:We, we had a flow for a little while that was kind of by platform and so not necessarily Glock, but it was kind of pistol.
Speaker C:And then like, what are you trying to do?
Speaker D:Y.
Speaker C:And so it would be the, it was more of a, a step by step to get you to where you want to be.
Speaker C:So I'll give you a little preview.
Speaker C:So we are right now building our next generation platform.
Speaker C:Um, well, we're planning it and one of the ideas that we've been kicking around is when you sign up, you should be able to just speak or type out whatever it is that you're trying to do.
Speaker C:And then we can use like AI to vet that and then put it into the different ammo plans.
Speaker C:So you could say something like, I have a Glock 9 millimeter, I want to go to the range five times a week or five times a month.
Speaker C:I want, you know, I want this or that and I have this and then have it like help like create the ammo plan before you actually go in and you know, make the small adjustments and then hit, you know that you're ready.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:But it's something like that.
Speaker C:I think that's kind of the future.
Speaker B:That is awesome.
Speaker B:Then after that they're going to do a subscription base.
Speaker B:Like get a random gun.
Speaker D:Only if you've been a member for a long time.
Speaker B:Gun squared.
Speaker B:And then you just.
Speaker C:You gun cubed.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker B:Certain amount of money aside.
Speaker B:And then a random gun shows up.
Speaker A:Yeah, we.
Speaker D:But I don't know about random.
Speaker B:I want a 9 millimeter pistol.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:Here's a high point.
Speaker A:Listen, I would love, like to have a website like that where you put in your wish list and it, it's like, you know, you hit a certain threshold.
Speaker A:It's like, congratulations, one of your wish list items is headed to your ffl.
Speaker A:Because like that would be so awesome.
Speaker B:It's a great dopamine.
Speaker B:Here.
Speaker B:Surprise, surprise.
Speaker C:You got a gun.
Speaker A:But like, you know, it's something that you would like really want.
Speaker A:I mean, that's.
Speaker B:Well, it seems like me, I'm spoiled and I have too many guns.
Speaker B:So I just like weird stuff.
Speaker B:Weird stuff shows up.
Speaker B:Like, here's this gun that you never thought you were ever going to buy.
Speaker B:Surprise.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker C:Unless you're like me and you have a wish list from 20 years ago, like on Amazon.
Speaker C:And I forgot about it and there was all these books and I'm like, why would I ask for that?
Speaker C:There's an interest I had 20 years ago.
Speaker B:What's this?
Speaker C:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker A:I just, I feel like at least in my personal view, my wish list grows, you know, at every event you go to arrange the.
Speaker A:I'm like, oh, that would be an ad.
Speaker A:That'd be an ad.
Speaker A:But it's like.
Speaker D:And then you'd have to rank them.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:So that when the money like.
Speaker D:Because it would be like you're socking away money.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:All of a sudden you've unlocked the number one thing on your wish list.
Speaker A:Or yeah, you could do it something like, you know, you do it by type.
Speaker A:And then you know, because like, I don't know, I feel like the, the surprise element is almost like more intriguing to me.
Speaker A:See, like all of the.
Speaker D:You want to.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:All the shotgun.
Speaker A:And then it's like it says, okay, we're about to ship your random gun.
Speaker A:Do you want to See it and.
Speaker A:And you know, defer it or do you want to ship now?
Speaker A:And like, I don't know,.
Speaker D:It's like a gender reveal.
Speaker D:I was looking up a pistol for somebody and they had a.
Speaker D:Was it.
Speaker D:I. I can't remember what brand it was, but they were like cow pattern.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah,.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:It was like white with.
Speaker C:Do they have a cheetah print version?
Speaker A:Probably.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:The cow pattern was just like.
Speaker B:Have you heard the history of why there's.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:A good friend of mine over at Springfield who runs their social media, and I won't say her name, forgot to ask permission from the bosses for an April Fool's joke.
Speaker B:Which was a cow patterned hellcat called.
Speaker B:And they called it the Hell Cow and awesome.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:And they were like, this is awesome.
Speaker B:But we also hate you because our phones are ringing off the hook and people are emailing us about the Hell Cow.
Speaker D:The tactical kilt got started.
Speaker B:So word of the wise, any social media person out there, April Fool's jokes do not overwhelmed.
Speaker B:Sometimes.
Speaker A:I think that you have the wrong impression of this story.
Speaker A:This is, this is a net pos.
Speaker D:This is no downside.
Speaker A:This is a feature, not a bug.
Speaker A:Like, this was.
Speaker A:I mean, way to move product.
Speaker A:I mean, the product didn't exist yet, but like way to move.
Speaker D:Now you've put that out and you'd made a bunch of them and nobody wanted them, but instead you knocking down your door.
Speaker D:So April Fool's joke.
Speaker D:But like, not I worked for what.
Speaker A:A way to test market stuff.
Speaker A:We got an idea.
Speaker B:I found this out the hard way.
Speaker B:So I made.
Speaker B:I worked for an ammo company and while I was there, I made a April Fool's joke.
Speaker B:It was called the 45 Moab, the mother of all bullets.
Speaker B:I basically took two 45 projectiles, put them on top of each other.
Speaker B:It said it had the power of a 12 gauge.
Speaker B:The stats were ridiculous.
Speaker B:The amount of phone calls we got, people wanting to buy.
Speaker B:One of them was our mechanic for the truck we had for the company.
Speaker B:And he called and the guy who was working with him, he's like, you need to talk to this guy.
Speaker B:And I go, what's up?
Speaker B:He goes, I want to buy a thousand rounds of this.45 Moab.
Speaker B:I'm like, do you know what day it is?
Speaker B:And he goes, April 1st.
Speaker B:I'm like, yeah.
Speaker B:He goes, oh, I hate you.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker B:My bad.
Speaker D:He got me so excited.
Speaker B:I did a whole, whole Instagram reel to reveal it with a Rick roll at the end.
Speaker B: Where I was shooting in: Speaker B:The footage from the nuclear bomb.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Happening in the background.
Speaker B:And yeah, it didn't go over great, but it was.
Speaker B:You're right, it did gauge interest.
Speaker B:Springfield was too.
Speaker B:They ended up making the Hell Cow.
Speaker A:I mean, like, it is funny.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Peak.
Speaker A:Amazing.
Speaker C:We did that.
Speaker C:We did April Fools of offering coffee in ammo can.
Speaker D:Don't ever offer people subscription coffee.
Speaker D:Chance tastes like.
Speaker C:Well, no.
Speaker C:We had so many people that wanted that.
Speaker D:They're like, is this for real?
Speaker C:We were like, we're not getting the coffee business.
Speaker D:We can point you in the direction of some people we know.
Speaker B:Just an ammo can full of folgers.
Speaker B:Like good coffee.
Speaker C:We could call it like,.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, man, this April Fool's is great.
Speaker B:Don't do April Fool's jokes unless you're ready to make the product.
Speaker B:Everybody I know in the industry, I'm.
Speaker A:Sure there are some things that have come out over the years that they wish were April Fool's jokes, though we.
Speaker B:Don't talk about those products.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker B:Anyways, so as you grow, after we got off track and had fun, as you grow as a company, what do you think is the next steps?
Speaker B:As you continue this process and continue to grow, what is going to be the next part for Ammo squared?
Speaker C:We're actually looking at a goal of storing 1 billion rounds of ammunition.
Speaker C:So that's the vision out there, and I think we can do it over the next 10 years.
Speaker C:So we just opened up our second facility in Texas.
Speaker C:I think when we first did the podcast, we were talking about it, but we figured we would have about between 10 and 20 warehouses around the country because the closer they are to people, the quicker they can get their ammo if something happens.
Speaker C:And then if we have this, essentially, America's ammunition reserve is what we talk about in our tagline.
Speaker C:It's literally a safety net.
Speaker C:For America to be able to have stored a billion rounds of ammunition means we're not going to go through these darn ammo shortages anymore, you know, because that's really the ultimate goal.
Speaker C:It's the.
Speaker C:The peace of mind that comes from having that ammo stored.
Speaker C:Then people aren't going to, like, hopefully my customers didn't run out into the, you know, to the store and tried to.
Speaker C: what was on the shelf during: Speaker C:They didn't add to the chaos.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And so future shortages.
Speaker C:I'm hoping we are a net positive instead of a negative on the industry.
Speaker C:So for us, what's next is just to Continuing to grow and then continuing to improve our logistics and improve our website.
Speaker C:Like I was saying, like the 3.0, we call it 3.0.
Speaker C:First version was WordPress.
Speaker C:Second version is what we're using today.
Speaker C:And then third version is what we're working on building and then incorporating so many more features and just making it a real slick experience.
Speaker C:So, like, what you're talking about going in there and you have that dopamine hit, you're able to, like, adjust your percentages, adjust your budget, make it just so easy and intuitive is what we want to do.
Speaker C:But we've got a lot of ideas as far as offshoots of the main business.
Speaker C:But I'm not going to, you know, talk about those right now because we're not doing them yet.
Speaker C:Maybe in a future podcast.
Speaker B:Now we're doing this.
Speaker B:So what I'm hearing is that we need to get the address for the warehouse after this.
Speaker B:So when the apocalypse hits, we know to go.
Speaker B:No, I mean, that's amazing.
Speaker B:That's a huge goal.
Speaker B:And especially the.
Speaker B:The next shortage is not when.
Speaker B:It's when this is going to happen.
Speaker B:Because we.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:We see it.
Speaker B:It's happened twice now.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it can happen again just very quickly if something goes.
Speaker D:Shortages, too.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:You know, we had that Hamas attack in Israel and never.
Speaker D:There was a run on 556.
Speaker D:You know, I would call that a mini shortage.
Speaker D:Ish.
Speaker D:You know, store shelves went empty for a bit.
Speaker B:Oh, same thing with the green tip.
Speaker B:The invasion of Ukraine hit a thing.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker D:Yeah, just the same thing that hits that.
Speaker D:It's never like you don't really see it coming.
Speaker D:It's just whenever people seem to feel fearful.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:So you don't know what's going to cause that.
Speaker D:And so it's better to just be prepared so that when you see that event where people are feeling fearful and they're all running to the store and, you know, things are flying off the shelf, you just knew something was going to happen, you just didn't know quite what, and you just say, oh, yeah, ship, ship me my ammo.
Speaker C:You know, peace of mind.
Speaker D:Peace of mind.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's peace of mind, but it's also the ability to.
Speaker A:To feel like you are taking the personal responsibility so that you have the capability to train, so that you have the capability to defend yourself.
Speaker A:And, you know, we talk a lot about personal responsibility and gun ownership and an advocacy, and part of that responsibility is a level of preparedness.
Speaker A:And I think it's really awesome because not everyone has the capability or has the ability to store ammo in their house.
Speaker A:And, you know, you can.
Speaker A:Not everyone has the dedicated space.
Speaker A:I think a lot about people living in, you know, in apartments and every square inch matters.
Speaker A:And so I think what you guys offer is, is a really awesome advantage for people to, to get ahead, to, to grow in value.
Speaker A:You know, I love seeing that.
Speaker A:You know, my, my not only my quote unquote ammo account is going up in rounds, but it's also what I bought, let's even say a year ago since the last shipment.
Speaker A:It was a much different price.
Speaker A:And sometimes the ammo storage is outperforming the stock market.
Speaker A:It's like, all right, I understand this.
Speaker A:It's something that I can be a part of and have that safety and security.
Speaker C:So you hit on two things there.
Speaker C:So one is the budgeting aspect.
Speaker C:So being able to set it up so that just whatever you can afford comes out, you know, so if it's $10 a week or $10 a month, then that's fine.
Speaker C:If it's $50, like I've got, you know, 50 or $60 tied to my paycheck, which is every two weeks, right?
Speaker C:And so if it's $50 every two weeks and I've got $100 going towards ammo, that otherwise I would maybe not be doing if I'm not actively going to the store and buying it, or going on an e commerce site and buying, picking it out.
Speaker C:So you don't have to shell out, you know, a few hundred bucks for a case, you know, that kind of thing.
Speaker C:So it just happens in the background.
Speaker C:The other piece is the value aspect of it.
Speaker C:And when you think about ammo, it's a store of value, right?
Speaker C:It's like silver.
Speaker C:In my mind, it's like silver.
Speaker C:It's like gold.
Speaker C:It is something tangible that will never go to zero.
Speaker C:And so if you have an ammo account or you've got ammo at home, that ammo has value.
Speaker C:And like, I was talking about some of these future ideas.
Speaker C:It's like, like, what can you do with that value?
Speaker C:You know, there's some things eventually that if you look at like examples of like gold depositories, you know, as, as a model, like if we're talking about an ammunition depository now, you know, like the things that we do today where you can exchange it for one thing for the other, you can sell it, you know, so when the value goes up, if we're in another shortage, actually we've had it where people have sold out Their inventory because they were buying a house, and so they needed that money.
Speaker C:But in the meantime, they're accumulating it over time, and then that value is there in case they need it for an emergency situation or shortage or anything like that.
Speaker C:So it's a very interesting asset class.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Well, the majority of people who are requesting a refund, it's because, oh, you know, I need the cash.
Speaker D:So they were using it almost like a savings account.
Speaker D:I mean, they would have.
Speaker D:I'm sure they would have taken delivery had they not had some life event come up where they needed that money.
Speaker D:But that, I mean, you can't go back to Cabela's and be like, here you go.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:And it's.
Speaker D:As long as you didn't take delivery.
Speaker D:We've got it in our warehouse and we just, you know, refund.
Speaker D:You take that, and then we allocate it to the next, you know, the next person, because we didn't ship it yet.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:The other thing that I like, as far as, you know, getting into the mindset of, you know, not every gun owner, whether this is a good or bad thing, you know, they don't have the time to go to the range every week sometimes.
Speaker A:We all probably had it happen where, you know, some ammo sits in the back of our closets.
Speaker A:Probably not in the best, you know, form to take care of it.
Speaker A:But it's not like each person has a box where, you know, you just.
Speaker A:Okay, well, they're up to a box.
Speaker A:And it goes here.
Speaker A:Like, you guys are constantly rotating through the inventory, rotating through the brands.
Speaker A:And so it's not like you're getting something from, you know, a hundred years ago.
Speaker A:You're.
Speaker A:You're getting, you know, the best of the best.
Speaker C:Unless it's 30 super carry.
Speaker B:In 100 years from now.
Speaker C:We have some boxes in the warehouse that literally have dust on them.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because it's.
Speaker C:Because it's somebody's ammo that they bought when we had all these crazy calibers.
Speaker D:And they haven't taken shipment yet.
Speaker C:35 Remington.
Speaker D:Yeah, we have.
Speaker D:Well, I don't know if it belongs to anyone, but we have 9 millimeter flowbird.
Speaker D:Like, nobody even knows it.
Speaker D:Looks like a little shotgun shell.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:When we bought the ammo, I was like, that box looks pretty old.
Speaker B:We brought.
Speaker C:We brought it when one of the distributors was going out of business.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:And so we just a bunch of.
Speaker D:Random, like somebody might want it and.
Speaker D:No, nobody wants it.
Speaker D:That's why it was still little rat shot stuff.
Speaker D:It looks kind Of.
Speaker D:Yeah, it's like a flat top.
Speaker D:So when you look at, you know, you look the top of a shotgun shell, it looks like that.
Speaker C:It's a brass and it almost looks like a 30 solid shell.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:But like kind of a case.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's weird.
Speaker A:I think the editors need to like find a picture.
Speaker D:It's so old, they may not take a picture and send it to you.
Speaker B:So if you're looking for that information particular go to help me out.
Speaker A:We are getting the signal for my favorite segment of the show.
Speaker A:And that is from the soapbox where we take on the spicier takes of the day.
Speaker A:So the floor is yours, guys.
Speaker A:What are your hot takes?
Speaker C:Spicier takes?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Like what?
Speaker C:What's an example?
Speaker B:Anything.
Speaker C:Anything.
Speaker B:Anything that you're passionate and spicy about.
Speaker C:Oh, man, don't get me started.
Speaker C:I can't swear.
Speaker C:All right, all right.
Speaker C:So that's socialists.
Speaker D:Let's see why you wanted to swear.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, when you get.
Speaker C:So I've been, I've been on this kick lately of what I'm calling like personal sovereignty.
Speaker C:So you have.
Speaker C:In our community, in the 2A community, you have people that are very much all about personal responsibility, personal protection.
Speaker C:We call it kind of the freedom culture.
Speaker C:And it's, we're used to it because we're in it every day and we talk to people that are also like minded and taking care of yourself.
Speaker C:Then there's the opposite side of the spectrum and it's.
Speaker C:And it's not, you know, red or blue really.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:It's actually, you know, whether you like the government to step in and take care of you or not.
Speaker C:I mean, it's really what it is.
Speaker C:And so, you know, seeing all the stuff kind of, you know, in.
Speaker C:When we're recording this, the elections that just went and happened in New York and all that, it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
Speaker C:And you know, I don't know.
Speaker D:Well, my hot take on that one is let them ruin it for themselves.
Speaker D:Yeah, like this is what you want.
Speaker D:All right.
Speaker D:Be careful what you ask for.
Speaker D:Yeah, it is.
Speaker D:So just don't bring that to Idaho.
Speaker A:It is one of those really weird like, dichotomy because if you think about, you know, New York, it's.
Speaker A:It's Wall Street.
Speaker A:It is like the capitalist center of the world.
Speaker A:Like it is and it has been.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:The kind of beacon of economic hope and freedom.
Speaker A:And you think of all of the, the, the founding of our country that is all built, you know, the Statue of Liberty, you know, where all of these, like,.
Speaker D:Icons of American culture, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, icons of American culture.
Speaker A:But it's.
Speaker A:It's for a lot of us that the.
Speaker A:The first thing that we think of when you think of, you know, what.
Speaker A:What is America, we see the 4th of July, and you think, okay, well, you know, the Statue of Liberty, you think of Trinity Church, you think of all of these.
Speaker A:These things that.
Speaker A:That are, you know, an embodiment of the American spirit.
Speaker A:And you sit there and you're like, they just elected a socialist that was everyone disarmed, and the government is going to step in and fix every problem.
Speaker A:You just go, wow.
Speaker D:Well, I think there's a second hot take on that one, though.
Speaker D:And that is a result of our public education system.
Speaker D:What have they been doing for the last, really 40 years?
Speaker D:Probably?
Speaker D:I mean, I remember going through public school in California, and I had a teacher who encouraged me to read the Communist Manifesto.
Speaker D:And so I did, because I thought, well, okay, he's telling me to read it.
Speaker D:There must be a reason why.
Speaker D:And I read it and was like, this goes against the very fiber of human.
Speaker D:Of the human spirit, of human nature.
Speaker D:We want to be rewarded.
Speaker D:We want to work hard and see the rewards of that.
Speaker D:We don't want it stripped away and handed to everybody else for the greater good.
Speaker D:You know, it was just.
Speaker D:I wrote it and thought it was absolute nonsense.
Speaker D:So then I go to talk to him about it, and he was appalled that that was my view of it.
Speaker D:But how many other people took him up on that and went, oh, well, he's telling us to read this, and it must be good.
Speaker D:And, you know, I mean, and.
Speaker D:And not everyone gets through the public school system unscathed.
Speaker D:And it's even worse now.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker D:And so hot.
Speaker D:Take.
Speaker D:Pull your kids.
Speaker D:School.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Homeschooled our three daughters.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah, we did.
Speaker D:Graduated out our.
Speaker D:Our last one this year.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Congratulations.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:But there was a long period of time where we didn't have any money because one of us had to be home to homeschool them.
Speaker D:And so you just.
Speaker D:You sacrifice.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker D:But then I see the fruit of that, where my children see what's going on in the world and they go, what are these crazy people doing?
Speaker D:You know, and it's because they were taught how to think, not what to think.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think that there's a.
Speaker A:There is a dis.
Speaker A:A cognitive disconnect where even if you.
Speaker A:If you choose to send your kids to public school, it doesn't mean that all the education that occurs for your child must happen in the public school.
Speaker C:Right, right.
Speaker A:And so, you know, we, we focus on, on Gun Owners foundation side a lot on the educational aspect.
Speaker A:Eric Pratt just wrote a curriculum for the Second Amendment.
Speaker A:Whether you want to use it as a homeschool curriculum or to add to the, to the conversation in your home, whatever the case may be, there's, there's a baseline kind of framework for Second Amendment education because ultimately we have to look at anything from a certain level of logic.
Speaker A:And if the Second Amendment and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is a restraint on government, why would the government teach you its own restraint?
Speaker D:Exactly.
Speaker A:There is a level of, of cognitive dissonance that happens within people who are like, oh, well, you know, they'll learn that in civics.
Speaker A:And it's like, well, you know, is there, is there an agenda?
Speaker A:And we can, I don't even know that we have to go as far as to say it's a hidden agenda hiding it.
Speaker A:No, it's just reality.
Speaker A:And you can understand how someone in a position of power would, would want that to be the standard.
Speaker A:You know, why would you teach someone your, your own limits?
Speaker A:Why would you put yourself in that kind of box?
Speaker A:And then that adds on to years and years and years.
Speaker A:And now you have someone like, you know, a senator, what, six months ago saying that, you know, your, your rights.
Speaker D:Don't, don't come from, don't come from God.
Speaker D:Yes, they come from the government.
Speaker A:They come from the government.
Speaker A:And it's like, are you kidding me?
Speaker A:This is, you know, news to the founders.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:News to, to everyone that has ever paid attention to the founding of our country and the beliefs that we hold self evident.
Speaker A:You know, like, it just, it's so, it's so easy for people to fall into that trap.
Speaker A:That's why, you know, over and over again, if you listen to pretty much anything that GOA puts out, we constantly remind people that your rights are constitutionally protected.
Speaker A:They're not government granted, they're not gifts because, you know, we have rights, not privileges.
Speaker A:And so, you know, educating yourselves, educating your children, standing up for the values, it's, it's vitally important.
Speaker A:It's not lost on any of us in this room that, you know, this is the midterm elections and it is, the magnitude of the election for midterms is not lost on me.
Speaker A:When you have what happened in the off year elections with the AG in Virginia saying that not only does he want those that he disagrees with to die, but he wants their children to die in their mother's arms or, like, what in the world is happening?
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker A:And so, yeah, I'll get off my soap.
Speaker A:But, you know, I mean, in the game.
Speaker D:Yeah, stay in the game.
Speaker D:And, and make sure you're.
Speaker D:You're preparing that next generation, raising them up in the way they should go, right, so that they don't depart from it.
Speaker D:That's what we are called to do as parents, right?
Speaker D:We're stewards of the next generation.
Speaker D:And if we just, you know, send them off to school, you know, I love that Voddie Baucom quote of, you know, why are you surprised when you send your children off to Caesar and then are shocked when they come home?
Speaker D:Romans, you know, send them off to be educated by Caesar.
Speaker D:Come back, Romans.
Speaker D:Why are we shocked?
Speaker D:It's our job, right?
Speaker D:We're the stewards.
Speaker D:And so, you know, it's just.
Speaker D:That's why it's so important, especially if you are in, like, an area where it is a little more volatile, you know, to make sure that you're speaking into their lives, that you're talking with them and, you know, in.
Speaker D:In all the things that they do.
Speaker D:Like, you know, I know people that, you know, a lot of their kids do sports and things, and it's like, well, if they're so heavily into sports, then it's even more important for you to not send them eight, seven to eight hours a day to school.
Speaker D:Like, pick one, you know, and.
Speaker D:And then.
Speaker D:And then make sure you have that time with them, because, you know, if they.
Speaker D:If the school has more time with your kids than you do, then they're going to win out.
Speaker D:Their ideology is going to win out, you know, not, not, not yours.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And slightly swaying from this topic, but I guess I'll get on my soapbox one more time because, you know, why not go for it until they cut my mic?
Speaker A:So we're good.
Speaker A:But I do think that, you know, when we look at what is happening culturally, you know, we.
Speaker A:We talk a lot about personal responsibility.
Speaker A:We spend a lot of this podcast talking about personal responsibility.
Speaker A:We have a responsibility, like you said, to the next generation, but we also have a responsibility to not be so focused on self.
Speaker A:And what I mean by that is, you know, it was the norm and the standard to build up society so that you're leaving it better for the next generation.
Speaker A:And with the rise of social media and the rise of all of the desire to put yourself first, you know, me time, you deserve this.
Speaker A:These things, it really.
Speaker A:It really doesn't surprise Me when, you know, we are starting to reap the thing in which we've sown.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker A:And so it does.
Speaker A:Sorry, I lost my train of thought for a second.
Speaker A:It doesn't surprise me when we are reaping what we're sowing in this situation.
Speaker A:And so now is the time to change.
Speaker A:Well, what are, what are we selling?
Speaker A:Spending more time with our family, thinking about the Constitution, the founding, the American spirit, that the humanity, just like you were saying with, you know, reading the Communist Manifesto and being like this goes against human nature.
Speaker A:Well, we need to start redirecting that so that we can, we can have these freedoms and that we, we ensure them for the next generation.
Speaker A:We, we have the opportunity here to really rectify things in a way that I think a lot of us thought would be impossible, you know, three, four years ago.
Speaker D:Well, I mean, there's been a massive movement in the younger generation toward conservatism.
Speaker D:I think some of it has been a little unhealthy, but that's always the case, right?
Speaker D:Pendulum.
Speaker D:It swung so far left, now it's starting to swing.
Speaker D:It's going to swing extremely far right.
Speaker D:And then it'll probably kind of work its way to the middle eventually, but just not wasting that opportunity being community focused and pouring into those kids who are seeking that, who see what we've done so far and they go, I don't like that.
Speaker D:And just making sure that we, we're giving them lots of opportunities to learn and grow and think, you know, well,.
Speaker C:Thinking is something that the, the government doesn't want you to do.
Speaker C:So, you know, the kids graduate and they can't read, you know, and they're not encouraged to read, you know, classics or to, to think at all because, you know, an uneducated population is easier to control.
Speaker C:So, you know, when they spend so much time, you know, doing this, they're not using this.
Speaker D:And whether intentionally or not, those, those YouTube shorts or those Tick Tock videos, they actually change the way your brain works.
Speaker D:And so your attention span is now so short that how are you going to sit and read the Federalist Papers or the Constitution or the.
Speaker D:Even just the Bill of Rights, you know, you're not.
Speaker D:And you're not going to understand it either because you, you know, you're used to video snippets, so.
Speaker D:Or maybe we create video snippets.
Speaker D:We're busy building America's ammunition.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker C:We'll protect your video snippets.
Speaker B:Guys.
Speaker B:Thank you again for being on.
Speaker B:As a.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:We have our gift for our guests brought to you by AACML Palmetto State Armory.
Speaker B:You guys will be getting a nice gift for a guest from them.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker C:Pretty cool.
Speaker D:That's awesome.
Speaker B:So guys, again, go ahead and shout out where people can find you all that other stuff, just not dot com.
Speaker C:Oh, two flags.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So our website's Ammo Squared and then on all the socials it's Ammo Squared.
Speaker C:I know.
Speaker C:You know, so we're getting back into Facebook.
Speaker C:So that's something new for us.
Speaker C:We were off for a couple years.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:More in a couple.
Speaker C:More than a couple years.
Speaker C:Not sure if we're getting back on Instagram, but we.
Speaker C:But it's Ammo Squared is the Instagram handle X.
Speaker D:We're on X.
Speaker C:So anyway, yeah, so we're on a different socials.
Speaker D:We're not on Tik Tok, but we,.
Speaker C:We do a lot on our blog too.
Speaker C:So if you go to our website, check out our blog, sign up for the newsletter and you'll get all of our thoughts and things.
Speaker C:I just posted, I, I try to do things that are more personal now.
Speaker C:So we have other articles that are about, you know, more technical and different things.
Speaker C:So like my last article was about our time driving race cars.
Speaker D:So highly recommend everybody do.
Speaker D:We'll let you know the next time we go.
Speaker D:John,.
Speaker B:Guys, again, appreciate you being on guys.
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Speaker B: secure your ticket for Goals: Speaker B:G's 50th anniversary again.
Speaker B:That's August 1st and 2nd in Des Moines, Iowa.
Speaker B:And that website is gun owners.orggoals.
Speaker B:We will see you guys later.
