Shownotes
YouTuber and recent Gundy Award winner Liberty Doll joins State of the Second hosts John and Kaylee in Myrtle Beach to talk about how she went from a Massachusetts gun owner who felt like she had to keep a secret identity to a full-time creator in free America. She traces her start to a Facebook page and blog, built because her family called her a terrorist when she got into gun rights, then a YouTube channel she launched around 2016 after readers told her they liked her content but did not want to read it. Now, with a toddler at home, YouTube is the one platform she stays active on.
Much of the conversation centers on South Carolina's new permitless carry law, which Governor McMaster signed on the 7th after almost ten years in the making. Kaylee and John make the no-compromise case: a win is not a finish line. There is still meat left on the bone, off-limits places and provisions that need tweaking, and the time to keep applying pressure is now. They walk through why the gun lobby can acknowledge incremental wins without trading anything away to the anti-gun side, point to the 29 constitutional carry states and the wave of lawsuits headed toward the Supreme Court, and talk through the Illinois assault weapons case and Judge Benitez's California ruling as proof that pushing eventually moves the law where it should go.
The group gets into the cultural side too. They cover voting with your feet versus voting with your ballot, the warning not to bring blue-state policies into red states, the disappearance of big-box gun retailers like Sears and Kmart, and the stigma gun owners feel in anti-gun states. Liberty Doll shares how being a gun owner felt shameful when she ran a mental health therapy practice in Massachusetts. They close on community: GOA's Empowered 2A women's range day in Dallas that trained 340 women, armed civilian patrols in Hartford, the 2020 Virginia lobby day that helped kick off the constitutional carry movement, and an invitation to GOA's family-friendly convention in Knoxville on August 17 and 18.
Questions this episode answers
How did Liberty Doll get started as a gun rights creator?
She began around 11 years ago with a Facebook page and a blog, started after her family reacted badly to her interest in gun rights. When readers said they liked her content but did not want to read it, she launched her YouTube channel around 2016.
What made Liberty Doll leave Massachusetts and move to South Carolina?
She was born and raised in Massachusetts, where being a gun owner felt like keeping a secret identity, even while she ran a mental health therapy practice. She later moved to the upstate of South Carolina, near Greenville, to live in what she calls free America.
Why does the no-compromise gun lobby celebrate a permitless carry win instead of treating the fight as finished?
Hosts John and Kaylee argue a win is not a finish line. South Carolina's new permitless carry law still leaves off-limits places and provisions to tweak, so the gun lobby can acknowledge incremental wins while continuing to apply pressure without trading anything away.
What can gun owners do in restrictive states like Illinois, New York, and California?
Keep pushing through the courts, since lawsuits are heading toward the Supreme Court. The hosts point to the Illinois assault weapons case and Judge Benitez's California ruling as proof that sustained pressure eventually moves the law where it should go.
Why did big retailers like Sears, Kmart, and Walmart stop selling guns?
The conversation covers how big-box stores that once sold firearms have largely disappeared from the market, tied to the broader cultural shift and the stigma around gun ownership that the group discusses.
What happened at the 2020 Virginia lobby day and how did it shape the constitutional carry movement?
The 2020 Virginia lobby day is credited with helping kick off the constitutional carry movement, part of the momentum that has now reached 29 constitutional carry states.
How is Gun Owners of America building community among gun owners?
Through efforts like its Empowered 2A women's range day in Dallas, which trained 340 women, and armed civilian patrols in Hartford. Gun Owners of America (GOA) also hosts a family-friendly convention in Knoxville on August 17 and 18.
When and where is GOA's convention, and is it family friendly?
Gun Owners of America is holding a family-friendly convention in Knoxville on August 17 and 18, which the hosts invite listeners to attend.
Chapters
- 00:00 — Meet Liberty Doll
- 00:30 — From a Facebook page to YouTube
- 03:03 — Where the name came from
- 04:38 — Leaving Massachusetts for free America
- 05:51 — South Carolina permitless carry
- 10:05 — The no-compromise position explained
- 16:39 — Vote with your ballot or your feet
- 24:46 — When big-box stores sold guns
- 31:31 — The stigma of being a gun owner
- 34:16 — Getting recognized in public
- 43:54 — Tips, scammers, and staying vigilant
- 53:04 — Virginia 2020 and 2A sanctuaries
- 1:05:08 — Empowering women and communities
- 1:09:56 — GOA convention and where to find her
About the guest
Liberty Doll is a firearms and gun rights YouTube creator and a recent Gundy Award winner. She started in the gun sphere around 11 years ago, first with a Facebook page and a blog after her family reacted badly to her interest in gun rights, then launched her YouTube channel around 2016. She was born and raised in Massachusetts and later moved to the upstate of South Carolina, near Greenville. Before her current work, she was a mental health therapist with her own private practice. She is a toddler mom and has a farm. YouTube is her primary platform, and her videos also post to Bitchute and Rumble.
Key quotes
"When you first get into anything, whether it's like, guns, politics, gardening, whatever it is, you want to tell everyone about it." — Liberty Doll
"Now is not the time for apathy." — Kaylee
"Your representatives only fear one person in the world, and that's you." — Kaylee
"You can change with your vote, or you can change by moving your feet and get out." — John
"It got so ingrained in me that it was shameful to be a gun owner in a blue state." — Liberty Doll
"Your rights are constitutionally protected. They're not government granted." — Kaylee
Transcripts
Welcome to Gun Owners of America's State of the Second podcast.
Speaker A:I'm Kayleigh.
Speaker B:And I'm John.
Speaker B:And today we are with Liberty Doll.
Speaker B:How are you today?
Speaker C:Hi, I'm.
Speaker C:I'm good.
Speaker B:So give the people a little bit of backstory.
Speaker C:I think I'm going to need you to be a little more specific.
Speaker B:Tell us a little bit about yourself, how you started all the above.
Speaker C:Okay,.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:You're good.
Speaker C:Like, oh, we've been chatting for, like, two hours.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:So I am Liberty Doll.
Speaker C:I have a YouTube channel that's pretty much the only platform I'm really that active on at this point, because, hashtag toddler life, I have been in the, like, gun sphere for, I don't know, maybe like, 11 years or something.
Speaker C:Now.
Speaker C:I originally started out as a Facebook page because I was born and raised in the People's Republic of Massachusetts.
Speaker C:And when I started getting into gun rights and that sort of thing, my family flipped out and called me a terrorist.
Speaker C:So I was like, well, okay, I can't post about this on my personal Facebook anymore.
Speaker C:And when you first get into anything, whether it's like, guns, politics, gardening, whatever it is, you want to tell everyone about it.
Speaker C:Like, everyone needs to know how awesome this is.
Speaker C:So I started a Facebook page, and then I had a blog that went along with it.
Speaker C:And after a while, I started getting emails from people being like, hey, you know, like, I really like your content, but I don't want to have to read it.
Speaker C: e channel, I think, think, in: Speaker C:I posted maybe one video a month, every couple of months.
Speaker C:And then one day, I just got asked to guest host a podcast that existed for, like, a hot minute with some of the folks from the Gary Johnson campaign in I don't even know what year it was.
Speaker C:I agreed to do it, and then I suddenly realized, oh, I might actually have enough to talk about where I could do videos on a weekly basis.
Speaker C:And now here I am.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker A:And a recent Gundy Award winner.
Speaker C:I know.
Speaker C:I still can't believe it.
Speaker A:Well, congratulations again.
Speaker A:And I really appreciate your content because, one, it's entertaining.
Speaker C:Thanks.
Speaker A:But also, I think it.
Speaker A:I think it speaks to a group of people that are just kind of over the status quo, I think is a really good way of putting it.
Speaker A:And so super thankful that you decided to come to Myrtle beach and join us on this episode.
Speaker B:So what made you go with the name Liberty Doll?
Speaker C:Okay, I have to really think, because that was a lot.
Speaker C:Long time ago.
Speaker C:So at the time.
Speaker C:All right, so at the time, I was also getting into libertarianism for the first time.
Speaker C:And it was.
Speaker C:Oh, it was.
Speaker C:It was even earlier than that because it was during one of the election cycles with Ron Paul.
Speaker C:And I went to a caucus for Ron Paul and there was some shit shady word I probably can't say on air going down that was really sketchy and opened my eyes to a lot of things.
Speaker C:And at the time, like Facebook pages was.
Speaker C:The thing that you did to get your message out online was Facebook pages.
Speaker C:And Libertarian girl was really popular at the time.
Speaker C:And I was like, well, I'm really into libertarianism, but like my.
Speaker C:My views might change, they might evolve.
Speaker C:And I have always been into rockabilly 50s, like doo wop culture and I don't know, Guys and Dolls.
Speaker C:Doll was a slang word from that era.
Speaker C:And so I just went with it.
Speaker C:It's not really all that deep.
Speaker B:It sounds like half the people we ask that it's never that deep, but it's always good.
Speaker B:People want to know that stuff.
Speaker B:So you.
Speaker B:You lived in Massachusetts?
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:And you, you've moved to Free America?
Speaker C:Yes, I have.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:That's a big decision.
Speaker B:What made you decide to get to Free America?
Speaker C:Everything.
Speaker C:Yeah, everything.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker C:In Massachusetts, it's just a dystopian nightmare.
Speaker C:The taxes are terrible.
Speaker C:Business law is terrible.
Speaker C:Everyone's so angry and messed up and unhappy and it's not family oriented at all.
Speaker C:The gun laws are terrible.
Speaker C:Everything about it is terrible.
Speaker C:Except for the food.
Speaker C:They.
Speaker C:They have good food in Massachusetts.
Speaker C:Not gonna lie.
Speaker C:Good food.
Speaker C:You cannot find good Thai food in South Carolina.
Speaker C:At least in our area.
Speaker C:It just does not exist now.
Speaker C:Everything we in the weather, we just got to a point where we were so fed up with the laws and the politics and the weather of Massachusetts.
Speaker C:Getting 6ft of snow over the span of like two weeks is just awful.
Speaker C:It sucks.
Speaker C:And we literally just sat down and we googled one day, highest quality of life with the lowest cost of living.
Speaker C:And South Carolina was in the top five.
Speaker C:And we said, okay.
Speaker C:And that was just what it was.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:And congratulations on the permitless carry bill in the states.
Speaker C:I actually, I know this episode might come out at a different time.
Speaker C:I know that McMaster signed it last week.
Speaker C:He signed it on the 7th.
Speaker C:But I actually saw today that they're having some special ceremony today of like another mock signing to celebrate or something, because it's been almost 10 years in the making.
Speaker C:I think getting it past here.
Speaker A:Yeah, it is.
Speaker A:You know, there's a lot of meat left on the bone.
Speaker A:I think anybody who is, has been watching and taking action, especially I know a lot of GOA members have been calling and writing into their, their representatives and, and you know, trying to move this needle forward for a long time.
Speaker A:So I, I don't want to be like, hey, you know, this is, you know, we're done.
Speaker A:Now is not the time for apathy.
Speaker A:Now is the time to, for next session to get a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more.
Speaker A:You know, it's the.
Speaker C:Well, I did see in that article where it was talking about how they were having the special signing celebration today.
Speaker C:The very last paragraph was a, like two sentences about how there are lawmakers now that are looking to introduce in the next session some law where if you have previously been convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm before this law is taking place, then than doing something so that you could get that expunged under the constitutional carry law, which would be pretty interesting.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, listen, when it comes to most of the newly constitutional carry state or permitless carry state or whatever nomenclature it is that you want to use, rarely do they start out perfect.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:And so I really want everyone to be listening to this because there's a, a horrible misconception that once you win a fight, you're just done and you're supposed to accept whatever win you get.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:And that's not the way that politics works.
Speaker A:There is forward momentum.
Speaker A:So if we want to push harder and to get more bills introduced to, to fix issues, to restore rights more, now is the time for the foot to be on the gas, not the brakes.
Speaker C:Well, I think one of the provisions in the bill too is that if you get convicted of any crime that could be punishable of a year in jail, then you lose your gun rights under this bill or something.
Speaker C:I was just reading about it this morning and I was like, well, that's kind of extreme.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because I don't know, it said that there were exceptions for white collar crimes, but if, if you, if you have a concealed carry permit, then your penalty isn't as bad.
Speaker C:I don't know, it seemed complicated and messy.
Speaker C:And I will admit I did not follow the legal process that it was going through as closely as I normally would have because there were just so many people that were like, oh yeah, this is going to be a sure thing.
Speaker C:And I kind of was like, they've tried this so many times.
Speaker C:It's not going to get through.
Speaker C:So I was actually really surprised when it did.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Gosh, this would be a great time for me to be like, totally, you know, on top of my game and knowing every law in the country, but it's impossible.
Speaker A:So I hope that everyone that's listening kind of forgives me.
Speaker A:But yeah, I mean, there's definitely some things that are in this bill that are going to need tweaked and then there are things just in general that the bill didn't address that needs to be tweaked.
Speaker A:You know, there's still off limits places, there's still a lot of things that were on the books previously that this bill didn't address.
Speaker A:But the point remains that, you know, now is the time to continue to apply pressure.
Speaker A:You know, this is a phenomenal win.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker A:It's been a long time in the making and a lot of people get confused on how the no compromise gun lobby can support or acknowledge things that are happening.
Speaker A:Because, you know, we want a complete restoration of our rights.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:And the key is that you're not giving anything to, to the anti gun left for something.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:But you have to understand that in politics, just like everything, that how do you eat an elephant one bite at a time, right?
Speaker C:I mean, they always say, you know, the anti gunners, if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile.
Speaker C:Well, why can't we do the same thing?
Speaker A:Absolutely, that's exactly what we should be doing.
Speaker A:But we're not, we're not trading anything in order to get, get wins.
Speaker A:And I think that that goes for, um, you know, I, hopefully it goes without saying if you're listening to this podcast, but it is important for people who might not be as familiar with how the no compromise position works.
Speaker A:We want a complete restoration and we're going to get it.
Speaker A:But it may take some time and you may have to do it, you know, a step at a time.
Speaker A:But don't, don't let off the, don't let off the gas.
Speaker C:I mean, I think it's comforting that we're up to 29 constitutional carry states now and it's like, all right, we, we are past halfway, we are past the majority, like how many others are going to follow?
Speaker C:And then last night or this morning I was looking at some article that like aggregated all of the different lawsuits that are going right now that people are trying to get into the Supreme Court.
Speaker C:And I was telling one of the guys downstairs, there's like five different states now that they have lawsuits against assault weapons.
Speaker C:Bans and magazine bans and things like that.
Speaker C:And while that hasn't been going great for Illinois, I think that that bodes well because eventually, if you push enough, something is going to get where it's supposed to be going.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:So actually we have an in Illinois case that is going to the Supreme Court right now because of their assault weapons ban and just a mass overreach.
Speaker C:You know, I just know that I never go on Twitter anymore except to post my video X.
Speaker C:Whatever it is now, except to post my videos because I just, I. I can't stand some of the things that I see on there anymore.
Speaker C:And every.
Speaker C:Everything that I post, there's a guy that always comments, well, it's not going so great for us here in Illinois.
Speaker C:So I always, I always get that in my notifications.
Speaker C:I get like an update all the time of how Illinois just sucks.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:Yeah, I mean, I mean, they've sucked for a long time, but, yeah, I.
Speaker A:Think that's what I, um, I. I think that's, you know, it's unfortunate.
Speaker A:Um, and I don't mean to sound like I'm.
Speaker A:I'm making light of the situation at all, but the, the biggest thing that you can do in Illinois right now, other than, you know, pray, is to not let yourself be silenced.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And it doesn't.
Speaker A:You don't have to have a YouTube show and you don't have to have a podcast.
Speaker A:And, you know, we do what we do because, you know, we feel very strongly and passionate about it.
Speaker A:You can very easily work a desk job and still make an impact and still let your voice be heard.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:The biggest thing that is the, the truth about all of politics is, is the status quo is the hardest thing to go up against.
Speaker A:You have to have inertia.
Speaker A:You have to have some forward momentum.
Speaker A:And that only happens for who is speaking the loudest and who is making the most action for change.
Speaker A:And so if you're in California, if you're in New York, if you're in Illinois, New Jersey, Washington State, Oregon places, Hawaii, that have, you know, just absolutely gone crazy.
Speaker A:I mean, let's not forget the spirit of aloha that apparently trumps the Constitution.
Speaker A:Like, all of these things are.
Speaker A:Are awful, but they can only stand if.
Speaker A:If you stay silent.
Speaker A:Because ultimately your representatives only fear one person in the world, and that's you.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:They only fear who can vote them out of power.
Speaker A:And if you start talking to your friends and if you start encouraging them and taking them to the range and having conversations about The Second Amendment.
Speaker A:And if you start being vocal in your own circles, you have the power to create an entire movement that changes who is elected, that choice changes what laws get passed, what laws get introduced in the first place.
Speaker A:All of those things happen because of, of you as an individual.
Speaker A:And it doesn't matter how, how impossible it seems, because you never know what you stop from getting introduced in the first place.
Speaker A:And, and I know that's not super comforting if you're living in a state that already has an assault weapons ban.
Speaker A:And trust me, we are working hard on the legal side to make sure that that doesn't stand.
Speaker A:Because we know that.
Speaker A:We know that the text, history and tradition of the Second Amendment is very clear.
Speaker A:It is 27 words worth defending, and our founders didn't mince one of them.
Speaker A:And all of those things can be true, though.
Speaker C:Well, and any movement has to start somewhere.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, we've got our friend Benitez giving us great precedent in cases, unfortunately, California, California of all places, unfortunately, he had to put the stay on it, which is to protect that case.
Speaker B:But that judgment should set present once that goes into effect, that is setting precedent across the board for how unconstitutional some of these laws are.
Speaker B:Not only.
Speaker B:We talk about it a lot.
Speaker B:You know, if you're in these states, you know, there's two ways you can, you can make changes.
Speaker B:You can change with your vote, or you can change by moving your feet and get out.
Speaker B:And you've, you've done that in Massachusetts.
Speaker B:But that's the big thing is, you know, they, these laws were voted in.
Speaker B:And if you do move your feet, like we're seeing these mass exoduses from certain states due to taxes and everything like that.
Speaker B:You should educate yourself.
Speaker B:If you're moving because of this, do not continue to vote the same way.
Speaker B:I mean, that's the bigger issue.
Speaker B:If you're going to go to a free state, don't go in and start voting.
Speaker B:I mean, look at Austin.
Speaker B:Okay, all of that, and we've got Nashville in your home state of Tennessee is starting to, to lean a little leftwards and, you know, a lot, a lot.
Speaker B:I'm sorry, my bad.
Speaker A:I mean, it's, it's definitely not New York City, but, you know, it's.
Speaker C:Yeah, listen, I, I'm happy to say that in our area, in the upstate of South Carolina, like Greenville is the reddest city on the entire East Coast.
Speaker C:And I am, I'm glad, glad.
Speaker C:I hope that it stays that way.
Speaker C:There is even a story of one of the mayors of one of the local.
Speaker C:Well, they're all cities for some reason, but it's.
Speaker C:It's a town.
Speaker C: during the summer Of Love in: Speaker C:And I'm like, yes, I moved to the right state.
Speaker B:Well, the funny part is, like, being in Arizona, we have seen the same amount of movement of Californias into our state.
Speaker B:And there are many people who have been living there way longer than I have who clearly have posted signs and it's don't California my Arizona.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:And now I guess I'm part of that movement because every time I see a California plate, I'm like, you need to go.
Speaker B:Cause first off, you suck at driving.
Speaker B:Second off, get out of here.
Speaker C:Y.
Speaker B:Because you suck at driving and you're awful.
Speaker C:Yeah, Tennessee's full.
Speaker A:Like, just FYI, if you're listening to this and you want to move, Tennessee's full.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker C:Since we moved, I have come full.
Speaker C:Get off my law.
Speaker B:This is my property.
Speaker A:No, I mean, listen, you know, thankfully we live in a.
Speaker A:In a free country.
Speaker A:And you can move to great states like South Carolina, like Tennessee, like Arizona.
Speaker A:Just don't, you know, don't.
Speaker A:Don't bring in the same policies you escaped from.
Speaker A:That's all I ask.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And you know, I've gotten a lot of comments from people saying that it's cowardice to vote with your feet and move a state and like, well, why don't you, like, stay there and try to change it?
Speaker C:It's like, well, I don't know, like, I have a family that I need to think of and I need to think of, like, my own livelihood.
Speaker C:And I can do more advocacy work out of that environment than I can within it, at least for what I do personally.
Speaker B:Well, it may be cowardice, but if people move out of the state.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:The people that can't move out of state because not everybody has the ability to do so, that may change their mind the more it goes.
Speaker B:I mean, look at.
Speaker B:We talked about this earlier.
Speaker B:Look at.
Speaker B:So in Arizona, the amount of theft at Walmart, they've shut down the self checkout.
Speaker B:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:They've also Walmarts and other stores have moved out of certain areas of Washington state and out of California.
Speaker B:You're watching videos on a daily basis of people going into the stores in California and walking out with product because of the law changes and Everything like that, if that continues.
Speaker B:Because not everybody is blessed like you to have a farm or, you know, to have the ability to do that or the knowledge to do it, which I recommend that you get the knowledge to do that.
Speaker B:But at some point there's not going to be a store to go to.
Speaker C:No, absolutely.
Speaker B:These companies, and you're a lot of people are like, well, they're multibillion dollar companies, they can handle it, but they're.
Speaker C:Not going to because they're smarter than that.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a poor business decision.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:And you're just losing money.
Speaker B:You're throwing money at a loss.
Speaker B:There's, you've seen the pictures of stores, everything's locked up.
Speaker B:You have to.
Speaker B:I don't know about you, but I've never been able to find somebody to help me in Walmart.
Speaker B:So hey, I need to buy this product.
Speaker B:Please unlock this case.
Speaker B:Or hey, I need to buy this toothpaste.
Speaker B:Please unlock this.
Speaker C:It was really awkward when we had to do that to get ammo at Walmart back in the day when it was still at Walmart and you're in like a Massachusetts Walmart and you can't find anyone.
Speaker C:So like you finally go to a cashier and then you hear over the loudspeaker, can someone please go to the ammo case?
Speaker C:And we were like, oh no.
Speaker C:Oh no, everyone's looking at us.
Speaker B:Or you had to the weird part where you, you buy ammo at Walmart and then they have to walk you up front.
Speaker B:Yeah, you.
Speaker B:I'm like, oh, so I have to do the death march to walk up the walk of shame.
Speaker C:Well, we even had to do that in Bass Pro back up there.
Speaker C:I mean, and I know everyone's like, oh, don't buy ammo at Walmart.
Speaker C:Don't buy emo Bass Pro.
Speaker C:But I'm like, look, if you are on a budget, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Speaker B:You got a ball on a budget.
Speaker B:Come on now.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker A:Like one of the things that I guess is kind of, I think it's changing a little bit, but, but frustrating is the judgment from people within the two.
Speaker A:A space on where you buy products.
Speaker A:Like, I would rather someone go and purchase what they need at a place that they can afford or that's in their area so that they have it versus not having it.
Speaker C:Right, right.
Speaker A:And that's just, I don't know, it's kind of a pet peeve of mine because I spend a lot of time talking about the on ramp to the second amendment and how do we get people in the community and how do we make it welcoming and how do we ensure that our rights continue?
Speaker A:It's by getting more people involved in that process.
Speaker A:And I do, I don't know, it just gives me such a sad feeling when, you know, you do see comments, it's like, well, don't, don't buy guns there or don't buy ammo there.
Speaker A:And it's like, yeah, I agree.
Speaker A:You know, there are probably much better places to buy it, but I would, I'm so happy that you bought it.
Speaker A:Like, I, I'm so happy that you, you purchased it somewhere.
Speaker C:I mean, and the, the crazy thing was like back in Massachusetts, it, it was so anti gun that I don't know if it was just.
Speaker C:Well, I, I know it was because we didn't have many gun shops.
Speaker C:It's, it was crazy when we moved down here and we were like, oh, there's one on practically every block.
Speaker C:There was like five of where we lived.
Speaker C:And so when anyone got in ammo, it was sold out immediately.
Speaker C:You had to go on the websites ahead of time, call them up and be like, hey, can you hold this box of ammo for me at one point?
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:But if you go to Walmart and they actually just got a stock in, like we'd go and whatever day it was that they would get their stock in, there'd be like five of us lined up waiting as they're unloading the boxes and they have to put it in the locked box before they can then unlock it and give it to you.
Speaker C:But you know, I mean, sometimes if that's all that's available to you, then that's what's available.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I just, I think it's, I, that's one area that I really hope that we, we kind of grow up and out of.
Speaker A:Like, I want people to feel comfortable and confident and I want our culture to get restored to the place where it's come commonplace for.
Speaker A:You know, it would be great if, you know, you're buying groceries and you buy them at the same time, like you're just able to do whatever.
Speaker B:I want the Sears ads back.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:I want the family with guns around the Christmas tree back.
Speaker B:I mean, but look at it though.
Speaker B:You know, we say Sears and everyone's like, what do you mean?
Speaker B:Like the amount of guns that Sears used to sell.
Speaker A:You're going to have to explain.
Speaker A:We have a younger demographic.
Speaker A:I'm going to need you to explain what Sears is.
Speaker B:Sears is a store.
Speaker A:Gen Z's and Gen Alphas that are on this.
Speaker B:God, dude, you're gonna.
Speaker B:Every time I'm feeling.
Speaker C:Sears was the creepy place in the bottom of the mall with the weird bathroom.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But it always had the empty bathroom.
Speaker B:So you had go.
Speaker C:Now everyone on the Internet knows how old I am.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And before that, they had a catalog, and that was a printed book.
Speaker A:It was a book printed that would be mailed to your house, and you would fill out the order form and you would circle things at Christmas time for what you wanted, and you'd give it to your grandma and then she would order it.
Speaker B:She would order it and then go.
Speaker A:And then it would ship to your home.
Speaker A:So you could buy a house.
Speaker C:You could buy a house.
Speaker C:Slow Amazon.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was very slow.
Speaker B:It was Amazon before Amazon.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But a lot of.
Speaker B:So if you've been buying guns for a long time, like I have, and buy weird stuff.
Speaker B:Sears used to be one of the largest supplier of guns in the country.
Speaker B:They had guns made by Savage.
Speaker B:They had guns made by Mossberg.
Speaker B:They had.
Speaker B:The Ted Williams series was by Sears.
Speaker B:Ted Williams, the baseball player.
Speaker B:If people don't know who that is, a baseball player endorsing a gun, how dare they all of a sudden.
Speaker C:Canceled.
Speaker B:Canceled now.
Speaker B:But it was the culture shift from, you know, even from when I was a kid.
Speaker B:Walmart had guns.
Speaker B:Kmart had guns.
Speaker B:Guy I'm dating myself with Kmart before.
Speaker C:Was it Bowling for Columbine?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Was that the name of it?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:There was Sears.
Speaker B:Kmart had guns.
Speaker B:You know, it's just weird that how.
Speaker B:How time has gone on that one of the largest suppliers of firearms and ammunition no longer does it.
Speaker B:And what.
Speaker B:And Sears is now out of business.
Speaker A:I believe they're completely gone under.
Speaker A:They're gone, guys.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:They're gone.
Speaker B:Gone.
Speaker B:But, you know, Sears used to sell a bunch of stuff.
Speaker B:You know, Kmart, Walmart, you could walk in and buy guns.
Speaker B:There was a lot of what we would call big box retailers and department stores would have some sort of firearms section or sporting goods section where you could buy things like that.
Speaker B:And now you are either blessed with a very nice gun shop and people to talk to, or you're going to like a Bass Pro shop or a Cabela's or something like that.
Speaker B:Or you've got the dingiest of gun shops with the guy who tells the ladies to carry a pink revolver, you know?
Speaker B:And you brought up South Carolina.
Speaker B:I love South Carolina.
Speaker B:One of my favorite gun stores is in South Carolina.
Speaker B:It's back.
Speaker B:It's in a gas Station and it's guns and golf.
Speaker B:And they say golf and guns.
Speaker C:That is amazing.
Speaker B:That's amazing.
Speaker B:That's America.
Speaker A:No, I do think that it's unfortunate that we're in this part in our culture.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Where you know, we used to be able to have firearms available at tons of different retailers, different budgets.
Speaker A:Although we're definitely getting better on that, that end.
Speaker A:But to go from that level of acceptance and availability to we are suspending a child in school for finger pistols.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker A:Shows that we have got to be more proactive if we want to protect our rights and if we want to see those rights restored.
Speaker A:This isn't fear mongering.
Speaker A:This is just an understanding of where we're at in present day.
Speaker C:Well, and I think, I mean I shouldn't say I think, I know it's obvious that it's all by design because if you.
Speaker C:I think and I know that the firearms community is a lot better than the.
Speaker C:Or a lot bigger, I should say than the average.
Speaker C:Than the average.
Speaker C:Non gunning, not gun owning words are things.
Speaker C:The gun culture is bigger than the average non gun owning American realizes.
Speaker C:But it becomes sort of a self fulfilling prophecy because then if all the big box retailers are going under, if they're being attacked by the ATF in you know that that weird thing that they just had where the FBI was basically stalking anyone that bought anything from Dick's even though they don't even sell guns anymore.
Speaker C:But if we have all these retailers going down, we're like canceling people for pledging to the NRA or the Constitution or whatever.
Speaker C:Then people start to think that the culture is smaller than it is.
Speaker C:People within the culture start to feel more isolated and I think that it's trying to cut people off from other like minded folks that we don't work so hard to get our rights restored.
Speaker B:I think a big thing to add into it.
Speaker B:I believe that most of the, I'm going to say most, not all, but most of us in the gun culture are very introverted.
Speaker B:We're very quiet.
Speaker B:We don't want to be bothered.
Speaker B:We just want to our guns and land.
Speaker C:And yeah, I mean if I never talk to you guys ever again, please don't take offense.
Speaker C:I just am in my house forgetting that other people exist.
Speaker B:Yeah, but that's, that's the thing though.
Speaker B:We're very, a lot of us are very non confrontational.
Speaker B:Like we will go.
Speaker B:We want to stand for our rights.
Speaker C:Hey, but gun owners are violent, angry murderers.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, all of us are super angry, violent people but like, we're very like non confrontational, so you can see it.
Speaker B:And I've done it before.
Speaker B:I'm on a plane with two people who are clearly super liberal.
Speaker B:And I'm sitting there and they're like, what do you do for work?
Speaker B:Human rights advocate.
Speaker B:I'm not wrong.
Speaker B:Oh, that's a good way to vote.
Speaker B:I'm a human rights advocate.
Speaker B:And they're like, oh, okay, what do you do?
Speaker B:I'm like, I work for a nonprofit and I know they are super liberal.
Speaker B:I'm like, I just want to be on this plane and get home.
Speaker B:I do not want to get into a screaming match.
Speaker B:Because if I get into a screaming match, then I now I'm off the plane and then I have to call her and go, hey.
Speaker B:So I'm not allowed to go anywhere.
Speaker B:I'm on this list now.
Speaker C:Honestly, that was one of the hardest things about living in Massachusetts is being a gun owner.
Speaker C:Especially being a gun owner on YouTube.
Speaker C:It felt like a serious secret identity that I had to keep.
Speaker C:And even, you know, back then, I also by trade in my pre law, pre mom life, I was a mental health therapist with my own private practice.
Speaker C:And I would get asked to go to appearances and do things and go talk at rallies.
Speaker C:And I was like, okay, but if this hits the news and anyone sees my picture attached to this, my business is destroyed.
Speaker C:I am run out of town.
Speaker C:Like, I can't do it.
Speaker C:And it got so ingrained in me that it was shameful to be a gun owner in a blue state that even now when people are like, oh, what do you do?
Speaker C:I'm just like, I talk about the news on the Internet and I don't know what to say.
Speaker C:Even in the hotel there was like some guy and it's the hotel where, you know, people are staying at to come do this podcast.
Speaker C:And this guy was like, oh, hey, are you here for vacation?
Speaker C:I was like, I'm here for work.
Speaker C:And he's like, what do you do?
Speaker C:And I was like, I'm going to be on a podcast.
Speaker C:Shifty eyes.
Speaker C:It's like, what do you say to that?
Speaker A:Yeah, it's a, it's a hard balance, right?
Speaker A:Because like, you know, I don't want to hide what I do.
Speaker A:I'm very passionate about what I do.
Speaker C:Oh, I have all the gun T shirts now that I wear in public.
Speaker A:And at the same time, if I'm in an Uber, I don't know if you all know this about me, but I'm five foot tall and not Very intimidating.
Speaker C:Me too.
Speaker C:I'm five three.
Speaker C:I've got three inches on you.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But, you know, you have to kind of play it.
Speaker A:Play it careful, because there are some people that you look at and you're like, I'm 90% sure that you are going to explode if I tell you what I do for a living.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker A:And so you're like, you know, it is.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But I do identify as.
Speaker A:Gosh, that sounds awful.
Speaker A:But I do identify with what John's saying, with being a human rights activist, because I fundamentally believe that the Second Amendment is a.
Speaker A:It's a natural right.
Speaker C:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker A:And we say it all the time.
Speaker A:Your rights are constitutionally protected.
Speaker A:They're not government granted.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:And I do.
Speaker A:I do love the fact that we're able to do this for a living.
Speaker A:And I want to empower people because they hold all of the power.
Speaker A:And one day, hopefully a long time from now when I am no longer here, I really want to know that I made a difference.
Speaker A:I think that's the human condition you have.
Speaker B:You were recognized.
Speaker B:So this is the first time I'm going to bring this up because it's hilarious.
Speaker A:It's not.
Speaker A:It's not hilarious.
Speaker A:It's so embarrassing.
Speaker A:Stop talking.
Speaker A:Oh, goodness.
Speaker B:So we got to the.
Speaker B:I got to the hotel before she did on this trip.
Speaker B:She was driving in, and I get into the hotel.
Speaker B:I sit down waiting for her because they wouldn't let me check in until she got there.
Speaker B:And the security guard walked by and said, hi, and I'm waiting for her.
Speaker B:It's been like, almost two hours.
Speaker B:She says, like, I'm an hour and a half out.
Speaker B:So I call her.
Speaker B:It goes straight to voicemail.
Speaker B:I'm like, oh, something's going on.
Speaker B:She comes off the elevator and this.
Speaker B:The same security guard is chatting her ear off.
Speaker B:And we're sitting there talking, and I'm like, oh, cool.
Speaker B:He's like, yeah, we got constitutional carry now.
Speaker B:I'm like, oh, she must have brought up that she works for GOA or something.
Speaker B:No, the guy recognized her from the podcast.
Speaker A:It was so awkward.
Speaker A:I didn't know what to do.
Speaker B:You should say hi.
Speaker C:That has happened to me four times.
Speaker C:Four times now in, like, the years that I've been doing this.
Speaker C:And every time, I'm like, what do I do?
Speaker C:The weirdest one was at a disc golf tournament.
Speaker C:A pro disc golfer recognized me, actually, and was like, oh, are you Liberty doll?
Speaker C:And I was like, yes.
Speaker C:And I am here to watch this and have no makeup on.
Speaker C:And you want A picture.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker A:It was just.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:I was like, I don't know what I expect, you know, like, okay, we're doing a podcast.
Speaker A:I was not expecting to be the co host of this podcast.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:It was not something that I had planned at all.
Speaker A:And so the concept that, like, I'm.
Speaker A:I'm someone who apparently totally weird, recognized just really.
Speaker A:I don't know, it was.
Speaker C:It was strange.
Speaker A:Um, I don't think I handled it very well.
Speaker A:I was like, okay, what?
Speaker A:I'm like, are you a member?
Speaker A:And he's like, oh, yeah.
Speaker A:I'm like, great.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:And he's like.
Speaker A:And I sent an email and everything.
Speaker A:And I was like, that's the best thing you could have told me.
Speaker A:And I was like, we'll talk about advocacy all day long.
Speaker A:Like, thank you for.
Speaker A:For helping constitutional care get passed.
Speaker A:But, yeah, the whole.
Speaker A:He was like, I know you.
Speaker A:And I was like, oh, okay.
Speaker C:Who are you again?
Speaker C:Are you someone I was supposed to remember whose name I forgot?
Speaker A:I just, like, I was.
Speaker A:I was stunned by.
Speaker A:By, like, him saying, like, oh, I know you, like, you on the podcast.
Speaker C:I'm like,.
Speaker B:The funny part is he recognized you and not me.
Speaker B:That's even funnier.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, I just laughed at that.
Speaker B:It's great.
Speaker A:You wear a hat a lot, and you actually weren't wearing a hat that day.
Speaker A:I don't think a lot of people realize that you're a ginger.
Speaker B:You know, it's true.
Speaker B:I mean, I don't know if the skin and the freckled skin and the red beard give it away, but.
Speaker B:No, it's just.
Speaker B:It's great, though, because, you know, we've.
Speaker B:We've hung out with.
Speaker B:I was at the AZ2A rally with Jared was there from Guns and Gadgets.
Speaker B:And I'm sitting there.
Speaker B:Jared's a friend, right?
Speaker B:Like, we.
Speaker B:I'm sitting there talking to Jared.
Speaker B:Hey, Jared, how you been?
Speaker B:Catching up.
Speaker B:Within the matter of, like, five minutes, like, five people have already stopped him in our middle of our conversation to get pictures.
Speaker B:Like, oh, Jared, I know you like, thank you, thank you.
Speaker B:I'm just like, is that what it's like?
Speaker B:It's weird.
Speaker A:I'm gonna be honest.
Speaker B:You're my friend.
Speaker B:That's weird.
Speaker A:If that ever happens to me, I, like, I have to turn on my extrovertedness for this podcast.
Speaker A:And then, like, what people don't see is, like.
Speaker C:Then the switch flips.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker A:Is like, I.
Speaker A:My husband says I have a word limit for the day.
Speaker A:And, like, once I headed I just stopped talking.
Speaker B:Last night at dinner.
Speaker B:The same thing when people know, like, I've hung out with Sean Heron from We, like, shooting, and we go to dinner with a bunch of people, and it's normally after, like, a day like this where we're talking podcasts.
Speaker B:They know when my word limit is hit because they go, are you okay?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:What's going on?
Speaker B:They're like, you're staring at the.
Speaker B:Last night I was staring at the hot pot.
Speaker B:Like, you're just staring at stuff.
Speaker B:I'm like, oh, yeah.
Speaker B:I've hit my, like, word limit for.
Speaker A:My social batteries out.
Speaker B:But we can still be friends.
Speaker B:What do you want to talk about?
Speaker B:They're like, nothing.
Speaker B:We're just checking on you.
Speaker B:I'm good.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Can you stop staring at the stuff?
Speaker B:You're creeping everybody out.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker C:I mean, you get better at it eventually.
Speaker C:I don't know, because I. I've done, like, a.
Speaker C:A few different.
Speaker C:I don't want to call, like, public appearances because that sounds so much more elitist than it is, but, like, I've spoken.
Speaker C:Like, I spoke at the Massachusetts Libertarian Convention one year and almost got kicked out.
Speaker C:That was great.
Speaker C:I've done a couple talks at, like, Pork Fest, and I've done a couple things like that.
Speaker C:And you just get better at it.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:It's easier when you're expecting it.
Speaker C:When we first moved here, I went to one of the gun shows that they had in Greenville, and a group of, like, five people came up to me, and they were like, oh, you were Liberty Doll.
Speaker C:And I was like, oh, no.
Speaker C:I wasn't prepared for this.
Speaker C:Where's the.
Speaker C:Where's the switch?
Speaker C:Where's the switch?
Speaker B:I think the answer is, do you want a picture?
Speaker B:That's, oh, you want a picture thing.
Speaker B:Thanks for being a supporter.
Speaker B:You want a picture?
Speaker B:I think that's the answer to everything.
Speaker A:I promise that will never be me.
Speaker B:Oh, you should 100% get pictures.
Speaker A:No, I will never be.
Speaker B:I will.
Speaker B:I will get all the pictures.
Speaker B:Everybody.
Speaker B:Anybody who wants to get a picture, I'll take a picture with you.
Speaker C:I mean, I'll do a picture.
Speaker A:I'll do a picture.
Speaker A:I'm never going to ask, do you want a picture, though?
Speaker A:Like, I'm not.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:That's like, I don't even know.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So I'm going to tell a quick story on myself.
Speaker A:I am the last person that should ever be asked a question that they're not expecting because I. I'm not fast on my Feet.
Speaker A:Like, I. I have a ton of jokesters in my family, and they can, like, come up with stuff off the cuff.
Speaker A:That's not me.
Speaker A:That's not how I operate.
Speaker A:So when my husband asked me to marry him, I was very, like, overwhelmed, excited, not expecting it.
Speaker A:And I didn't say yes like a normal person.
Speaker A:I said, yep.
Speaker A:I don't think I have ever used the word yep in my entire life, but it's what came out.
Speaker C:You know what I said?
Speaker C:I said, holy.
Speaker C:A word I probably can't say on air.
Speaker C:And then I said, have you thought about this?
Speaker B:It must be a woman's ring, because.
Speaker C:I also was not expecting it.
Speaker C:But to be fair, he thought that I had seen the ring ahead of time.
Speaker C:And so the whole way to dinner, he threw me off the side scent and was like, so I've decided I never want to get married.
Speaker C:So then this box is put in front of me, and I'm like, okay, well, I can't assume what this is.
Speaker C:So how do I stall for time?
Speaker A:I love it, but.
Speaker A:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker A:I'm never gonna be, like, cool enough to be like, do you want a picture?
Speaker A:Like, that's not gonna be me.
Speaker A:I'm be like, okay, what do we do now?
Speaker B:Time out.
Speaker B:At least you said, yeah.
Speaker B:You know what my wife said?
Speaker B:I knew it was gonna.
Speaker B:I knew it.
Speaker B:I knew that's what you were doing.
Speaker B:I'm like, thanks.
Speaker B:You can't just say yes.
Speaker B:I asked her to go.
Speaker B:So my wife's really into Christmas and Christmas lights.
Speaker B:So the one year.
Speaker B:This is when we lived in Columbus, the botanical gardens does this big Christmas.
Speaker B:I'm like, hey, let's go see Christmas lights.
Speaker B:And I invited her aunt and uncle and her cousin, and we're like, yeah, we'll go as a group and try to throw over scent.
Speaker B:Went to go propose.
Speaker B:And she's like, I knew it.
Speaker B:I'm like, you could say yes.
Speaker B:I was like, see, I'm the quirky.
Speaker B:I always have a quick comeback.
Speaker B:That's my.
Speaker C:I wish I could be that person.
Speaker A:I'm not.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker A:Like, I'm good at.
Speaker A:I don't know how to even say this.
Speaker A:Like, I'm good at, like, knowing what I know.
Speaker A:Like, I'm comfortable with what I know.
Speaker A:But, like, I just.
Speaker A:I don't think that I'm.
Speaker C:Yeah, I am.
Speaker C:I'm definitely not quick on my.
Speaker C:My feet like that either.
Speaker C:Like, all.
Speaker C:Like, all my videos.
Speaker C:Like, I research and I write out notes and everything ahead of time before I Do a video, though.
Speaker C:Lately I have been ad liming, ad libbing more stuff.
Speaker C:And my friend Tyler, that edits my videos now, he leaves some of that in now.
Speaker C:And it's been people's favorite parts, which I am not expecting.
Speaker C:I'm like, oh, man, I wish that I could like, turn that on when I'm on a podcast like this.
Speaker B:Oh, I turned it on last night.
Speaker B:Just.
Speaker B:It's 101 Dalmatians.
Speaker B:I saw she had.
Speaker B:I'm not gonna go into it, but I was.
Speaker B:Oh, you're.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So she has.
Speaker B:So I looked at.
Speaker B:So she plugs in her phone for Apple CarPlay and she has 501 unread text messages.
Speaker B:And I was like, oh my God, how is this.
Speaker B:My brain cannot comprehend this.
Speaker B:I'm like, that's like five times 101 Dalmatians.
Speaker B:You've got 500 nations here.
Speaker B:What is happening?
Speaker B:And I'm like, I went on a tangent of a lot of things, but.
Speaker A:So yes, you're very popular.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker C:So it.
Speaker A:I made a mistake.
Speaker A:And that mistake is when I started at goa, I let them put my cell phone number on my business card.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker A:And I have been in this industry for a long time at this point.
Speaker A:I've been at GOA since a long time.
Speaker A:2018.
Speaker A:And it's a long time in the industry, like, doing this sort of thing.
Speaker A:So like, everyone and their uncle thinks we're personal friends because they have my cell phone number.
Speaker A:And then you add like, we have a farm.
Speaker A:And so like, farm people will message me.
Speaker A:And then I have a very large Italian family and they'll message me.
Speaker A:And then my husband and I run a foundation in our late son's honor.
Speaker A:And so like, people will message me for that.
Speaker A:So I have like a significant number of people that have my cell phone number.
Speaker A:And my response, I always tell everyone jokingly, I'm like, oh yeah, if you text me, like, give me a four to seven day response time.
Speaker A:And like, they.
Speaker A:They're like, oh, it's not that bad.
Speaker A:And I'm like, oh, just try texting me.
Speaker C:You need like a separate business line or something.
Speaker A:I threaten at least once a month to get a new cell phone number and just like have that one for work.
Speaker A:But then I know me well enough to know that I already have enough devices to charge.
Speaker A:And if you add one more, it might be the tipping point.
Speaker C:I mean, I kind of wish that, that people would contact me not in my personal cell phone number, but, like, I love when people send me tips and Emails and I mean, that's how I find out about some of the stories that I cover and get them out.
Speaker C:Like, one of my favorite things to do actually is, is because everyone talks about whatever law is being passed or not passed or whatever.
Speaker C:I love when I find out about, you know, some little guy that's going through some legal battle.
Speaker C:I don't love that they're going through the legal battle.
Speaker C:But if I can hear about that story and bring more people's attention to it so that.
Speaker C:So more people can donate to the GoFundMe or they can get some other bigger media publicity and make a difference, that's a lot more what I've been focusing on over the last year.
Speaker C:I mean, in the best thing in the world is getting emails from people saying, hey, thank you for covering this, because now I was able to actually get a lawyer or I was able to do X, Y, Z.
Speaker C:And a lot of times I only hear about that because people have sent me tips via email or something.
Speaker C:But so the Internet knows I do not have a telegram.
Speaker C:If there is anyone on my channel saying to message them on telegram, don't do it.
Speaker C:It's not me.
Speaker C:Don't send them any personal information, please.
Speaker C:And plus, if I don't know, if more people had my email and contacted me the way that they contact you, maybe I would be better at networking because I would remember they exist.
Speaker B:I did a giveaway with Kanik when I was at another company and somebody got a Instagram message saying, contact this number.
Speaker B:And they did it.
Speaker B:And I was like, there.
Speaker B:And then they messaged our page and they're like, hey, did you guys send me a message?
Speaker B:And I was like, no, what's going on?
Speaker B:And they're like, oh, what did you send to them?
Speaker B:I sent them $500.
Speaker B:It was a giveaway.
Speaker B:Why would you send them money?
Speaker B:Like, call the credit card company right now.
Speaker B:Wouldn't change everything.
Speaker B:I'm like, I'm like, I get it.
Speaker B:You're super excited.
Speaker B:You're in the moment.
Speaker B:But, like, use the part of your.
Speaker A:Brain that has some skeptics, some skepticism.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:I used to like the comments on when we would do giveaways and things like that.
Speaker B:Like the YouTube comments.
Speaker B:I would go through and flag them all and let people know, like, hey, do not.
Speaker B:Or just delete them because they come through so quickly, so fast.
Speaker C:And luckily I have a few people that go through and flag them now whenever they see them.
Speaker C:But still, like, I don't know, there's sometimes where I'M like, oh, I'm looking at the comments.
Speaker C:I'm like, wow, like I haven't had a scammer for a whole week.
Speaker C:And then I get three emails like, oh, there, you know, you, you said you wanted to speak with me.
Speaker C:And I'm like, I didn't even see the comments.
Speaker C:Where are they?
Speaker A:Yeah, it's so frustrating.
Speaker A:It's so frustrating.
Speaker B:Um, yeah, it's gotta love the Internet,.
Speaker C:But the Internet allows us to do what we do.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, well, it's, it's.
Speaker B:You brought up like people sending you messages.
Speaker B:I do.
Speaker B:Like I'll help friends out with their podcast every once in a while or I'll hop on with them and, and talk and people will say like, hey, did you hear about so.
Speaker B:And such and such.
Speaker B:And again, I work for goa.
Speaker B:I'm in the marketing and development department, the state local guys.
Speaker B:There's so many lawsuits going on, sometimes my head spins just trying to keep track of everything.
Speaker A:Oh my gosh, the first half of the year, just so you'll know, for everyone who's listening, who is, like, why don't you know every single thing about South Carolina constitutional carrier, Louisiana constitutional carrier, all of it, just so people realize just the sheer volume and the reason that like we have a, like a full staff is in the first part of the year, almost every single state legislature in the country is up and active, plus what's going on at the federal government, plus what's happening in the courts, plus what's happening in the culture.
Speaker A:And by the way, like, if you, you think that it's just the ATF on the, on the executive side that does stuff to gun owners, like news flash, like the ammo ban was the Department of the Interior guys, like we've got, you know, constantly monitoring the Treasury Department, you know, is, is making that de facto list with all of the gun companies where they're flagging.
Speaker A:Like, we have to stay vigilant in all of these different areas.
Speaker A:I don't know what kind of database you think my brain is, but it's impossible for somebody to know every single thing that's happening at every single level of government for every single state in a real time, accurate way.
Speaker A:And we do our best to learn everything.
Speaker A:But that's why we have regional directors, that's why we have state directors, that's why we have a legal team, that's why we have federal affairs team.
Speaker A:All of those people work so that we're moving forward and you're able to take action and be a part of those things.
Speaker A:But me as the individual might, might not know.
Speaker A:Actually, I guarantee you I don't know every single thing.
Speaker A:And newsflash, I'm not God.
Speaker A:So like I will make mistakes.
Speaker A:And so it's just, well, that's reality.
Speaker B:Big shout out to Chris Stone and the state and local team and big shout out to Aidan and feds because there's been times where I've been on, on doing stuff and people will ask like, hey, what's going on here?
Speaker B:And I pick up my phone while I'm live with them, I'm texting Chris trying to get an update or texting Ben or Aiden and go, hey, is this on our radar?
Speaker B:What's going on?
Speaker B:Can you give me an update?
Speaker B:And they are very fantastic on getting back to me within a timely manner.
Speaker B:And if not live, I go, hey, next show or next thing, I'll get on with you and let you know.
Speaker B:But like you said, it's so hard sometimes because the state, it wasn't even a, the one time it wasn't even a state question.
Speaker B:It was literally a city was trying to pass an ordinance.
Speaker B:I mean there's so much stuff going on, it's hard to keep track.
Speaker B:But that's why we have Chris and his team in place and that's why we have Aiden and his team in place.
Speaker B:And that's what I appreciate about our team is that they're so willing to help us when we have those questions to go, hey, what's going on with this?
Speaker B:Can you help?
Speaker C:And especially now, I mean, I've been in, you know, the, the gun culture side of things for quite a while now.
Speaker C:And I, I feel like ever since the Binance administration, I mean the ATF has been going crazy.
Speaker C:We had the bipartisan Safer Communities act with like the definition of a gun seller.
Speaker C:We have like the zero tolerance policies, but then we also had Bruin in.
Speaker C:So I feel like we have more states, cities, federal level stuff trying to pass more gun control than ever.
Speaker C:But on the flip side, we have more lawsuits against that coming up than ever.
Speaker C:So I looking back, I'm like, was it really like this, like seven years ago, 10 years ago?
Speaker C:I don't think it was, it was different.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So the constitutional carry movement has been a long time coming.
Speaker A:You know, it wasn't very long ago that there was no nomenclature even called constitutional carrying.
Speaker A:Everything was Vermont carry.
Speaker A:If you go back to like when Alaska passed constitutional carry, it's referenced as Vermont carry because that was, you know, the gold standard.
Speaker A:And now you have, you Know, constitutional carry.
Speaker A:I think a lot of that started.
Speaker A:If you go back.
Speaker A:Let's see, go back in my Rolodex, in my brain here for a second.
Speaker A:So I think a lot of that started.
Speaker A: It would have been: Speaker C:Yes, that's right.
Speaker C:Everything that was happening.
Speaker C:Yes, I remember I did a ton of videos on what was going on in Virginia and I mean, that seems like it was a lifetime ago because that happened.
Speaker C:And then like three months later, it was like, oh, Covid's here.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A: So: Speaker A:It was, you know, the most attended lobby day.
Speaker A:All of the people.
Speaker C:I was supposed to have a time slot and then something happened and they lost my time slot.
Speaker C:I remember I was supposed to be there.
Speaker A:I'm sorry to hear that, that you weren't able to make it.
Speaker A:But I was at shot show during that particular rally because it was timed at that point.
Speaker A:But that lobby day for the massive gun control sweep that was happening in Virginia, and that was right when GOA really started pushing our second amendment sanctuary ordinances, which could be passed at the county level.
Speaker A:To my county is one yes to signal strength and saying, like, we're going to protect the Constitution.
Speaker A:This is before the SEPAs that are currently being passed around the country.
Speaker A:Second Amendment Preservation Act.
Speaker A:Sorry, I speak in code sometimes, but that was like a huge push and they caught on like wildfire.
Speaker A:Like, even in Northern Virginia, you have second Amendment sanctuary ordinances that were passed and they started passing all across the country.
Speaker A:Well, at that moment, that was the groundswell that really pushed constitutional carry to the front because it showed all of the elected officials and state reps that there's millions of gun owners who are willing to take action at the local level.
Speaker A:They're willing to show up in hand with the resolutions, with the ordinances to get them passed.
Speaker A:And that I think really was the kickoff point to where we are now on this.
Speaker A:The federal government kind of going rogue, kind of crazy.
Speaker A:And you had the state government pulling back and saying, no, we're actually going to see some restoration.
Speaker C:And I noticed too, that around that same time, you know, that was such a big shift that was happening that then you had like the mainstream media and all those coming in really trying to push the cultural shift as well.
Speaker C: Because before: Speaker C:That was like a narrative that started in direct response to everything going on with VC Yell and lobby Day.
Speaker C:And that was the same time that suddenly you had these hit pieces coming out being like, oh, the.
Speaker C:The Boogaloo meme is real.
Speaker C:Yes, yes.
Speaker C:And because I remember, like, I had shirts that jokingly were like, oh, Liberty Doll, Boogaloo Club.
Speaker C:And like, these hit pieces started coming out and they actually.
Speaker C:My drop shipper banned them from my website, so I can't have the Boogaloo Club logo anymore.
Speaker C:And there was a hit piece that the Guardian did about Lobby Day and mentioned me in it and was like, oh, it's all, you know, white supremacist boogaloos.
Speaker C:And it was like, what?
Speaker C:And I think that's what really kicked off.
Speaker C:I mean, already the mainstream was not a big fan of gun owners, but I think that's when they really started pushing this narrative of how gun owners were going to destroy the country.
Speaker A:Well, I definitely think that they wanted something to happen at that event.
Speaker C:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker C:But they were shocked it didn't.
Speaker C:They were like, wait.
Speaker A:But the truth is, is that it was probably the safest place that anyone could be in the entire country.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Period.
Speaker A:And the streets were clean, you know, and people were taking care of the area.
Speaker A:And, you know, it was.
Speaker A:It was, um, it was very interesting.
Speaker A:I remember helping the team get ready for that lobby day.
Speaker A:Um, GOA has been a part of the VCDL lobby day for ever at this point.
Speaker A:Um, I don't know of a time that we weren't, you know, at that particular event.
Speaker A:And it was.
Speaker A:It was crazy.
Speaker A:I remember leaving for Shot show and being like, man, I really want to go to this, but I guess I'll go do, you know, my.
Speaker A:My part of the job.
Speaker A:And so leaving for Shot show and there were quite a few companies that were missing at Shot show or sent a skeleton crew for the first two days so that they could attend lobby Day.
Speaker A:And then kind of came in later in the week.
Speaker A:And I think it speaks volumes.
Speaker C:Well, I remember people coming in from all over the country to go there and be at that rally.
Speaker C:And I was watching.
Speaker C:There were some people that had live feeds.
Speaker C:There were people that were just posting little videos on Instagram.
Speaker C:And it was.
Speaker C:It was a beautiful sight to see.
Speaker A:Yeah,.
Speaker B:No, so before I started goa, I never had.
Speaker B:Let's start that over.
Speaker B:Before I started at Goa, I really didn't have the opportunity to go to, like, a lobby day or a 2A rally.
Speaker B:So I went to the first one a few about a month ago from today in Arizona.
Speaker B:And it was funny because like you said, everybody was clean.
Speaker B:Clean.
Speaker B:We Were respectful.
Speaker B:Everything was great.
Speaker B:The hilarious part was because I was there with Jared.
Speaker B:He's pointing out, hey, he's like, snipers are over there.
Speaker B:They are flying drones around us the whole time.
Speaker B:I'm like, cool, I'm on another list, let's go.
Speaker B:Just keep at it, racking them up.
Speaker B:But it's weird that they, like you said, most of the time these two way rallies and lobby days and things like that are very clean, respectable, well protected.
Speaker B:But then they're flying around drones and have a large presence.
Speaker B:And I get that there may be counter protesters and things like that, but our community is very respectful, very.
Speaker B:We, you know, keep things clean.
Speaker B:We try our best to be, you know, do everything.
Speaker B:I just don't understand the cultural push of us being these unruly, crazy people.
Speaker A:I think it's a. I think it's a very thinly veiled argument.
Speaker A:And one of the things that I think is valuable for us as communicators and as people who are building the on ramp for the second amendment is to allow people to know, recognize and be educated that they have a second amendment right whether they choose to exercise it or not.
Speaker A:And the reason I say that's important is because language matters.
Speaker A:You know, we're living in a very interesting time where the definition can change at any point for anything.
Speaker A:A bump stock can apparently magically become a machine gun.
Speaker A:Who knew a drawing of a on.
Speaker C:An auto key card can be a machine gun?
Speaker A:Yeah, it's wild what can be redefined and changed.
Speaker A:And the main thing that I want people to understand is they're giving up something too.
Speaker A:And they might not recognize the value of it now, but they need to recognize that they're losing something too.
Speaker A:They're not gaining the security that they think they're gaining.
Speaker A:They're not gaining the control that they think that they're gaining.
Speaker A:They are losing everything.
Speaker A:We may fill it more as gun owners, as people who they wanted to turn into felons because we owned a piece of plastic that was five seconds ago approved by the ATF if you were a pistol brace owner.
Speaker A:But those sort of things have substantial value.
Speaker A:And I have found that when you lead with that, when you're talking with people who are anti gun, sometimes the light turns on because they don't recognize that it's their right to.
Speaker A:And they think that we're all crazy and that they're not giving up anything.
Speaker A:And in fact they're getting more security.
Speaker A:I forget who did it.
Speaker A:I want to say it was John Lovell.
Speaker A:Did a man on the street interview, I believe it was in Atlanta.
Speaker A:And he like went around and was like, you know, do you trust the government?
Speaker A:And everyone was like, no.
Speaker A:And they were like, do you think that you should have guns?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Who do you think should have the guns?
Speaker A:The government.
Speaker A:And he just like would pause and be like, so the people you don't trust should have the guns.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker A:But I do think that if we start educating people that you're giving up something to, you might not be exercising it, but it's still your right.
Speaker C:And I think that what's happening in some of these states who have created these laws in direct response in retaliation of Bruin are perfect examples.
Speaker C:Like, look what's happening in New York right now.
Speaker C:You have like a 4% chance of getting approved for a license just to have a gun in your house by the numbers of what the police are actually approving for permits in New York right now.
Speaker C:Some of these counties have a three year wait list.
Speaker C:And they're also, you know, through the roof with crime.
Speaker C:And you know, these people are like, okay, well we, we shouldn't have guns.
Speaker C:No one should have guns.
Speaker C:Well, you know what?
Speaker C:Now they have the National Guard doing the police work in the New York subways because crime is so bad and because the New York government is so intent on not allowing people to exercise their second amendment rights that now, now they're like, okay, well the National Guard isn't going to carry rifles in the subway anymore.
Speaker C:But for a few days they, they were.
Speaker C:We had the National Guard patrolling these subways in New York City with rifles, doing bag checks to make sure that people weren't carrying guns in a same city.
Speaker C:That was huge on Defund the police.
Speaker C:We don't want a police presence.
Speaker C:Well, great.
Speaker C:Now you have a military presence.
Speaker C:How is that working out for you?
Speaker B:What do you mean?
Speaker B:It's fantastic, right?
Speaker B:You know, this dystopian society.
Speaker A:Someone didn't read Ayn Rand and it shows,.
Speaker B:Golly, that just.
Speaker B:Well, you know, New York is.
Speaker B:They, they've flopped on a bunch of stuff.
Speaker B:You know, they're just special.
Speaker A:And bless their heart as the resident Southern.
Speaker A:Bless their heart, thank you for saying.
Speaker B:The quiet parts are there.
Speaker B:And we saw this at the Empowered to a international Women's Range Day that we did in Dallas in March.
Speaker B:We had tons of women, 340 to be exact, from all different backgrounds, all different nationalities, many of whom it was their first time firing a gun, many of whom got the opportunity to fire guns from our great vendors and our Vendors, again, I want to applaud them for stepping outside of their comfort zones.
Speaker B:As many who have been to range days, the vendors normally, it's, here's my product, now shoot it.
Speaker B:This was more of here's my product.
Speaker B:You don't know how to shoot.
Speaker B:Okay, let's teach you.
Speaker B:Which show you.
Speaker C:That's really cool.
Speaker B:And we, the vendors came out successful.
Speaker B:I mean, all our vendors were super happy as well after the fact, but they felt.
Speaker B:Our good friend Kat Leahy from.
Speaker B:From Global Ordinance did an amazing job training a ton of women.
Speaker B:She called me and she said, hey, this.
Speaker B:This empowered me.
Speaker B:This made me feel good.
Speaker B:This is something good.
Speaker B:This is different than any other event.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's good to see events like that that we've put on where we have the ability to train women and beat this narrative that it's just, you know, old white men well.
Speaker C:And I have two things to say on that.
Speaker C:First, I hope that more women do get into the second amendment so that other people can create better carry options for women.
Speaker C:Let's just face it, they're not great.
Speaker C:If you are a petite woman, you're printing.
Speaker C:That's just how it is.
Speaker C:And the second thing is, you know, another great example is what's happening in Connecticut right now.
Speaker C:There are inner city communities that are developing civilian patrols in Hartford, Connecticut, right now.
Speaker C:Because Hartford is a lovely place.
Speaker A:It's getting lovelier.
Speaker A:It's getting lovelier.
Speaker B:We were just talking about this earlier.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And it's.
Speaker C:You know, a predominantly black church is like, hey, we're gonna start doing armed civilian patrols, and everyone's all up in arms about it.
Speaker C:No pun intended.
Speaker C:Because, like, oh, no, it's not.
Speaker C:Some.
Speaker C:Some old white guys that are doing this, and the media just doesn't know what to do about it.
Speaker A:Well, isn't it funny how quiet it is?
Speaker A:Like, I just.
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker A:The silence is deafening on it.
Speaker B:In fact, they're taking back their community.
Speaker B:They're cleaning it up.
Speaker B:They're showing that they respect their community, and that's amazing to see that they're bringing.
Speaker B:They're sick.
Speaker B:And I believe what I saw, and correct me if I'm wrong, but right now, they're just doing it during the day.
Speaker B:They're talking about expanding into the night as well.
Speaker C:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:To help, you know, again, it's in one of the roughest places of.
Speaker C:Yeah, I used to go to underground punk shows in Hartford, and I was just telling my husband the other day, I was like, I don't know what I was doing this little 18 year old girl in Hartford at 2 in the morning.
Speaker C:How did something bad not happen to me?
Speaker B:But they're taking, they're taking their community back, which is fantastic.
Speaker C:It's empowering.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love that.
Speaker A:It's a personal responsibility, it's a personal choice that they're doing because you know, we can talk about all of the things that go into making a community thrive.
Speaker A:But if you go out, you can go out with the greatest intentions.
Speaker A:I'm going to do X, Y and Z and I'm going to provide all of the resources.
Speaker A:But if the people don't want to live in a safe community and they don't want to do what it takes to keep that community safe, it doesn't matter what you, what you give them, right.
Speaker A:It's got to come from the people in that community.
Speaker A:And that's what's so great about the second Amendment community is because it's a natural right, it's available to everybody and you don't have to fit a group, you don't have to fit a narrative.
Speaker A:You, you can just be a, a law abiding citizen who takes personal responsibility for yourself and your family.
Speaker A:And that is the definition of empowered.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And I love seeing stories like this.
Speaker A:I love seeing people join the community.
Speaker A:I love seeing people out at range days.
Speaker A:And I hope that we will see many more people come August at our convention.
Speaker A:Because there's something amazing that happens when the second Amendment community gets together and we're able to learn and educate ourselves better and become better advocates and better gun owners and better citizens.
Speaker A:And that's a very powerful thing.
Speaker A: You know, it's: Speaker A:Before I worked at goa, I ran some congressional campaigns and worked in politics and I know how exhausting an election year is.
Speaker A:I get the fatigue, I get the constant bombardment.
Speaker A:I'm sure as we have sat here, I have probably been texted by at least 15 campaigns asking me to donate to them.
Speaker A:Our, our convention is going to be a place where we can just relax, have fun, learn and be a part of our community.
Speaker A:And it, we don't have to worry about any of the other political messaging.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:GOA is a single issue organization.
Speaker A:We love the second Amendment.
Speaker A:We're all about the second Amendment.
Speaker A:We're really good at what we do and that's the 2A.
Speaker A:And so I hope that come August we're going to see the most diverse group of gun owners and the most people who are, are ready to join us.
Speaker A:On this journey.
Speaker C:I mean, I forget what big media outlet did it recently.
Speaker C:There was a poll and that they did and they were shocked by the answers.
Speaker C:Because if that poll is correct, then I think it will be because the headline was record number of gun ownership since like the 70s or something.
Speaker C:And it's across all political affiliations, across all races and ethnicities.
Speaker C:And so I think so.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:And we're excited to welcome, welcome you guys into Knoxville, Tennessee.
Speaker B:And the dates are, oh, 17th and.
Speaker A:18Th of August in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Speaker C:I'm like, how far is Knoxville from upstate South Carolina?
Speaker A:It's not, not very far because I drove through Greenville to get.
Speaker A:I live right outside of Knoxville, so I'm our boots on the ground for, for this event, which is probably a good thing since I've been planning it for the last two years.
Speaker A:Let's see, it'll take you like maybe four hours.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:Maybe, maybe I can convince some, some toddler action.
Speaker A:You know, fun fact.
Speaker A:So I am a toddler mom myself and I there, this is a very, this is a.
Speaker C:That mom brain is coming out.
Speaker A:If I could use words correctly, this would be great.
Speaker A:This is a very family friendly show.
Speaker A:And one right outside of the convention center.
Speaker A:There's a nice little park so all of the energies can get run out, which is super exciting.
Speaker A:But we actually have designated kid zones.
Speaker C:That's amazing because I, last year I think I got onboarded to go to the psa, the gathering they were holding, because, I mean, it's not that far.
Speaker C:And then all of a sudden, like last minute, they like sent out an email and they're like, oh, you know, everyone needs ear protection at all times.
Speaker C:And I'm like, would you, would you like to put ear protection on my toddler?
Speaker C:Because that's not going to work.
Speaker C:And so it was like, oh, okay, well, I guess I can't go to this now.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I won't tease everything, but, you know, our members are by and large very family oriented.
Speaker A:Our vice president, Eric, I think, is most noted for his 11 children.
Speaker A:Like he, you know, so family's very important to us at goa.
Speaker A:And so we're gonna have a Minute man coloring contest and a lot of, a lot of fun things for families to enjoy because there's, you know, this is a welcoming community and so we're gonna have little, little respites so that, you know, if you're a parent and you need to just like let your kid have a little time to chill so you can enjoy the rest of this show.
Speaker A:You know, it's going to be, it's going to be really fun and very family friendly to just walk around and hopefully add a few things to your wish list as you go around.
Speaker A:Well, I'm getting the signal to wrap up.
Speaker A:So Ms. Gundy award winning Liberty Doll, please plug your social media and anything else you want to direct people to.
Speaker C:Okay, well, primary is YouTube.
Speaker C:Just look up Liberty Doll on YouTube.
Speaker C:You will find me.
Speaker C:I do have a Facebook and Twitter that I almost never use anymore.
Speaker C:I do not do the tick tocks.
Speaker C:I do not do the telegrams.
Speaker C:Again, that is not me.
Speaker C:Don't talk to that person.
Speaker C:I don't know who they are.
Speaker C:I think that the primary thing right now is just YouTube.
Speaker C:I mean, I'm on all the alternative platforms as well.
Speaker C:Like all my videos automatically go to Bitshoot and Rumble and I guess Odyssey doesn't exist anymore.
Speaker C:So I guess it doesn't go to Odyssey anymore, but I'm on all of those as well.
Speaker A:Well, fantastic.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker A:Thank you for joining us.
Speaker C:Thank you for having me.
Speaker C:This was fun.
Speaker B:All right, well, make sure to, like, share and subscribe.
Speaker B:Hit the little bell for notifications.
Speaker B:Leave a five star review on all podcasting apps and we will see you at goals.
