OSD 312: Do you remember how hyped you were to buy your first gun?
There are massive worlds out there that you don’t know exist. And they don’t know you exist either.
If you’ve helped a newbie buy their first gun, you’ve probably noticed that everything about the purchase seems like a big decision to them. Which sight to buy. Which range bag they should get. Which gun grease is the best. They make these decisions like they’re committing for life.
It’s easy to forget this once you’ve bought a bunch of guns (or to never have known it if you grew up around guns), but going from zero to one is thrilling. It feels like a huge step. For someone who has never had a gun in the house, it is a huge step.
There was a piece in the New York Times last week that illustrated this. It’s a feature informing readers that … there are gun videos on YouTube:
For the most part the piece doesn’t scaremonger or try to make a point. It just explains the concept of a guntuber to the general public. For the sort of person who reads this newsletter, that’s not a concept that needs explaining. But it is news to tens of millions of Americans. They don’t know anything of modern gun culture. The idea is exotic.
That’s an opportunity. As much progress as modern gun culture has made, it has barely started to touch what’s possible. Gun ownership is still exotic to tens of millions of people. The idea of a thriving culture around that ownership is even more exotic. And it’s not just the first step that’s exotic. Every step is. Watching gun videos on YouTube. Buying a gun. Going hunting. Taking a training course. Shooting a match. Buying body armor or other supplemental gear. Everything is a thrill the first time.
Think about the implications of that for the future. If this stuff is still exotic to most people, that means most of the opportunity lies ahead — the coolest things that’ll be built in the next 20 years haven’t been invented yet. That includes gun tech, but it’s also includes companies, content, culture, and all the rest. Don’t get too focused on what the industry is doing today. Focus on the reality that if we keep growing, the next 20 years are going to make today look primitive. Let’s go build that future.
This week’s links
Lucky Gunner on the Smith & Wesson internal lock
A good primer on this historical artifact.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department appears to be running illegal background checks on carry permit applications
Thanks to Discord sub _.chevron._ for the link.
A judge in Illinois just struck down the state’s requirement that you get a permit to possess a gun in your home
This one will be interesting to watch.
About Open Source Defense
OSD Capital
We invest in civilian defense and the tech that accelerates it.
OSD podcast
In-depth interviews with outstanding founders and builders in the civilian defense industry.
The company store
Grab a t-shirt or a sticker.
Discord server
The OSD team is there along with lots of subscribers. Paid Substack subscribers can join the chat.
I lost my work visa a week ago, and I'm looking at having to self-deport back to the frozen northlands.
I briefly considered trying to import my firearms, but then I read what the legal requirements for ownership are in Canada and.... nope. Then, I briefly considered taking them anyway, but quickly decided that that's a very, very, very bad idea.
I guess I'm learning how to do basic machining and dropping ten grand on power tools. Having lived in the US for going on 15 years now, where guns are normal and EVERYTHING IS F'N FINE, going back to Canada where _all semi-automatic rifles are illegal_ is a mind bender.
God I fuckin' hate leafs
The real challenge is turning these new "non-traditional" gun owners into people that cherish the Second Amendment because that doesn't seem to be all that easy to do.