Open Source Defense
In-depth interviews with outstanding founders and builders in the civilian defense industry. Culture is upstream of politics, and technology is upstream of culture.
Episodes
Doug Ritter is the founder of Knife Rights, which for our money is one of the most effective single-issue advocacy groups out there. See how they've singlehandedly changed the path of knife laws in the US, with a tiny staff and budget.
Go to ultimatesteel.org to see the gear available in the Knife Rights' 2026 fundraiser.
- 0:00 - Introduction to Knife Rights
- 2:43 - The landscape of knife laws
- 5:52 - Bipartisan strategies in adv...
Marc is the president and CEO of GrabAGun.
- 0:00 - Intro
- 0:29 - Why to IPO, and what it’s like
- 3:54 - Navigating regulatory scrutiny and having mission-aligned shareholders
- 13:29 - Stock buyback
- 15:10 - M&A opportunities in the gun space
- 22:33 - An everything store for guns
- 24:43 - GrabAGun technical systems
- 29:07 - Data and analytics in the industry
- 32:59 - Operational challenges and opportunities for growth
- 37:03 - GrabAG...
Tim is the founder of Hoffman Tactical.
- 0:00 - Intro
- 0:23 - How has 3D printing evolved compared to what Tim expected?
- 9:16 - Does 3D printing need a killer app?
- 14:22 - Opportunities in destructive devices
- 18:20 - Tim likes anti-materiel rifles
- 18:49 - Gun designs are dictated by their manufacturing technology
- 20:39 - Hoffman Tactical’s customers
- 24:24 - Drones, automated defense systems, and the potential there
- 35:12 - Commu...
Rob is the founder of Constellation Response, the store for gun culture 3.0.
Timeline:
- 0:00 - Intro to Rob and Constellation Response
- 4:44 - Why modern civilian comms are changing from the old days
- 8:11 - The rise of Meshtastic and its applications
- 18:45 - Acceleration in radios
- 21:43 - Why Constellation Response is getting into drones
- 24:17 - Drone training courses
- 30:01 - The impact of regulation on the cool things you could...
David is the founder of Canine Defense Technologies, which makes drones for defense professionals and serious civilians.
Timeline:
- 0:00 - Intro
- 0:49 - Drone nomenclature
- 1:44 - Counterdrone tech and the competition between offense and defense
- 8:42 - Technological lessons from Ukraine
- 16:16 - Applying those lessons to civilian drone tech
- 19:16 - What is the FAA getting in the way of?
- 25:50 - Panics that could drive bad regulati...
Jon and Sarah run PHLster Holsters, makers of the Enigma, other holsters, and groundbreaking education about how to carry comfortably.
Timeline:
- 0:00 - The journey to making holsters
- 7:58 - What was the need PHLster was responding to?
- 17:34 - When did Sarah know the Enigma was going to be good?
- 35:57 - How much of a breakthrough was the Enigma for PHLster?
- 41:35 - Education and holster fitment as a science
- 49:28 - What's wrong...
Jay is the founder and technical director of Pew Science, the world's top silencer testing company.
Timeline:
- 0:00 - Are low back pressure silencers the end of history?
- 4:50 - Why silencers break the FN SCAR 17
- 7:12 - Pistol silencers are hard
- 19:21 - What were the breakthroughs in silencer technology?
- 24:06 - Consumers, not the military, are now driving the silencer industry
- 44:16 - Is there value in modular cans?
- 48:48 - The...
Isaac Botkin is a longtime leader at T.Rex Arms and the perfect first guest for the Open Source Defense podcast. We talk about the beginnings of T.Rex, whether guns actually prevent tyranny, and future tech in the civilian defense industry.
Timeline:
- 0:00 - Intro and Background
- 2:44 - Milestones and Growth of T.Rex Arms
- 9:51 - Challenges of Growth as a Company
- 17:45 - Hiring for Passion and Mission Alignment
- 25:55 - Transparenc...
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