Episode 3
Off-Body Carry Done Right (ft. Cakes Concealed Carry)
Cakes Concealed Carry started as a personal problem, not a business plan. Its founder got her CCW license in California, where the instructors told her repeatedly that off-body carry was not acceptable. She bought the gear they recommended, spent hundreds of dollars on holsters and a stiff CCW belt, and found none of it fit her lifestyle or body type. She kept asking one question: what would make her actually choose to carry every single day? Off-body was the answer. She tried tactical bags that announced she had a gun, then tried rigging her own purses and realized how unsafe that was. Finally her husband offered to design one bag for her as a gift, at the cost of a prototype. That single bag became a brand that sold roughly 6,000 bags in its first year and won Emerging Brand of the Year at the Gundies.
The design goal was specific. She wanted a purse that looked feminine, fit her outfit, stayed discreet, and could still meet the technical bar the instructors used to dismiss off-body carry: sub 1.5-second shots on target. The Cakes system grew from there, including a waist chain she first added because it was cute and then found gave the bag three points of stability for a one-handed draw while moving. The conversation also covers how feminine carry has become its own category, with Project Gunway and other brands now entering the space. Her position on competition is plain. Cakes has one goal, arm every woman, so if a customer carries with someone else's bag, that still counts.
The back half is about California and the new gun owner. She walks through what it took to buy a gun and earn a permit in her county: the FSC firearm safety test her husband failed, a 30-day wait, proof of citizenship and matching utility bills, three references the sheriff calls to vouch for you, an in-person psychological exam at the sheriff's office, multiple fingerprint sessions, and a roughly $1,000 out-the-door cost. That experience moved her and her husband from liberal to libertarian. She argues the barriers slow down the law-abiding while criminals skip all of it, and she pushes the gun community to welcome new owners instead of overwhelming them with trigger-weight talk and politics. Cakes is on Instagram at cakes.concealed and is building a YouTube channel for carry education.
Questions this episode answers
Why did off-body carry, often dismissed in CCW classes, become the right answer for one new gun owner?
After getting her CCW license in California, the Cakes Concealed Carry founder found the holsters and stiff belt her instructors recommended did not fit her body or lifestyle. Off-body carry was the only setup that made her willing to carry every single day.
How did Cakes Concealed Carry go from a single prototype bag to roughly 6,000 bags sold in its first year?
Her husband designed one concealed carry bag for her as a gift, at the cost of a prototype, after she found tactical bags too obvious and rigging her own purses unsafe. That single bag became a brand that sold about 6,000 bags in its first year and won Emerging Brand of the Year at The Gundies.
What technical standard did the founder design the bag to meet, and why did it matter?
She built the bag to hit sub 1.5-second shots on target, the same technical bar instructors used to dismiss off-body carry. Meeting it let her prove a bag could look feminine and stay discreet while still drawing fast.
What does it actually take, step by step, to buy a gun and get a CCW permit in California?
In her county it meant the FSC firearm safety test, a 30-day wait, proof of citizenship with matching utility bills, three references the sheriff calls, an in-person psychological exam, multiple fingerprint sessions, and roughly $1,000 out the door.
How did the founder's politics shift from liberal to libertarian after buying her first gun?
Going through California's permit and purchase process, and seeing how it burdened law-abiding buyers, moved her and her husband from liberal to libertarian. Becoming gun owners reframed how she saw the barriers around the right to carry.
Why does the founder argue that gun legislation protects criminals rather than law-abiding citizens?
She argues the legal barriers only slow down people who follow the law, since criminals bypass the permits, waits, and checks entirely. The result is that legislation adds cost and delay for the law-abiding without stopping the people it targets.
How should the gun community treat new gun owners walking into a store for the first time?
She pushes the community to welcome new owners instead of overwhelming them with trigger-weight talk and politics. Her view is that every gun store should invite and welcome first-time buyers rather than intimidate them.
What is the Cakes waist chain, and how did a cute accessory turn into a tactical feature?
She first added the waist chain because it looked cute, then found it gave the bag three points of stability for a one-handed draw while moving. A styling choice became a functional part of the carry system.
Chapters
- 00:00 — Welcome and meet Cakes Concealed Carry
- 00:39 — How a personal CCW journey started the brand
- 01:48 — Carrying every day becomes a lifestyle
- 04:04 — One prototype bag turns into 6,000 sold
- 04:27 — The California concealed carry class
- 06:40 — Industry reception and the 1.5-second standard
- 10:05 — The waist chain that became a tactical feature
- 11:37 — Her firearms journey and personal responsibility
- 16:14 — From liberal to libertarian after the first gun
- 20:34 — Why a permit is required to carry in California
- 25:55 — The barrier to entry and a friend named Marissa
- 33:09 — Taxing a God-given right and fighting legislation
- 40:03 — From the soapbox: welcoming the new gun owner
- 48:55 — Winning Emerging Brand of the Year at the Gundies
- 52:13 — Where to find Cakes and closing
About the guest
Founder and owner of Cakes Concealed Carry, a women-owned brand making concealed carry bags for off-body carry. She is based in California and lives in Riverside County. She comes from an immigrant family that immigrated from Bangladesh, and she is an abuse survivor who decided to be responsible for her own safety. She and her husband took basic pistol and safety training before buying their first gun, and moved from liberal to libertarian after becoming gun owners. The brand started after her husband designed her a single bag as a gift. Cakes sold about 6,000 bags in its first year and won Emerging Brand of the Year at the Gundies. The host introduces her as Tamkin Collins. [VERIFY name spelling: the auto-transcript also renders it "Tapkin"/"Tamkin."]
Key quotes
"It really started with when I chose to get my CCW license." — Tamkin Collins
"when you start wearing that stuff, once you get your ccw, you realize that this is a lifestyle." — Tamkin Collins
"And now we have sold probably 6,000 bags in our first year." — Tamkin Collins
"I think that the industry has been waiting for something like this" — Tamkin Collins
"And then we bought our first gun, and we just got fully radicalized into libertarianism." — Tamkin Collins
"So the people that are law abiding are going to abide by the law." — Tamkin Collins
"Every gun store needs to invite and welcome new gun owners." — Tamkin Collins
"cakes only has one goal, which is arm every woman." — Tamkin Collins
Transcript
Welcome to the state of the second podcast.
Speaker A:My name is John and today we're joined by Tamkin Collins, owner of Kicks Concealed Carry, a women owned brand crafting stylish, discreet CCW bags, holsters and accessories made for secure on body concealed carry.
Speaker A:Blending fashion with function, they offer a complete everyday carry system without the tactical look.
Speaker A:Tapkin, how are you?
Speaker A:Thank you for joining us.
Speaker B:I'm.
Speaker B:Well, that was quite the introduction.
Speaker B:I don't even know how you read all that without screwing anything up.
Speaker B:But yeah, I'm doing great and I'm really happy to be here.
Speaker A:So how did you get inspired to do this and get into the concealed carry line of items?
Speaker B:Honestly, it was a personal journey because I guess Cakes was never meant to be this brand that it is right now.
Speaker B:It really started with when I chose to get my CCW license.
Speaker B:And you know, you go through the entire.
Speaker B:I'm in California by the way, so we have no gun rights.
Speaker B:You basically have to go through like 16 hours of training to be able to even apply to get your CCW permit.
Speaker B:And I was in this training.
Speaker B:You know, we've got like five or six instructors.
Speaker B:You can only get trained by a DOJ certified post instructor.
Speaker B:So we had to have a police officer in the room.
Speaker B:It was like this huge ordeal and everybody was saying off body carry was just like not acceptable.
Speaker B:And of course I'm going to believe everything everyone says because they are smarter than me and more experienced than me and they're speaking with authority.
Speaker B:You know, I've got a cop in the room.
Speaker B:What am I going to say?
Speaker B:No, I'm going to, you know, carry off body.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And that was a time where I really was just buying anything that the instructors told me to buy.
Speaker B:So I was spending hundreds of dollars on all kinds of holsters and gear and you know, getting like this super hard like CCW belt.
Speaker B:And you know, when you start wearing that stuff, once you get your ccw, you realize that this is a lifestyle.
Speaker B:It's not like, hey, I'm going to, I'm going to CCW today because I'm going to the hood.
Speaker B:Like, that's not what it is.
Speaker B:It's a lifestyle.
Speaker B:You carry every day.
Speaker B:You become, you know, a person that thinks in a defensive mindset and it has to be something you can do every day.
Speaker B:And I kept thinking like, wouldn't it be better if I could just carry?
Speaker B:The way I will be able to say yes to carrying every day.
Speaker B:Like even if it's not appendix, you know, IWB appendix Using all the gear that they said, like, what if there was a way that I would choose to take my gun every single day?
Speaker B:And off body was the answer for me because none of the stuff that they were recommending was just working with my lifestyle or my body type.
Speaker B:So finally I started just like carrying with like other tactical bags that look like super, like, I have a gun.
Speaker B:And at first I didn't care because I thought it was cool that I had a gun.
Speaker B:I was like, hey, I have a gun now.
Speaker B:You know, like, mother need to know I have a gun.
Speaker A:Stockpiling ammo can be a daunting task and cost a lot of money.
Speaker A:Bulk buying all at once just, it just kills the savings account.
Speaker A:Well now Ammo Square's got you covered.
Speaker A:Just like a savings account, you can put a specific amount of money towards the type of calibers and type of ammo you want and build up an ammo savings account.
Speaker A:They have a climate controlled facility with over 70 different calibers.
Speaker A:Guys, this is as simple as just plug and play and forget.
Speaker A:And guys, if you don't need that ammo anymore, you can sell it back to Ammo Squared for a profit.
Speaker A:Go to Ammo Squared right now to start your ammo savings account.
Speaker B:And then as I continued in my kind of CCW lifestyle evolution, I realized that I don't want people to know that I have a gun or suspect that I have a gun.
Speaker B:And also I kind of want to look feminine.
Speaker B:I like everyone was saying, hey, now that you're a CCW holder, you're going to dress differently.
Speaker B:It's almost like now that you're a mother, you're going to chop off all your hair.
Speaker B:Like, I don't have to do that.
Speaker B:I can, I can find other ways to be able to have like a new phase in my life without having to change who I am.
Speaker B:So that's when I started experimenting with bag carrying and you know, just having the bags that I actually was carrying every day, putting a gun in there, realizing it was so unsafe, I couldn't even, couldn't even see where the trigger was as I'm trying to like install this like holster in there.
Speaker B:And finally my husband was like, hey, enough of this complaining.
Speaker B:I'll just design you a bag and we'll just make one.
Speaker B:And it was going to be like the cost of like buying a Louis Vuitton, like a fancy Hermes bag or something, like $12,000 for a prototype.
Speaker B:Hey, just make a prototype.
Speaker B:You'll have one really cool bag for yourself.
Speaker B:It'll Be my gift to you.
Speaker B:And so we started the journey of just making one bag for me.
Speaker B:And now we have sold probably 6,000 bags in our first year.
Speaker A:Holy cow.
Speaker A:That's amazing.
Speaker A:You know you brought up the California concealed carry class.
Speaker A:I have taken that class.
Speaker A:It sucks.
Speaker A:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:For California residents, it's also very confusing because I took the non resident class to, because I live in Arizona.
Speaker A:So I, I travel into California because we have a office there.
Speaker A:And I took the non resident class.
Speaker A:And then just trying to understand the laws and each law by county.
Speaker A:I feel for you guys.
Speaker B:I'm so, yeah, it sucks so bad.
Speaker B:And I can't even carry like a, in my specific county, I can't carry a 32 ACP, which I bought the cutest little mouse gun.
Speaker B:And I was like, oh, I'm gonna carry this.
Speaker B:It's so cute.
Speaker B:It's gonna, it was gonna be my wedding gun that I bring to weddings.
Speaker B:Deep concealment.
Speaker B:And found out that my county specifically does not allow 32.
Speaker B:So therefore I, you know, I bought the gun for nothing.
Speaker B:It's just going to sit in my gun room now.
Speaker A:No, that was the confusing part because I also, because so I did mine through Riverside County.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's where I'm at.
Speaker A:That's where you're at.
Speaker A:So I, I read that.
Speaker A:I'm like, what do you mean I can't carry this?
Speaker A:I have to kill.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker A:What do you mean?
Speaker A:So I, for those of you who haven't taken the California non resident class, highly recommend getting it if you're planning on traveling to California.
Speaker A:But the class is just a lot of craziness.
Speaker A:And what made me really laugh about the, the California laws as being an Arizona resident where I'm like, it's free.
Speaker A:We can do whatever we want.
Speaker A:If you have a knife in your pocket that doesn't have a pocket clip, that's a felony.
Speaker A:But if you have a gun in your pocket in the other pocket, that's just a misdemeanor.
Speaker A:So I don't understand your all's laws, but it's, it's confusing as heck.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think the justification behind that was that the second amendment only protects guns and not knives.
Speaker B:I thought arms was arms.
Speaker B:I, you know, don't even get me started on the infringement out here.
Speaker B:I can rant for days.
Speaker A:Well, before we continue to rant about California, let's continue talking about your story.
Speaker A:So you sold 6,000 bags in the first year.
Speaker A:You know, how has the reception been from the industry side as you are getting into this.
Speaker A:I saw you at shot show.
Speaker A:I saw you walking around at the the project Gunway.
Speaker A:Thank you for my brain working for once and showing off your items.
Speaker A:How has that reception been from not only all the sales but from the industry side and all the people coming up to you?
Speaker B:It has been really incredible.
Speaker B:I'm super blessed and I think, and it's not necessarily, I would like to think Cakes is a great product, but I don't think it's only because cakes is a great product.
Speaker B:I think that the industry has been waiting for something like this because sure, gun purses have been around for a very, very long time, but that wasn't the point.
Speaker B:The point was for me to create a product that I can live up to the scrutiny of these firearms instructors that told me no, they said you cannot carry a purse because of the, the true or drill where if someone's going to run at you from 21ft away with a knife, how fast can you close that gap?
Speaker B:You know, And I think 1.5 seconds is the answer.
Speaker B:So you have to be able to go from, you know, perceived threat to shots on target in 1.5 seconds.
Speaker B:This is just like made up scenario, right?
Speaker B:Like I think the police department made that up to help justify when they can use lethal force.
Speaker B:And ultimately it didn't matter to me.
Speaker B:That's what all the instructors were using to tell me that I couldn't carry off body.
Speaker B:So as long as I can create a purse that was discreet and looked feminine and was something I was willing to carry every day, that didn't conflict with my outfit, but I could get that sub 1.5 second shots on target.
Speaker B:That's what I was going for.
Speaker B:And I think ultimately like we were successful in meeting those technical requirements.
Speaker B:And then of course being a cute bag was, you know, was awesome because not only can women now actually compete with IWB draw times, they can do it in a way that's like totally discreet, like actually fits your outfit.
Speaker B:Looks like any other bag on Amazon.
Speaker B:I got a lot of people online that's like, well, now everybody knows that those cross bodies have a gun in it.
Speaker B:And I, you know, it's crazy.
Speaker B:I was sitting in Vegas looking at every single woman and like, I think half of them had a crossbody bag.
Speaker B:Doesn't mean half of them have a gun.
Speaker B:And I'm, I'm not talking about in the Venetian in the shot show area.
Speaker B:I'm talking about just in Vegas.
Speaker B:Crossbody bags have been around for a very, very long time.
Speaker B:And I was wearing them before I had a gun, and I'm wearing them now that I have a gun.
Speaker B:So I think it's kind of like, you know, saying like, oh, you make yourself a target by carrying off.
Speaker B:Not really.
Speaker B:Everybody has a purse.
Speaker B:Like, everybody has a bag.
Speaker B:So whether or not I'm gonna, you know, rely on that and then not be situationally aware is different.
Speaker B:But that's where training comes into play.
Speaker B:So I think the reception has been very, very positive, overwhelmingly so.
Speaker B:And there's, there's only room for growth here because we've, we've kind of like perfected like our Madeline model.
Speaker B:And we're really looking to offer more variation to carry bags to women.
Speaker B:And we're also going to stay in our lane too.
Speaker B:There's other brands out there that do great stuff tactically.
Speaker B:They do great stuff for men.
Speaker B:And we're just gonna stay in our lane and be like, hey, ultra cute bag.
Speaker B:Super awesome high end leather product for women and has a very rapid deployment feature for a firearm.
Speaker B:And like, we're just gonna stay in our lane and continue to do a good job.
Speaker A:No, and I, I appreciate you guys doing that.
Speaker A:And for the people who said that crossbody bags just means you have a gun, that's insane to think because like you said, crossbody bags have been around forever.
Speaker A:Not everyone has a gun in it.
Speaker A:Not everything.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:It's the one.
Speaker A:The ones that make me think that they stand out when they're ultra tactical.
Speaker A:Yours is not ultra tactical.
Speaker A:Yours is fashion forward and showing off that you can be confident when you carry with it and be fashionable at the same time.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's 100 our goal.
Speaker B:And we're trying to push like the cakes system a little bit because what we realized is that a lot of things that I started to do just because it was cute actually had like a tactical advantage.
Speaker B:So when I went to the Empowered to a.
Speaker B:They had a national woman's range day in Vegas in, I think like two years ago.
Speaker B:It was in like the springtime and I went there and I was wearing this little chain around.
Speaker B:It was clipping onto either side of the bag and it went around my waist.
Speaker B:I just thought it was cute.
Speaker B:Then I realized that it added three points of stability to the purse to where if I'm drawing one handed or if I'm running, it's stabilizing the entire back so that your pistol frame doesn't end up in a random place when you're drawing it just because you're moving around so much.
Speaker B:It like, lashes it to your.
Speaker B:Your chest.
Speaker B:And so that ended up becoming, like, a thing that we do now.
Speaker B:We're like, hey, we do waist chains with, like, little cute gold charms.
Speaker B:And I mean, ultimately it's just cute.
Speaker B:And you're not thinking like, oh, my gosh, like, this girl's got a gun.
Speaker B:It's like, oh, my God, look at that cute chain around your waist.
Speaker B:Like, where'd you get that chain?
Speaker B:Like, why is there a little cupcake hanging off of it?
Speaker B:Because we're just playing on the whole cakes thing.
Speaker A:No, I love that.
Speaker A:Now I kind of want to dive in real quick.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:You talked about you got your concealed carry permit.
Speaker A:I want to know the.
Speaker A:The why.
Speaker A:Can you explain to people and kind of your firearms journey on how you got into this?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's been.
Speaker B:It's been a really long journey.
Speaker B:I think I've always been very.
Speaker B:I would say, like, be responsible for your own safety and be responsible for your own outcome.
Speaker B:And growing up, I come from an immigrant family, so my family immigrated here from Bangladesh.
Speaker B:There's a lot of women are weak mindset there.
Speaker B:You need a man to take care of you.
Speaker B:Like, you know, women live at home until they get married, and then the man, you know, the husband becomes the.
Speaker B:The caretaker of the woman.
Speaker B:It's almost like women are a burden, right?
Speaker B:So I really rebelled against that a lot in childhood.
Speaker B:I was always like, punk rock, skater girl, surfer girl.
Speaker B:Like, I want to do all the things I wasn't allowed to do.
Speaker B:I wanted to be a drummer in a rock band.
Speaker B:So since, like, early childhood, I've been rebelling against that, I guess, notion of, like, women are.
Speaker B:Women are weak.
Speaker B:Women are a burden.
Speaker B:And ultimately, I think just like, growing up in California, I've had other, like, more traumatic things happen, which I think I'll save for other.
Speaker B:For others.
Speaker B:But, yeah, everyone says, like, everyone's path to firearms ownership either is a sister or a tragedy.
Speaker B:Like, you either have an awesome sister that's like, hey, let's go to the range together, or you have a tragedy in your life where you realize that no one will ever be responsible for my outcome again.
Speaker B:And that, unfortunately, that was kind of like my origin story with it is I. I was an abuse survivor.
Speaker B:And when I was old enough to, you know, like, live on my own and take care of myself, it was kind of always in the back of my mind that, like, hey, I'm kind of small, and anyone, even, like, a large woman could, like, overpower me very easily.
Speaker B:I mean, I try to Hit the gym.
Speaker B:But come on.
Speaker B:Like, I've, like, 115 pounds.
Speaker B:Like, what am I gonna do, like, against even a guy that doesn't hit the gym that weighs, like, 200 pounds?
Speaker B:It's, you know, like, mass moves mass.
Speaker B:And I've always thought about keeping a firearm, but I was just, like, too lazy to, like, go and get the training.
Speaker B:And, you know, I never could afford a gun.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's another thing is, like, we've got so many taxes layered on top of taxes here in California that it ultimately just becomes so expensive for the average person.
Speaker B:It's different now that I've got money, and it's like I've got a freaking Trijicon SRO on every single firearm pistol that I own.
Speaker B:But not everybody can do that.
Speaker B:So I had to get to the point where I could afford, you know, like, California CCW costs about, like, a thousand dollars when you're.
Speaker B:When you're out the door.
Speaker B:So when we were like, hey, we're in a good place financially.
Speaker B:We own a home that we can have safe storage.
Speaker B:We thought about all these things.
Speaker B:And then both me and my husband took.
Speaker B:Took the steps to get basic pistol training and safety training before we even made a decision to buy a gun.
Speaker B:But we wanted to do things, like, super legit.
Speaker B:And also, like, our kind of, like, political ideology background is a little bit weird because, like, we were both, like, liberals.
Speaker B:And then we bought our first gun, and we just got fully radicalized into libertarianism.
Speaker B:So it was like, a very slippery slope for us because we were the kind of people that thought that, hey, you know, like, you know, gun laws help with safety.
Speaker B:Like, we want people to be safe.
Speaker B:And then I'm like, wait, nobody else is safe?
Speaker B:Like, you know, so that doesn't mean that we want to be unsafe, but we very quickly realized that, like, penalizing people for, you know, not knowing or not being able to comply with laws isn't necessarily, like, having a positive outcome on people that actually follow the law like me.
Speaker B:So that, yeah, that was the journey.
Speaker B:It was just wanting to be fully independent from.
Speaker B:I just don't ever want to be like, hey, I need to call the cops for help.
Speaker B:Like, I want to see any event through to its outcome based on my own readiness to handle a situation.
Speaker A:No, I totally understand that.
Speaker A:And Goa preaches that through our definition of a gun rights activist and how you got involved.
Speaker A:I kind of want to dive in real quick.
Speaker A:So you said you were a liberal, You've gotten into guns, you've switched to libertarian.
Speaker A:What was that journey like?
Speaker A:Because a lot of people during the COVID years and after saw that they wanted to take that personal responsibility for self defensing their hands and they've switched their mindset and we've seen a lot of them kind of come over to the two A side and now are like, hey, I need to vote to, to change some of these laws that are infringing on people or making it difficult for people that may not have the money to get into the second amendment space.
Speaker A:So how is that journey going?
Speaker A:Just going, my mind has just completely flipped.
Speaker B:Yeah, it didn't take very much time for my mind to completely flip either because just by, okay, just buying the gun, right?
Speaker B:I had to take a test to get my like fsc, which is your firearm safety card, in order to pass this test.
Speaker B:You, a lot of people are like, it's easy, just go in there and try.
Speaker B:No, like, how are you supposed to know that like in California, the, the lowest age to purchase a firearm is actually 21.
Speaker B:Like that doesn't make sense to me because these Marine like children are out overseas like, you know, with AR15.
Speaker B:So like, what?
Speaker B:So like all of this like really crazy questions that you have to answer about like what is or is not a felony or maybe the fact that, you know, you don't even know how a firearm works at this point.
Speaker B:You're just curious to buy a firearm, but yet you have to pass the test.
Speaker B:My husband failed the test.
Speaker B:So we had to come home, study and like try to figure out like, okay, what does all this stuff mean?
Speaker B:I don't even know what the parts of a gun are.
Speaker B:I don't know, like, okay, we call this the muzzle.
Speaker B:Like we're by ourselves trying to learn this.
Speaker B:It's just super weird, right?
Speaker B:And so we go in, we had to go two days in a row.
Speaker B:We lost the money because we failed the test.
Speaker B:So we went back, took the test again.
Speaker B:Then after that we didn't have any idea like what gun to buy because it's like so culturally not.
Speaker B:It's like not a thing that you talk about normally.
Speaker B:Now it is now I'm like, you know, guns are part of my life.
Speaker B:I got my, my hellcat right here.
Speaker B:Should be a part of normal life as much as freedom of speech is because it's like one of our God given rights, right?
Speaker B:So like, it's weird that none of us know anything and we're over here like on this like lonesome journey to try to buy a gun.
Speaker B:So when we went to actually buy the gun.
Speaker B:We had to bring proof of citizenship, a passport.
Speaker B:That passport address needs to match the address that you live in right now.
Speaker B:We had just moved here.
Speaker B:So then it's like, okay, great, I've got to establish utilities and bring two copies of utility bills that match that address.
Speaker B:And those two utility bills need to be different utilities for my husband because we can't share a same utility bill.
Speaker B:So I had to figure out what utility is going to be under his name, switch the utilities, have two months of consecutive utility bills or two different services, then have those to prove my address.
Speaker B:Then I also had to bring in my car registration to prove that that address specifically was linked to my address that I'm currently physically living in right now.
Speaker B:I couldn't just be like, hey, I just moved here from L. A. I live in California.
Speaker B:Like, I'm getting a California ccw.
Speaker B:Like, it doesn't matter, it needs to be in the county.
Speaker B:So then we had to bring all that stuff in and then of course, do our fingerprint to even be able to do the purchase.
Speaker B:At that time, it was a 30 day wait.
Speaker B:So we not only.
Speaker B:So I had just bought a shotgun for the house.
Speaker B:I had to wait a month to be able to buy my Glock 19.
Speaker B:So then it's like this waiting game of, all right, well, I gotta come back and run background again for this other gun and then do my fingerprints again.
Speaker B:And then I finally have a gun that I can even start my CCW journey with.
Speaker B:Like, now I can practice with a pistol.
Speaker B:Like, I have something.
Speaker B:It's been like a month.
Speaker B:And then when I go, you know, I took the basic pistol trading class.
Speaker B:I understood, okay, like, here's how I line up my sights.
Speaker B:Like, I have.
Speaker B:You can't even do that if you don't have a gun.
Speaker B:So, you know, I don't have friends with guns that I can just be like, hey, like, let me, let me come borrow your gun.
Speaker B:I would never let somebody borrow my gun.
Speaker B:But just understanding the fundamental side alignment, trigger press, four rules of firearm safety, like, all this stuff then came into play where I can finally spend some time familiarizing myself with a firearm.
Speaker B:And I'm really lucky I had ladies led in laughter as a group out here in the Coachella valley, where once a month they shut down the range.
Speaker B:It's only for women.
Speaker B:And so I was able to go there.
Speaker B:They were like, hey, you can try my gun.
Speaker B:You know, we like kind of were able to socialize different firearms to.
Speaker B:To someone that's like a brand new firearms person like me, right?
Speaker B:That this is all before even a ccw, okay?
Speaker B:All this that has happened, this is before a ccw.
Speaker C:As liberty loving Americans, we know how important it is to put your money where your values are.
Speaker C:And that is why we are proud to partner with Right to Bear.
Speaker C:Right to Bear is a cornerstone in the community for self defense protection.
Speaker C:And we are proud to be offering an exclusive discount.
Speaker A:Use code GOA at checkout to save 15% off lifetime of your membership.
Speaker A:Again, that's code GOA to save 15% off on the lifetime of your membership.
Speaker B:We realize that the whole point of having a firearm to defend yourself doesn't apply to you in California unless you have a ccw because you now have this pistol and you can only carry it in your home.
Speaker B:Like, you can't leave, like you can't even walk to the sidewalk with it.
Speaker B:That is illegal in California.
Speaker B:So now we had to start this entire other process of having your concealed carry permit, which was insane.
Speaker B:It was just all of the things that we had to prove.
Speaker B:Again, I had to prove my.
Speaker B:How did I become a citizen?
Speaker B:I had to get my naturalization certificate, submit that to the police department.
Speaker B:I had to have three, three references in California.
Speaker B:So I, I had like friends that I had to put down.
Speaker B:They had to answer the phone when the sheriff calls to like vouch for me and my, my personality and the fact that I'm not involved with the cartel.
Speaker B:Like, that's insane.
Speaker B:Like, like, do people do that to like let you have kids?
Speaker B:You know, Like, I, I just, I just don't, didn't understand.
Speaker B:Like in order for you to exercise your first amendment, I need three people to, to vouch for you that you're not anti Semitic, you know?
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, that's what it felt like to me.
Speaker B:I just thought it was insane.
Speaker B:And then of course, if no one answers the phone because you know, people have jobs, then it's like, well, we can't give it to you until Don Murray answers his phone call.
Speaker B:So it was just ridiculous.
Speaker B:And on top of that, there's a psychological exam that's a part of this CCW process which happens in person.
Speaker B:So during COVID and all that didn't matter.
Speaker B:You had to come in person to interview at the sheriff's office to, to have like an evaluation and a questionnaire where you sit there and then they, they ask you things and you have to answer everything properly and correctly.
Speaker B:They also make you go back like five years if you have a parking ticket or a traffic ticket that's over a certain amount in value.
Speaker B:You have to explain yourself, what happened?
Speaker B:Why did you get pulled over?
Speaker B:Are you a bad person?
Speaker B:It was insane.
Speaker B:And then on top of that, it was like live scam.
Speaker B:Like not forget all the other fingerprints I gave.
Speaker B:I had to go do a live scan, fingerprint only at the sheriff's office, not anywhere else.
Speaker B:So like the amount of time I had to take off of work to do this is ridiculous.
Speaker B:So all of this just made me think, right, because for me, I had a flexible job.
Speaker B:I could do it for my husband too.
Speaker B:I'm like, hey, just put in a couple hours of pto.
Speaker B:You can do it.
Speaker B:What about the mom who works three jobs and takes the metro at night to get to where she needs to go to do.
Speaker B:Like, how is she going to defend herself and her children was my question.
Speaker B:She's working three jobs just to make ends meet and take care of her kids.
Speaker B:Like, how is she going to take a day off of work because she needs to go do her live scan for the sheriff's department.
Speaker B:How is she going to take two days off of work to sit through a 16 hour CCW course that we have to sit through?
Speaker B:And also the fact that you have to shoot every single gun that you want on your permit to qualit.
Speaker B:I understand.
Speaker B:Like, we want to, we want to make sure people know how to shoot, but at the same time, 40ft is really far.
Speaker B:I'm running away if a threat is 40ft.
Speaker B:Like, what the.
Speaker B:And I also have like my tiny little springfield hellcat.
Speaker B:Okay, 40ft is kind of hard, you know, hey, my groupings are good though.
Speaker B:But I'm just saying it took me a while to get those groupings.
Speaker B:If someone is like in fear for their life and they want to just hurry up and get into, you know, they want to see, they want a weapon, they want to get proficient enough to be okay.
Speaker B:It's a lot for them to go through.
Speaker B:I keep thinking about the single mom that's probably a minority or person of color that's working three jobs, taking the metro with a bunch of crackheads and homelessness here in la.
Speaker B:And she's the one that she needs to protect herself and her family because guess what, those are the places in the communities where the cops don't come.
Speaker B:They just don't come.
Speaker B:So it's like if we're going to play into the left, we are always advocating for minorities, you know, like protecting these people.
Speaker B:We're advocating for like, hey, you know, There's a lot of police brutality and violence against this community.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, cool.
Speaker B:Let's let them protect themselves.
Speaker A:I couldn't agree more.
Speaker A:So you brought up a ton of great points and I'm going to pick through them here and there and get, get to a question here, but the 40ft thing, I argued that in my class.
Speaker A:I was like, 40ft, everything in my body is telling me and everything I've learned 40ft, that's distance that I can get more distance from and it's California.
Speaker A:So you're telling me I got to shoot 40ft in the class, but if I do it in real life, I'm going to be questioned about it and they're going to, they're going to crucify me.
Speaker A:Oh, you had enough distance to run.
Speaker A:I brought that up to my instructor.
Speaker A:I was like, 40ft is a lot of distance.
Speaker A:And I know people are going to crucial because there's been incidents where people have shot 40ft.
Speaker A:I understand what people are saying and there's few and far between, but at the same time, like everything that I've been taught is get distance, get distance, get distance.
Speaker A:40Ft is plenty of distance to get away from the fight and not get involved.
Speaker A:And then people are going to question you.
Speaker A:The, the, the other thing that you know, the barrier to entry, you hit it on the head like perfectly.
Speaker A: , she's going to be investing: Speaker B:That's a lot time off of work.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because these offices are not open on the weekends.
Speaker B:They are like, hey, you need to come Monday or Tuesday between 8 to 12.
Speaker B:And I'm like, really?
Speaker B:Like I had to take off work for that.
Speaker A:And that's, it's, it's insane to me.
Speaker A:And you know, as some, I'm fortunate enough to live in this free state and of Arizona and things like that.
Speaker A:But as a California resident and being that person who has swapped from over to the libertarian side, you know, how do you encourage your friends to not only get into this and kind of change their mindset, but also to encourage them to vote against this stuff that's, that's really hard.
Speaker B:So I, actually one of the first things I did at my CCW class was donate to the crpa because the instructors were like, hey, look, in California, the crpa, like they're suing Governor Noseb and you know, they're fighting for our rights.
Speaker B:It's important.
Speaker B:So I gave like 25 bucks, right?
Speaker B:And then I got an email saying, hey, in your area there's a chapter.
Speaker B:So I, I was like, hey, let me just, I'll go and I'll just see what's up.
Speaker B:I was curious and I wanted more gun friends because all my liberal friends were like breaking up with me at this point.
Speaker B:So I went.
Speaker B:And then that's where I started really realizing the legislative impacts because this is like multiple full time jobs of people that just to keep up with what's happening, I think California passed or proposed over a thousand bills a year, which, who reads them?
Speaker B:Because I think when you're over legislating, no one's reading anything anymore.
Speaker B:I don't even think the people we've elected to read this crap is reading it because it's insane.
Speaker B:Like for me to thumb through SB2 and be like, well actually you can't be across from a school or on the sidewalk of a school and if you're going to drive to pick up your kids, you need to put it in your trunk and lock it.
Speaker B:And I'm just like, no one, no one's reading this stuff.
Speaker B:Like, it's insane.
Speaker B:And so when it comes to my transition away from extreme anti gun legislation over to zero tolerance, pretty much at this point, it really started with my own experience that I went through all of this and I'll bring my friend Marissa into the conversation because she was also a new girl, just like me.
Speaker B:And she was like, hey, I just, I had this crazy thing happen where three guys or four guys showed up in my property to rob the property and I was alone and defenseless and I, I literally had nothing.
Speaker B:I didn't know what to do.
Speaker B:So I, I, I was hiding and I was like, that sucks.
Speaker B:You know, like they're on your property to rob and rape you and you're hiding.
Speaker B:Like, I have many amazing scenarios in my head that I could just like imagine that that could have gone.
Speaker B:But I'm just glad she was safe and she was making the decision to, to be armed now, right?
Speaker B:So I was talking about, hey, in order for you to buy your gun, you got to go through all this stuff, like everything I just said, repeat and she was like, wow, that's really good that it's hard to get a gun.
Speaker B:And I was like, what girl?
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:And I had to remind her that the gangster down the street doesn't have to do any of this.
Speaker B:He can just go to his cartel buddy and just get a gun.
Speaker B:Like, the only person that is going through all of this is you and me, girl.
Speaker B:Because we give any flying F about law and order.
Speaker B:So the people that are law abiding are going to abide by the law.
Speaker B:But I mean, robbing you is already illegal.
Speaker B:Raping you is already illegal.
Speaker B:All, all kind of bad stuff is already illegal, right?
Speaker B:Like, I don't think like, like that's kind of what I had to say.
Speaker B:Like, girl, like, girl, no, like it's, it's not good.
Speaker B:It's good to get safety training.
Speaker B:Like it should be incentivized.
Speaker B:Like, no, come with me.
Speaker B:I will take you.
Speaker B:Let in.
Speaker B:Laughter.
Speaker B:We're all going to train together.
Speaker B:There's incentives and there's community built around this.
Speaker B:But at the same time, like feeling like some sort of safety because you, the law abiding citizen who is in danger had to wait three months to be able to buy a gun is not the right way of thinking about things.
Speaker B:So I think it's always important to remind folks that that gun legislature or anti gun legislature doesn't protect anyone.
Speaker B:It protects criminals because all it does is slow us down.
Speaker B:And ultimately like, I think about like how, like how, how would the world be if every single person that was a good person had a gun?
Speaker B:Because I think folks would think twice about like robbing a liquor store, right?
Speaker B:Like if the liquor store owner was like ready to.
Speaker B:Shotgun is in your face.
Speaker B:You know, like, try me.
Speaker B:I will die before you take my property.
Speaker B:And I just feel like we're losing that story spirit through like boiling the frog, right?
Speaker B:Like we're like adding a tiny bit of legislation.
Speaker B:Oh, it makes sense.
Speaker B:Common sense, gun control.
Speaker B:And next thing you know, like it's three months before you can buy a gun.
Speaker B:And that's also like you're an amazing person and have had zero traffic violations.
Speaker B:But the fact that we even looked at my traffic violations is insane.
Speaker B:Like you can't stop me from having a gun if someone rear ended me.
Speaker B:And then I had like a police report about it.
Speaker B:So I think, I think the, the change in like focusing on the legislature really happened with one is my instructor recommended that I, you know, donate to the crpa.
Speaker B:They started emailing me all the stuff that's going on.
Speaker B:And then I was like, oh my gosh, this is actually very scary.
Speaker B:And then, you know, then you start learning that hey, look like you'll have organizations like Gun Owners of America.
Speaker B:Like you're suing, you're doing this, you're doing that.
Speaker B:Something gets deemed unconstitutional and what does California do?
Speaker B:They put a stay on it.
Speaker B:And, and then I started realizing what that was.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter if it's unconstitutional because California does it anyways.
Speaker B:And I just, I just don't understand how that's legal.
Speaker B:And I'm getting like actually really like over.
Speaker B:I'm starting to sweat because I'm very passionate about this, is that you can just get away with this and no one's going to do anything about it.
Speaker B:Like California can just do this to its, to its citizens and there's nothing we can do about it.
Speaker B:And I talked to the gun store owners too.
Speaker B:We got all this extra syntax, right?
Speaker B:You can't tax a right that's illegal.
Speaker B:There's like a, is it Madison vs. Marbury?
Speaker B:Like you can just ignore it.
Speaker B:Like just ignore it.
Speaker B:It's a fake law.
Speaker B:But the gun store owners are like, no, but I need this gun store to feed my family and I don't want them to come shut me down.
Speaker B:I'm going to pay the tax and I want to be like, you boot licker.
Speaker B:But, but I understand, I get it.
Speaker B:Like, like people are scared but like, I mean look where that's getting us as a country.
Speaker B:Like it's not good.
Speaker A:No, I totally agree.
Speaker A:And you brought up the legislation stuff in California.
Speaker A:We have our own office in California.
Speaker A:It's called Gun Owners of California.
Speaker A:That is actually where Goa was founded from originally by H.L.
Speaker A:Richardson, our founder.
Speaker A:And I was talking to, we were at Shacho and Adam who runs our California office and him and I got sitting down talking and he goes, yeah dude, I was at the legislator until two in the morning.
Speaker A:I go, why were you at the legislator until in the, until two in the morning?
Speaker A:Because they come in all at one time and just vote on all these bills and we have to be present to do it and they'll vote until 2, 3 in the morning.
Speaker A:And we have to be there to fight this anti gun legislation and continue to fight.
Speaker A:It's crazy to me how California does not follow the, I mean it's the argument of state rights versus federal rights, but they keep taxing God given rights like the second Amendment with, with ridiculous things we just saw them do.
Speaker A:I'm going to get on my high horse, I'm going to keep going hard.
Speaker A:It's that we just saw them pass a law against accessories that they have to go through ffls and all this stuff.
Speaker A:Oh my gosh, optics, everything.
Speaker A:And it's just crazy because they're not regulated items.
Speaker A:You can't keep doing this.
Speaker A:And they're going to keep doing it.
Speaker A:And the best thing we have to do is just get other people in the fold.
Speaker A:And your.
Speaker A:Your friend's a great example of, you know, oh, this.
Speaker A:See how hard it is to get a gun.
Speaker A:Well, the.
Speaker A:I had.
Speaker A:We had a gentleman on the show named Ton Jones.
Speaker A:He worked in Hollywood and grew up in California.
Speaker A:And he said on the show, people who want to listen to his episode, his way back then finish this one first.
Speaker A:Ton said, like, during COVID he had people in Hollywood come up to him and go, I need a gun.
Speaker A:And he goes, okay, you got to go through all this stuff.
Speaker A:And they go, well, I'm better than that person.
Speaker A:I know better.
Speaker A:You should just sell me a gun and I don't need to go through all these hoops.
Speaker A:And he goes, you're the ones who voted for this.
Speaker A:You're the ones who pushed this through.
Speaker A:You wanted this stuff.
Speaker A:You wanted to make it hard.
Speaker A:And because you are holier than thou or holier than rules for me, but not for thee.
Speaker B:Not for thee.
Speaker A:It doesn't make sense.
Speaker A:And I hate to pick all your friends, but that's a great example of now they're educating themselves on what actually goes into this and how hard it is for people to get it and not realizing that bad guys don't follow the rules.
Speaker A:Only law abiding citizens do, 100%.
Speaker B:I'm seeing an insurgence of like, liberals now that are like, really interested in the second Amendment.
Speaker B:Ever since, like all of this, ICE protests have been going on and of course, a lot it's hard.
Speaker B:I feel like I don't really fit in with like, like a right or a left.
Speaker B:I'm very much, you know, individual liberty, like, that's all I care about.
Speaker B:My property rights, my freedoms.
Speaker B:And it's hard because you've got like, folks on the right that now reject this, this, you know, like, amount of liberal people that are now interested in gun rights.
Speaker B:I'm just like, why are we rejecting them?
Speaker B:Oh, they don't care about it because ice, who cares?
Speaker B:They want their gun rights.
Speaker B:Let's encourage them to fight for them.
Speaker B:So I think ultimately, like, the polarization of our nation really doesn't help Any of these issues because ultimately we're fighting over like, oh, well, now you want to care about gun rights.
Speaker B:Well, guess what?
Speaker B:Good, let them care about gun rights now.
Speaker B:Let's welcome them with open arms.
Speaker B:And then this is one of the things I experienced when I was leaving the Democrat party and just like liberalism in general is that I didn't have conservatives saying, well, you, you were like, no.
Speaker B:They were like, welcome, come here, we love guns.
Speaker B:We love you.
Speaker B:I had to find out that, that conservatives weren't racist just because they were conservatives.
Speaker B:Just, you know, being a black and brown family, we kind of were scared.
Speaker B:We were like, oh man, we're about to, we're about to be in the racist town of like the gun people.
Speaker B:No, man, gun people love you if you love guns.
Speaker B:That's my experience.
Speaker B:It's anecdotal, but I would love for this experience to be everyone's experience because I have been just welcomed and I would like everyone to feel welcomed, even the new ones that are anti ice gun people now.
Speaker B:Like, it's cool, like, hey, like if you want to fight for our gun rights together, let's do this.
Speaker B:Let's change our ways.
Speaker B:Let's stop supporting candidates that are, you know, like pro, you know, like a gun control or like anti gun legislature pushers.
Speaker B:But folks don't understand until they start having problems.
Speaker B:And I don't want like the country to be traumatized into wanting to fight for their gun rights.
Speaker B:But apparently that's what it, that's what it looks, that's like what it takes.
Speaker B:It's like me, it's a tragedy or a sister.
Speaker B:So unfortunately it's looking like we need more and more tragedy.
Speaker B:Not we need, but what's happening is people are experiencing more and more tragedy to then find that they actually do need to be able to defend themselves.
Speaker A:No, I couldn't agree more.
Speaker A:And a great example of that again is, and I hate bringing this up over and over again, but it is.
Speaker A:The best example we have was Covid.
Speaker A:It brought a lot of people seeing that they needed to take their own self protection into their hands.
Speaker A:And that is.
Speaker A:That was.
Speaker A:I wouldn't say it was a tragedy, but it was a fear thing.
Speaker A:It was this fear of this.
Speaker A:And we're seeing the same thing.
Speaker A:It's a fear driving this.
Speaker A:And you're absolutely right as gun owners, and I say this all the time.
Speaker A:When people bash people for buying cheap guns or bash people for buying a specific gun, I'm like, listen, they're taking the first steps.
Speaker A:They need.
Speaker A:They're getting into this.
Speaker A:Welcome them, bring them in, don't put them down.
Speaker A:Let's.
Speaker A:We need more people in the fold because the more we have in the fold, the more we will get pro second amendment legislation.
Speaker A:And that is the goal is to make the second amendment so strong that organizations like GOA and are no longer needed.
Speaker C:If you're like me, you are probably slightly addicted to your phone and that means it is incredibly important who you choose as your cell phone provider.
Speaker A:And now it's time to switch your cell phone service over to Patriot Mobile, a freedom loving brand that supports the second amendment and goa's mission.
Speaker C:I am a customer of Patriot Mobile as well as a big fan because Patriot Mobile not only gives great nationwide coverage from the top three carriers, but they also support the second amendment.
Speaker A:Patriot Mobile is super easy to switch to.
Speaker A:It only takes a couple minutes.
Speaker A:You can keep your phone, keep your number and they have a full US based customer service.
Speaker C:This is why we are proud to be offering one month free service plus 15% off of every line with Patriot Mobile.
Speaker C:When you use code GOA again that's.
Speaker A:Patreon mobile.com GOA and use code GOA at checkout to get one month free and save 15% off on each additional line.
Speaker A:We are at the point of the podcast where we go to our from the soaps box.
Speaker A:This is where we get a little spicy.
Speaker A:Even though we've been real spicy this whole time.
Speaker A:This is where we get a really spicy or spicy topic.
Speaker A:So do you have a spicy topic that you want to touch on?
Speaker B:Spicy topic.
Speaker B:I mean like everything is just so spicy.
Speaker B:But I think, I think I'm going to lean right into like the new gun owner experience because it's just coming out of shot show, right?
Speaker B:Like you see all these nerds and these gun nuts and my experience as a new gun owner really was walking into the gun store and of course the guys all look the same.
Speaker B:They're all kind of like big with a beard and you know, wearing a flannel and, and they are nerding out and I think they mean well.
Speaker B:I don't think they are trying to scare new gun owners away.
Speaker B:I think they are so excited that they want to talk about your 2 pound trigger weight, you know, or whatever.
Speaker B:And I'm like, why are we, why are we talking about two pound trigger weights to someone who's never had a gun before?
Speaker B:Like first of all that, no, like let's not do that.
Speaker B:They're going to sneeze and have a negligent discharge but, but I think it's important to remember that like, we've got to stop nerding out a little bit when it comes to like welcoming new people.
Speaker B:Especially when you're welcoming new people from the political other side.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:It's, it's very easy to think about like, oh, you're a gun person, you're like a right winger.
Speaker B:But it's like, not quite, you know, pro liberty.
Speaker B:People can be right or left, like it really doesn't matter.
Speaker B:You can be like, I'm super pro liberal liberty when it comes to your social preferences, like you want to be gay, trans.
Speaker B:I kind of don't give a.
Speaker B:Just don't tax me to pay for.
Speaker B:That's all, that's all I care about.
Speaker B:And the spiciness of this topic is that we really do have to welcome everybody new gun owners because we're, we're going to continue to see a new surge of gun owners.
Speaker B:It's been women and minorities for the last couple of years that are the, the greatest surge.
Speaker B:And I think us existing gun owners need to do a better job of welcoming them as they are not trying to convert them into someone who's really nerding out about the pound, the, the poundage of your trigger pull.
Speaker B:Okay, fine, I, they got me.
Speaker B:I, I now have modified triggers.
Speaker B:But like, let them, let them take the time to do it.
Speaker B:Let's get them their first gun like you said.
Speaker B:Because ultimately the, the first gun is all it took me.
Speaker B:That took me that one gun.
Speaker B:And then I started realizing that everyone was coming for that one gun that I worked so hard to get.
Speaker B:And I think it's important also that, and I hate to say it, there's all these Instagram feeds that I'm seeing right now on the same topic.
Speaker B:I don't know, do you follow a better way to a?
Speaker A:I don't think so.
Speaker A:I've heard of it, but I don't think I follow it.
Speaker B:They're like a very, very pro2a, but very left leaning group.
Speaker B:I love their content because I love all two A content.
Speaker B:And they're now having to come out with, hey, we're trying to curate lists of gun stores that you can go to where you won't feel judged.
Speaker B:And I'm like, that's insane that we have to curate a list of gun stores that won't judge you.
Speaker B:Every gun store needs to invite and welcome new gun owners.
Speaker B:And I don't even know like, if it should be a spicy topic, but I feel like it is a spicy Topic because why are we not being welcoming as the gun community?
Speaker A:No, and I agree with you wholeheartedly on this.
Speaker A:And my gripe and frustration is when you, when people say anti gun left, I mean historically the left has been anti gun.
Speaker A:However, there are a new surge and we were just talking about this with somebody else.
Speaker A:There's a new surge of those what I would deem the moderate to kind of conservative left to kind of, you know, starting to change their mind and go towards some of the conservative values, the liberty driven values.
Speaker A:And even though they're left leaning, they're still pro second amendment.
Speaker A:So it should just be the anti gunners versus the pro gunners.
Speaker A:That's how it should be written.
Speaker A:And as somebody who has been behind the gun counter for a very, was working behind the gun counter for a very long time before I got fully into the industry.
Speaker A:And I'm going to, did like six years behind the gun counter.
Speaker A:I talked to everybody from every walk of life.
Speaker A:They were, they were Democrat, they were Republican, they were libertarian, they were black, white, women, male, all of them.
Speaker A:And you have to treat them all the same and go in.
Speaker A:And as somebody, because I felt personally called out, it's fine.
Speaker A:As a gun nerd myself, it's.
Speaker A:But it was, I handle my approach differently when it came to talking to people because again, as a gun nerd you want to nerd out about the gun.
Speaker A:But if you start talking to people who are just getting into this, you have to kind of things that, you know, because you said it early on, what's a muzzle?
Speaker A:What's this?
Speaker A:You're learning all these things, this is new to them.
Speaker A:So I had to back off of my approach and go, listen, these people are just getting into this.
Speaker A:So they might not understand the technical terms and to be blunt and you know, the, the biggest thing and everybody knows it, you know, they'll call a magazine a clip and you know, don't you correct them.
Speaker A:But you got to figure out a way go, hey, yes, I understand you've heard the term clip from movies and stuff like that.
Speaker A:It's actually called a magazine.
Speaker A:I just want to make sure.
Speaker A:Because people around here are going to get crazy with you.
Speaker A:There are crazy people out there.
Speaker A:But it's the same thing as being welcoming and understanding the person and what they, their needs are.
Speaker A:Before you go, okay, there's a difference between somebody who can spend 300 on a gun and is looking for something for self protection and then there's the difference between somebody who wants to spend $4,000 on a custom Wilson Combat or staccato with a three pound trigger and all this stuff.
Speaker A:You got to understand that from the gun and it's, it, it can be hard because we're people behind the gun count are so passionate about what they do and their love of the industry that they just tend to nerd out.
Speaker A:And that's when I, where I'll tell them.
Speaker A:Like when I would see it with, with staff that I was managing, I'd be like, hey, take a deep breath.
Speaker A:They're new to this.
Speaker A:You can tell they're new to this.
Speaker B:Got to treat them like you're going to scare them.
Speaker B:Yeah, because that's what it made me feel.
Speaker B:Overwhelmed and scared.
Speaker B:To be like, I'm never going to learn all this.
Speaker B:Maybe I shouldn't buy a gun.
Speaker B:You know, like that's the last thing you want them to think is that this is too much information.
Speaker B:I'm not smart enough, I'm not techie enough.
Speaker B:And the guys at my gun store, you know, love them to death.
Speaker B:I get it now.
Speaker B:But they brought out all their, oh, you're new.
Speaker B:Well, let me show you.
Speaker B:And then they went to the trunk and got like 10 shotguns out.
Speaker B:I was like, I want a shotgun for the house.
Speaker B:Well, you know, but have you heard of Jerry Mitchell?
Speaker B:Like, and I'm just like, no, I haven't.
Speaker B:Like, can I get a shotgun for the house?
Speaker B:You know, like, no, you need to check out my 10 shotguns that I just have happen to have in my trunk that I carry everywhere with me because I need everyone to know about my beautiful Benelli.
Speaker B:Like so, so yeah, I mean it happened to me and I was super scared, but also like, you know, there, there's folks that, that you're actually going to put off like long term for that.
Speaker B:And I think, you know, I didn't mean for you to feel personally attacked.
Speaker B:I have become you now.
Speaker B:And it, it is hard because we're passionate, we care and it's like, oh my gosh, this is an opportunity.
Speaker B:But at the same time it's like, it's almost like when you're thinking about a, like a, like a 12 year old who wants to learn how to drive a car.
Speaker B:Not a 16 year old who maybe, you know, has been in cars where their friends have, you know, showed them how to drive, but more of like a, like a baby that's going from like the car seat to maybe actually learning what a steering wheel does, maybe learning for the first time that there's actually a gas pedal and a Brake, like we have to kind of treat, you know, new folks like that and also like do it in like a super positive, like positively reinforced loving way.
Speaker B:And also like really, really be careful to, to stay away from, I think like political ideation when it comes to the gun stores.
Speaker B:Like one thing that annoys me is like all the MAGA stuff I see in, in my gun store, like mind you, like, it's cool, like express yourself.
Speaker B:But it does scare people because then they walk in and they're like, I'm not going to feel accepted because I see MAGA stuff.
Speaker B:Whether you're MAGA or not doesn't matter.
Speaker B:It's the fact that it's, it's really displaying to one ideology and alienating the other.
Speaker B:I think it will be better to just kind of, you know, just keep it pro gun.
Speaker B:But I, I'm not gonna tell people how to run their gun store either.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker A:No, I love that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, before we gotta wrap up, I have to ask you this.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:We ran into each other behind stage at the Gundies and you won Emerging brand of the year.
Speaker A:So what was that experience like for you as being a new brand with that, the people recognizing you as this awesome brand?
Speaker B:Oh my gosh.
Speaker B:It was like out of body experience is all I can say because it was first of all I was like sure that I wasn't going to win.
Speaker B:I literally like before we walked in, I was like, we're not going to win.
Speaker B:Let's just have some drinks, you know, like, let's have some fun.
Speaker B:I thought Allied Threads had it because they had like 100k followers.
Speaker B:I was like, ain't no way.
Speaker B:Like I had like maybe 30k followers.
Speaker B:But I did earnestly try.
Speaker B:I did like a whole 15 day giveaway where I was like, you know, you can win a bag if you vote and all this stuff.
Speaker B:Because I was like, let me at least try.
Speaker B:Like what am I going to complain about if I actually tried?
Speaker B:And then you know, like I can't complain if I didn't try.
Speaker B:So we did try.
Speaker B:But I think what was crazy is that it showed that like the girls showed up.
Speaker B:Because we are very niche.
Speaker B:Like cakes is not necessarily like out there.
Speaker B:We've existed as a brand for just over a year now.
Speaker B:Like a year and like three months at this point.
Speaker B:And in our year, in three months we went from like zero to 10,000.
Speaker B:Like it was just like insane.
Speaker B:And the fact is that not only are we getting these customers that are like giving us a chance, but we're getting customers that like, will actually show up to, like, support us as a brand.
Speaker B:And I almost said this at the gundies and I was like, oh, I caught myself because what I wanted to say in the speech and you can kind of see me like, start backtracking was I was like, everybody that took time out of their day to vote on this stupid.
Speaker B:I was like, this is so dumb.
Speaker B:Like, you're gonna go take time out of your day to go to some website and like, vote.
Speaker B:Like, that's.
Speaker B:To me, I was trying to be thankful, but it came out like, oh, let me just not say that.
Speaker B:But I was like, yeah, that's, that's like a big deal.
Speaker B:We have jobs.
Speaker B:Like, but you did this for me.
Speaker B:Like, thank you.
Speaker B:And, and also there, there's a part of me that was like, dang, like, if.
Speaker B:If we made this much success in our first year, that means like, one, we're doing something right.
Speaker B:And two, like, I think people have been waiting for this.
Speaker B:I think women have been waiting to be like, active in the 2A space.
Speaker B:And I think now is the time.
Speaker B:Like, we're doing it now.
Speaker B:Like, like, Project Gunway is, is now a thing.
Speaker B:There's going to be another Project Gun Way next year.
Speaker B:We're now actually, like, brands are starting to make stuff that are more feminine and deployable.
Speaker B:I still think cakes does the best job of being the cutest bag out there.
Speaker B:But I, like, it's not scary to me to have other brands want to join the space and make cute feminine bags for women.
Speaker B:Because cakes only has one goal, which is arm every woman.
Speaker B:So if you don't choose cakes, that's fine.
Speaker B:You choose to carry your gun is what matters.
Speaker A:No, I love that.
Speaker A:Well, hopefully we will.
Speaker A:Our audience who are listening to this will see you at National Women's Range Day and Goals and all the events GOA is putting on this year and come and hang out with us and get to hang out with you.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Super excited for it.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Well, before we go, a couple things.
Speaker A:First off, go ahead and shout out where people can find you, how they can get a hold of you and buy your awesome products.
Speaker B:You want to follow us on Instagram?
Speaker B:It's akes.concealed cakes is spelled just like you would spell any birthday cake.
Speaker B:And we also have an emerging new YouTube channel which is Just Cakes Concealed Carry.
Speaker B:Like YouTube slash cake concealed carry.
Speaker B:And that's where we're trying to really push more like educational content to help folks that have not just bought the bag and chose to carry but like how to navigate different life scenarios and how to carry with children and everyday type of education geared around the CAKES system.
Speaker B:So those are all my flags.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Well before we go we have a thank you gift.
Speaker A:Our gift from our guest is brought to you by Palmetto State Armory so you'll be receiving an email after the show to get your gift for our guys.
Speaker A:Brought to you by Palmetto State Armory for season three.
Speaker A:Guys, make sure to like share and subscribe.
Speaker A:Hit the little bell for notification and leave a five star review on all podcasting hosts.
Speaker A:Make sure to go to gunowners.org goals to go to the Gun Owners Advocacy and leadership summit happening August 1st and 2nd in beautiful Des Moines, Iowa.
Speaker A:Again that's gun owners.org goals.
Speaker A:Also go to the gun Owners website to check out awesome events we have coming up like Gear National Women's Race Day Safe as well as goals.
Speaker A:So we will catch you guys on the next one.
