Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie takes Charlie Cook around the country interviewing people involved with firearms, music, and much more.

RSWC Pit Stop Jake Hollenbeck, Mantis 07/28/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Ron Holmes 07/25/2025

RSWC Pit Stop David Lucas (MEAN Arms) 07/23/2025

RSWC #234 Lynn Webb 07/22/2025

RSWC #234 Lynn Webb Riding Shotgun With Charlie #234 Lynn Webb Eagle Eye Personal Defense On the way home from NRA’s Annual Meeting in Atlanta, I did a “swing by” in Memphis then went to Mississippi for a couple shows. Talking with Meekos Beech, I let him know I was going to Oxford, Miss. to interview Lynn Webb. He said “Cornbread”! I guess they knew each other. I love that my Olympic Ring is expanding into their rings. Lynn always wanted to be in law enforcement, even when there weren’t a lot of women officers. She did an internship with the sheriff’s department and was involved in their reserve program. Then she worked in the jail and university police department. (We were right in Oxford, Miss, so I’m assuming she’s talking about Old Miss.) After a decade there, she was a lieutenant and the officer in charge of the motorcycle division. One of the local sheriffs heard she was looking for a job, and he hired her as the first female deputy in their history in 2007. She also spent some years as a school resource officer. One of the other deputies asked her if she wanted to do some IDPA pistol shooting. About half way through the match, she regretted not shooting. Once she got the IDPA bug, she got more involved and went up in her rankings She’s competed in several local and national matches.There were times when she even branched out to USPSA and Steel Challenge, too. In 2015, she became an NRA and USCCA certified instructor. When her 25 years on the department were up, the plan was to be a part time firearm instructor. During retirement, she’s mostly focusing on training women. She has worked with both The Armed Women of America and A Girl & A Gun. Both are great groups that guide women through gun ownership and training. The real focus of her company, Eagle Eye Personal Defense, was to put female shooters on the correct path and help them learn to shoot and defend themselves and their loved ones. Since she has retirement hours, her schedule for training is flexible. One of the fun things about my “road show” is that I get to learn about licensing in other states. Mississippi is a permitless carry state, but the state does issue permits. Often it’s for reciprocity for those who want to travel and carry. They do consider it an enhanced permit so you can carry in more places than if you didn’t have a permit. For the enhanced permit, there is additional training, which includes live fire, use of force, and concealed carry statute. Much of what she does is from the USCCA curriculum. The live fire portion is up to the instructor. What Lynn does is start with a big IDPA target to make sure they’re hitting the target. Then another target with 3 in.circles and numbers in the circles to make sure they’re looking at their sights. Once they’re hitting those, they move to a smaller NRA target. Ultimately, the state did not decide on what needs to be fired. The firearms she clients use are often what they own and, even though some want to shoot larger calibers, she will let someone use a .22 if that’s what they have. What I find really great around the country is that there are local ranges where people can rent range time and rent guns, too. In Massachusetts, the ranges are private and you have to be a member to shoot there. But all around the country, there’s ranges all over the place. She mentioned about five or six just in her country. I really enjoyed hanging out with Lynn. She’s a great woman doing wonderful things in Mississippi. Training women, keeping kids safe in schools, and enjoying her retirement. She gave me a short tour of Oxford and its surroundings. She also brought me some Crittenden Distillery single barrel bourbon whiskey. Favorite quotes: “Half way through watching, I regretted not shooting.” “I wanted to make sure the people coming to me had the best tools that they could get…to protect themselves and to be proficient with their firearm.” “If a .22 is all they got and that’s what they carry, they should be able to shoot a .22.” “Shooting people call me Cornbread.” Eagle Eye Personal Defense LLC USCCA link to EEPD A Girl & A Gun Armed Women of America Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network US Law Shield Legal Defense for Self Defense. Use "RSWC" as the discount code and get 2 months for free! Patriot Mobile Use this link and get one month for free! Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/37498755

RSWC Pit Stop Patrick Collins 07/21/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Nathan Mitchell 07/18/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Heather Allen 07/16/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Stephen Ziadie 07/14/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Boge Quinn 07/11/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Dennis Fusaro 07/09/2025

RSWC #233 Phil Journey 07/08/2025

RSWC #233 Phil Journey Riding Shotgun With Charlie #233 Phil Journey NRA BOD Member I had a chance to catch up with Phil Journey at the NRA Annual Meetings back in April. He’s quite an interesting man with some long roots in the Second Amendment and with the NRA. He was on the list of four reform candidates last year in 2024. This year, of course, there were 28 reformers that people were supporting, many who did get onto the Board of Directors of the NRA. He spends times telling us about his collection of firearms, how he got into politics and ran for office, and some of the inside dirt on what was going on with NRA leadership. Phil is from Kansas and grew up with a couple of uncles, one was a gunsmith and the other was an inventor. His father used to hunt and got him into shooting. In law school, he got into competitive shooting and made it to second place in IPSC in Oklahoma. At one point, he spent more time making sure everyone else had the rights to keep shooting and owning firearms. While in law school he had three semesters on Constitutional law, one semester was only on the First Amendment, but nothing on the Second Amendment. Working on his dissertation, he pointed out that at that time, much of the thought was that it was a collectivist theory right and the courts reflected that. But he realized it was an individual right. That’s when he decided this was going to be his cross to bear. Getting out of law school, he started working on some campaigns for the US Senate. He learned a lot in those days, thinking candidates would read some of the pro-gun literature he would give candidates. Back then he started his ties with the NRA as an election volunteer coordinator, He got 5,000 people to come to a city council meeting. This was how he got involved in political action committees. Phil’s career was as a practicing attorney. He was appointed to the Kansas Senate in 2003. After a handful of years in the state Senate, he was elected to the Judicial District Court. Having these positions did interfere with his business. He also got into other businesses like storage rentals. At one point, he sold several firearms to fund one of his campaigns so he didn’t have to ask for money. Phil is also into collecting cars as well as guns. We learn about the extensive collection, how he acquired some of the guns and cars. Back in 1995, Neal Knox helped get him elected to the NRA Board of Directors. Even back then there were issues with Wayne LaPierre. One is that if there was a contract that was more than $100,000, it had to be in writing and passed by two of the three executive officers. LaPierre would make them oral contracts and not run them by the executives. Journey and Knox did get pushed off the board, but only Phil was able to get back on it. During the years when he wasn’t on the board, he still kept an eye on the goings on, including what Leticia James was up to in New York. With some help, he was able to get back onto the board in 2020. He noticed that the board meetings were much shorter than they used to be and he realized that wasn’t quite right. There was a lot of ‘go along to get along’ happening with the BOD. Reading the petition from James, he saw that the things that were wrong in the 1990’s were four times worse. Phil gets into several things that were going on with the NRA and how it needed to be changed. In 2024, he got together with Rocky Marshall, Dennis Fusaro, and Jeff Knox and started a small reform team. They all got elected onto the board to start making changes. This year, there were many more reformers on the ballot, and many were elected. However, he does get into how it was a mess and how much of a mess it was. Personally, I did vote for the 28 reformers. I have had the new EVP, Doug Hamlin, on the show (episode 213). I do believe we need to keep the NRA and make the changes necessary to maintain our Second Amendment rights. The NRA has been around for over 150 years and want to see it for another 150 years. WIth Phil and the new reformers, I think we’re in good hands and onto a better and stronger NRA. Favorite quotes: “What have they not taught me about? And it was the Second Amendment.” “The whole legislative process is to keep things from becoming law.” “It’s easier to kill legislation than it is to get it passed.” “It was a cultural problem inside the organization.” National Rifle Association NRA ILA YouTube X Instagram NRA Publications YouTube Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/37331665

RSWC Pit Stop Keith Bombaugh 07/07/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Philip Toppino 07/04/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Ursula Williams 07/02/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Bryan Eastridge 06/30/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Philip Van Cleave 06/27/2025

RSWC #232 Mekkos Beech 06/24/2025

RSWC #232 Mekkos Beech Riding Shotgun With Charlie #232 Mekkos Beech Memphis Beech, Instructor & YouTuber I met Mekkos in a YouTube mastermind group hosted by Will Workman (RSWC #185). His YouTube channel is called Memphis Beech. So I asked the obvious question: are you in Memphis? I was scheduling a short southern tour and reached out to Mekkos. I was very lucky to have Mekkos on the show. He’s a great guy, very knowledgeable, and a good tour guide! I’m glad we were able to connect and become friends. We met up at in Memphis and headed down towards Beale Street and ended the show in Arkansas. Mekkos grew up in a military family, including his mother, with relatives in the Marines, Army, and Navy. He joined the Marines but he didn’t grow up shooting but started his training in the military. He was a helicopter electrician and when he got out there weren’t a lot of jobs in aviation. So he found a career in IT doing cyber security for most of the time. He got into competitive shooting, mostly IDPA. He started as an RSO at Top Gun and offers classes there. The classes he offers are just the continuing training that people need. He teaches IDPA classes, but he’s also got classes like Mastering the Pistol and Beyond the Permit. He also has private one on one coaching sessions. He’s got quite the credentials, too, being certified by Massad Ayoob Group, Tom Givens’ Rangemaster, Active Self Protection, Last Resort Firearms Training, as well as the NRA, USCCA, and NAAGA. You can see he’s a smart man. We spent some time talking about Tennessee. It is a permitless carry state but there are still lots of restrictions. They have what they call an “enhanced permit” which allows a permit holder to carry in more places than someone without one. I think he’s got a great take on “Constitutional carry” saying “the state establishes the Second Amendment as their carry permit.” Therefore the state cannot control where you can and cannot go while you’re carrying. His definition of permitless carry is as long as you can legally buy a gun and carry it, but there are rules and addendums you have to follow. The issue for permitless carry states is that you, as the citizen, still have to know what their laws are about where you can carry and even use force. This is why it is good to take some additional training. After studying defensive gun uses, he discovered that many of the skills used in the DGUs are not skills that people are getting at the permitting courses. Again, it is why those who carry should seek out additional training, take more classes, and read books about self defense. This is why when a state goes to permitless carry, training increases. When the government says you have to take a course and that’s all you need to know, that is often where people stop taking training. When he started his YouTube channel, it was to focus on the competition side of things. He was going to show viewers how to go through various stages and help with their competitive shooting issues. But there was a holster review that took off and got tens of thousands of views. Some of the other topics include working with students who have a fear of firearms. Sometimes, the instructor doesn’t know the student had a situation where they were affected by someone else using a firearm or if a woman is a DV survivor. I bring up a course I’d like to make and he helps guide me through what it should have. One of the reasons I wanted to start a show is to expand my circle of friends. My circle went to Will Workman, which led to his mastermind, which led to Mekkos. I’m honored he was able to make time to do the show, that we became friends, and that he shared his wisdom with us. Favorite quotes: “In Constitutional Carry, the state establishes the Second Amendment as their carry permit.” “It takes a little bit of emotional intelligence to keep people on track to remember the information from the first six hours.” “I have a huge passion for shooting. I have a huge passion for the pistol sports. I want to share that passion with others.” “I think of IDPA as a game. I think of USPSA as a sport.” Memphis Beech YouTube Facebook Instagram EDC: Every Day Conversations Podcast Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/37131925

RSWC Pit Stop Mike Ox 06/13/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Jacob Paulson 06/11/2025

RSWC 230 Ryan Muller 06/10/2025

RSWC 230 Ryan Muller Riding Shotgun With Charlie #231 Ryan Muller Competitive Shooter I’ve had a few chances to meet Ryan Muller. He’s the husband of Dianna Muller from Women for Gun Rights. He’s a great shooter on his own. When I got to NRA AM in Atlanta, Di called me and said I needed to do a show with Ryan since I had a car and we were both there. I picked him up at the aquarium and we drove around the ATL. When a friend set them up, they really hit it off. She took him to a competition and he did really well. They’ve had the chance to travel the world as a couple and individually doing competitions. Ryan grew up shooting pellet guns and moved into a Ruger 10/22 when he turned 13. He said living in a rural area, he got to shoot just about everything a boy would want to shoot. He was athletic and played sports, but never went to a range until Di took him to one. On his first match, she made him shoot first. They rotated the line up and he would go last the next time. This worked to his advantage as the first stage was stationary and used pistols. He was hooked after that. WIthin a few years, he was on the pro series for 3-Gun Nation. They spent the next 10 years as full time competitive shooters. While out there shooting, he’s done well. But he would pick up what others would tell him and apply those techniques and tips. It gave him the opportunity to shoot with some of the big name competitive shooters like Jerry Miculek, Bruce Piatt, and Tony Holmes. The wonderful thing about being around these shooters is they are willing to help you. They’ve got 40 years of experience doing it and figuring out why they do particular things while shooting. T\\hey’ll tell you what their plans are, what they saw while shooting a stage, and how they can improve. Ryan emphasises that as a sponsored and competitive shooter, you’ve got to build relationships with companies before you can ask them to get behind you. A lot of what companies are looking for is not that you’re winning, but that you’re out there doing social media, being approachable by others, and helping them sell products. Yes, it’s good when you win, but it’s better if you’re helping the company by getting their items into other people’s hands. A few years ago, Ryan had a motorcycle accident in his own driveway. He landed and really messed up his back. He was in the hospital for a month. When he was out, he couldn’t get around without a wheelchair, working his way to a walker and crutches. With the strong relationship he’s built with companies, they wanted to see that he was recovering well and doing better. He has been able to get back to some competitions despite the injury. At one event, he was above 66 other competitors but not close to the top. He also talks about W.O.F.T, West Orlando Firearm Training, sometimes called Where Our Family Trains. They offer training like no other place with scenario training for everyone, including Miculek. I do ask if it's “fair" that a competitive shooter carries. Ryan replies saying that the bad guy is the one who determines when things happen, our reaction times are going to be the same as a regular person. But with their training, everything else is going to be quicker and smoother. Which is why we all need more training and more practice. We talked about how the people and companies in the firearm community really want to see each other succeed and do well. From getting tips from Miculek to keeping sponsor deals after an injury, it’s really a testament to the kinds of people we have in our industry.. Favorite quotes: “Its just shooting out the back of a truck, it’s what I grew up doing.” “I got to learn and pick up on 30, 40 years of experience that I didn’t have to spend the time and ammo to get.” “We are going to give everybody that is our competition the best chance we can to give them to succeed. And I don’t think you see that in other sports.” “You’re going to point shoot in one of those situations.” Facebook Instagram Women for Gun Rights Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/36935330

RSWC Pit Stop Lisa Paris 06/09/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Brandon Maddox 06/06/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Hickok45 06/04/2025

RSWC Pit Stop Alex Shay 06/02/2025

RSWC #230 Denise Arcieri 05/27/2025

RSWC #230 Denise Arcieri Riding Shotgun With Charlie #230 Denise Arcieri Armed Princess I connected with Denise Arcieri through Yehuda Remer, The Pew Pew Jew (RSWC #012) a few years ago. We talked about doing a show but when I reached out recently, she said she had some exciting news and this was a perfect time! She works at in Whitinsville, MA. They make their own fixed magazine ARs, which are Mass legal. They did a special run of them with her Armed Princess logo! And we spent some time and got a few photos of those in the show. Denise grew up in a pro gun family and used to shoot with her father. Then her kids started shooting with her father. He encouraged her to come to a women's event and give it a try again. She found out that she was good at it and she enjoyed it. The instructor saw that she was competent and familiar and asked her to help run the line. She saw that some women were more responsive to her than to the male instructors. One of the women there was a DV survivor. She really attached herself to Denise that evening. That’s when Denise decided that she was going to get more involved. She’s also a DV survivor. When she was younger, she was in an abusive relationship. After incidents, she would call the police and they really didn’t do anything back then other than say things like "“let him cool off” or “he’ll be fine tomorrow” or “he’s not here now and there’s nothing we can do”. Even after she was fully out of this relationship, her ex and his family members would pop up in her life. Maybe run into her at the store. Or see her around town. There were late night phone calls from her ex, too. After becoming an instructor, she started working with more women and has been a great resource at Pioneer Arms. Due to her day job, she was apprehensive about posting pictures of her shooting. But once she started instructing and posting about upcoming courses, the ex’s family stopped running into her. She stopped getting calls. She was able to get her life back together and move on. This has also been inspiring to other women that she was teaching. Building an online presence wasn’t really something she was looking to do, but it has worked in her favor. Denise has been connecting with many other 2A influencers on “the ‘Gram” and building her audience. She connected with the folks at . She is one of their brand ambassadors.They gave her the title “Armed Princess” and she graciously accepted it and ran with it. I did get to Pioneer Arms to get some pictures of her logoed AR lowers. You’ll see those in the video. For Mass residents, they do have fixed magazines, both as short 10 round mags and long 10 round mags. You can also get a speedloader for this or any AR style rifle. If you’re in “free America”, you can also order a lower and they can ship it to your local FFL. The hard part about life is those learning lessons and years. Fortunately, Denise has taken what were some bad years and turned them into something that’s not just good for her and her life, but good for other women, too. With the perspective of being the Armed Princess, she can help other women learn to shoot, become familiar with firearms, and maybe give them the skills and confidence that they need to get out of their situation. That can lead to these women helping others. And so on. And so on. Favorite quotes: “Why did I stop doing this? I love this.” “When you’re coming out of one of those situations, sometimes don’t believe your own life is worth protecting.” “The idea of a gun to protect myself didn’t enter my mind, even though it had been in my life.” “Given that we live in an area where you drive three hours and go through three states, that they would recognize each other’s licenses.” “...told me she had been to three gun shops previously and walked out of every one because she didn’t feel comfortable.” Armed Princess Instagram Armed Princess Facebook Pioneer Arms LLC Pioneer Arms LLC Facebook Pioneer Arms LLC Instagram Greyman Solutions Use Princess15 for free shipping Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/36721110

RSWC #229 John Turrell 05/13/2025

RSWC #229 John Turrell Riding Shotgun With Charlie #229 John Turrell Armed Lifestyle Magazine There are some nice perks about going to SHOT Show as media and having more than one media gig. After I was asked to write for Armed Lifestyle Magazine, I got to meet the other contributors at SHOT. One of the ALM writers is John Turrell. John, as you’ll hear, is from England. This is my second international passenger! I’m glad we were able to connect with a crazy busy SHOT schedule. Not just mine, he keeps busy in Vegas, too. And not with the night life. With writing! He and his team put out daily reviews from SHOT. Like many folks, John started shooting as a young child, around 10 years old, with his father. He’s worked his way up to competitive shooting in UKPSA and IPSC. UKPSA is the United Kingdom Practical Shooting Association. He enjoys shooting pistols competitively and even went up against Jerry Miculek, who got him into shooting revolvers. He is currently the sales manager at a gun range, where he offers a shooting experience for new folks. The hopes are to turn them into licensed individuals who get into firearms and shooting. The range is unique particularly in the UK.They have an indoor range with turning targets. With the range shooting experience, people can get a safety briefing, how to shoot session, then fire 50 rounds, ending with a little fun competition with turning targets. The range is very much like an indoor range here in the US. In 1996, there was a mass shooting. The government decided that it was time to ban all pistols from the “subjects”. There are several limitations…ahem…infringements. The barrel length must be 12 inches long and the overall length has to be at least 24 inches. That sounds like a rifle to me rather than a pistol. Obviously, that makes it hard to carry on one’s body, which the government doesn’t want them to do. To get a license in the UK, you have to attend a class, join a range, then you have a probationary period of at least three months. Then you apply to your local country police force for the license, with the usual background check and references. Of course, you’re not guaranteed to get the license either. If all goes well, you get a certificate. There are two types of certificates. The section one certificate is for centerfire rifles and long barreled pistols and shotguns with a more than three round capacity. The type of action doesn’t matter, just the capacity. The section two license is for shotguns which hold two rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Despite the limitations, John enjoys having to do all the reloading. Seeing some Mossberg’s at SHOT, he’d really love to have a 590, but due to the barrel length, he wouldn’t be able to get home. We also talk about suppressors. As I’ve learned the original name was a silencer, but in the UK, they call them moderators. First, in order to purchase one, it has to be on your license that you can have them. To have it added to your license, it’s only about $25. At the gun store, you tell them which one you’d like, then add the serial number to the license, you pay for it, and then go home with it. Boom. Easy! The main reason these are legal is for hearing protection. There is a possibility that the moderators will become an item that they don’t keep track of on your license. However, if you buy one for your air rifle, no license information is required. He says it could be possible that it gets as easy as going to the store to buy groceries and then picking up a moderator like it's any other item. Very different than it is here. I really enjoyed getting to know John better. He’s a great guy with a lot of knowledge. While at SHOT, he and his team crank out daily reports of the guns and gear they see.So he’s there truly for work and not necessarily pleasure. It was great to learn the difference in our gun cultures between the UK and the US. Please keep an eye out in the free online resource of Armed Lifestyle Magazine for John’s writings and reviews. Favorite quotes: “The government at the time, then banned all pistols.” “The current laws state that the barrel must be at least 12 inches long and the overall length of the pistol has to be 24 inches.” “Suppressors have to be on your license.” “We call them moderators in the UK.” Armed Lifestyle Magazine website Armed Lifestyle Magazine Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thearmedlifestylemagazine/ Armed Lifestyle Magazine Instagram https://www.instagram.com/armedlifestyle/ Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/36546235

RSWC #228 Jay Grazio 04/22/2025

RSWC #228 Jay Grazio Riding Shotgun With Charlie #228 Jay Grazio Executive Editor, Shooting Illustrated I was down in Fairfax, VA, filming shows with the NRA staff. One of the folks who I had lunch with was Jay Grazio. He’s originally from Massachusetts, a funny guy, and we hit it off well. So we filmed a show! One of the perks of his position is that he gets to train. When we did the show, he’d recently visited in Arizona. It also sounds like the NRA has the employees do training together, which he says he did with one of the other staff members. As a Bay Stater, it’s hard to be a gun person, with all the limitations (infringements) and laws (more infringements) that we have. As much as he loved growing up in small town New England, it wasn’t good as a gun activist and writer. When he took the position at Shooting Illustrated, he made the move to free America in Virginia. At a young age, the shooting bug hit him. His father was a Mass State Police police officer and his grandfather was a town police officer. Firearms were always around and safety was emphasised by the elders. Guns were tools to the family. His grandfather would tell him stories of when he was young and owned a diner. During the Depression, often people would settle up with bills and exchange meals for firearms. This makes the history of firearms a big interest for Jay. One prized possession is his grandfather’s Colt revolver that he carried, which was made in the 1930’s. Another is a 1911 from 1917, which still fires without any issues, just like it did over 100 years ago. Always one to look for a good gun story, Jay would help friends in need by offering to buy guns from friends and when they could pay him back, he’d give the gun back. But there was one Colt Python that he wasn’t able to come up with the money for and it got away from him. He also had to pass on a fully, lawfully transferable M16 that was only $10,000 back then. He has a degree in biology and a master’s degree in biochemistry, so of course he became an editor. In the early days, Jay was involved in lots of blogging on various websites and topics. He used to argue over politics online, like many of us still do. Then a friend had him write as the resident “gun guy”. He started his own blog about firearms by reviewing LaserLyte products, which he saw in an American Rifleman magazine. That led to more and more reviews and products. Things just kept rolling from there. Since then he’s written for Shooting Illustrated, Recoil, and Western Shooting Journal. When there was an opening at Shooting Illustrated, he was encouraged to apply. He took the chance and it worked out. Getting a degree and masters with a biology and sciences background, he understood writing, working on thesis, and meeting deadlines. Having some experience in sales marketing and websites came in handy, too. All transferable skills as he admits. At a previous job, Jay shares what's really a typical story for a gun owner in “occupied territory.” One colleague, who was an avid hunter, kept a knife in his truck in case there was an incident. This person wasn’t a fan of ARs. He thanked Jay on his last day at the job for not causing an incident when he left. This is a display that not all gun owners are created equally. It was OK for the man to have a “military grade sniper rifle”, but not acceptable, to him, for someone else to own an AR. Hypocrisy has no bounds. Jay was a great guy to spend time with! He’s a great story teller. His position gives him exposure to all sorts of training, gear, and personalities in the gun community. This was a fun interview and I hope y’all enjoy it. You can check out Shooting Illustrated from or the link below, or NRA’s website, and read all of Jay’s articles and the work he does. Favorite quotes: “Massachusetts is the birthplace, and graveyard, of liberty.” “It’s a way of connecting with the past in a manner that you can use it the way it was intended.” “Massachusetts doesn’t make it easy to be a Second Amendment advocate.” ”Guns are not good, guns are not evil. Guns are chunks of metal.” Shooting Illustrated National Rifle Association Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/36261145

RSWC #227 Jonathan Goldstein 03/18/2025

RSWC #227 Jonathan Goldstein Riding Shotgun With Charlie #227 Jonathan Goldstein NRA BOD, NRA 2.0 Candidate This is a small first, but a first nonetheless. Jonathan Goldstein flew up from Philadelphia to Boston just to film a show with me! Yes, I’m beyond honored! He’s also working that hard to get elected for the NRA Board of Directors. And in his home state of Pennsylvania for their gun owners. It’s always fun to meet someone new and widen my circle of friends. I picked up Jonathan at the airport and we drove for a bit to get to know each other. We kick things off quickly and jump in deep, talking about Bruen, open carry v concealed, and why some laws aren’t conducive to logic. He’s got a great line, borrowed from Chris Conte from the NRA ILA, about “New Jersey being the North Korea of gun ownership.” I knew things were going to be fun after that. Jonathan didn’t really grow up as a gun guy. He owned IT businesses and sold them before going to law school. Besides that, he was a newlywed and applied for law school, and was on the ballot for the state legislature. After not liking the big law firm, he got together with some other friends and started outsourcing legal work to India. But as he says everyone “hates outsourcing, but they hate lawyers more.” Back in 1994, the gun laws were being redone in the Pa. There were lots of folks against it and he wanted to see what they were against. Each of the towns and cities were supposed to have the same laws. But they decided they were going to have different classes of cities, and thus, Philly was in its own class. Therefore, having its own laws that the rest of the state didn’t have. He started thinking about why the politicians were so set against lawful gun ownership. That piqued his interest and that’s when he became a gun owner. He got a permit, bought a snub revolver, got into shotguns and bird hunting and found a new passion. Around the time Heller was going on in 2008, he was getting more involved in getting cases and getting noticed by the NRA. This is where he became friends with Chris Conte at NRA ILA. In 2011, he was awarded the Defender of Justice by NRA ILA. He also helped raise money for the NRA. On the radar of the NRA, he ends up on a couple committees, one for the legal affairs and one for the non-traditional gun owner, those of racial and sexual minorities. With enough trust, he was placed on the nominating committee. That’s when he started seeing that things were not necessarily going so well. That’s when he started seeing that some BOD members weren’t there for wholesome reasons. He saw that they weren’t all rowing in the same direction. Some of the folks haven’t seen that the old tactics aren’t working, haven’t been, and don’t want to change. We got into it a bit more of course. He’s very passionate about the NRA and what is going on and what needs to be changed. I really enjoyed the conversation with Jonathan and I look forward to seeing him in Atlanta in April. This wraps up the five interviews I’ve done with the NRA 2.0 Candidates running on the reform ticket. I’ve had another five or so on the show over the years. I’m voting for all 28 of the “Reformers”. I enjoyed the conversations with them all. As with the NRA staff that I’ve had on the show, I can see the passion for the NRA and our rights that they have and they’re fighting for. These 28 candidates know that the NRA didn’t earn the respect of the members, their funds, and their support. I do have faith in them and what they plan on doing to resurrect the NRA from what has been going on. I have confidence in them and I’m looking forward to the progress for gun owners across the country. While it is too late to become a life member and be able to vote, it’s not too late to vote for those who haven’t yet. Ballots were sent out in the February magazines and have to be received by April 6, 2025. Favorite quotes: “The goal is to frustrate the gun owner.” “The modality that works best today is concealed carry. Not open carry.” “The fact that I carry a gun keeps you safer. You’re welcome.” “What do these politicians intend to do to me that my ownership of firearms is a threat to them.” “NRA is back on the map. We’re clean. We’re well run. We deserve to get out seat at the table back.” Elect A New NRA Website Goldstein Law Partners Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/35740105

RSWC #226 Jim Wallace 03/11/2025

RSWC #226 Jim Wallace Riding Shotgun With Charlie #226 Jim Wallace NRA BOD, NRA 2.0 Candidate GOAL, Executive Director I’ve known Jim Wallace and Gun Owners Action League as long as I’ve been a gun owner. I took a class with GOAL in 2002 before I even owned a gun. I became an instructor though GOAL, volunteered teaching with them, and even sat in their booth at the local outdoor expo. Having Jim on the show was a long time coming. And since he’s an NRA 2.0 candidate, now was the perfect time. Jim was a letter carrier with the postal system when he joined the Georgetown Fish & Game Club. He got involved in the League of Essex County Sportsmen’s Club. After doing some searching around, he found out that the people doing the licensing for hunting and fishing were going to be online and it was going to be most costly. At the time, he wasn’t much of a speaker or activist, he was just looking to see where the money was going and why it was going up. This got the attention of the folks at Gun Owners Action League. They invited him to the office to see what he found, and they figured if he could do this while maintaining a full-time job, they could pay him and he could find out more. Back in the day, Jim spent a lot of time in the Mass State House on Beacon Hill. He was able to spend his days there just talking with the state reps and senators. They often had questions for him about upcoming bills and legislation. He was able to educate and inform them about how this was going to affect hunters, fishers, and shooters. Jim and GOAL have faced so many issues over the years in the anti-gun commonwealth of Massachusetts. We talked about the 1994 AWB and what happened in 2004 when Governor Romney signed what he thought was going to be an improvement to the Mass gun laws, but ended up being a lot of gun control. Sometimes gun owners accept some bad laws to get some better laws that can, and should, be changed later. We cover a lot about the Gun Law Listening Tour of 2023 and how that was a sham hosted by the anti-gun politicians. I covered many of those events on News2A.com. After the tour and before the bill dropped, the main “writer” of the bill was visited by Gabby Giffords. I assumed that she gave the representative a hefty check and the legislation she wanted passed because when addressed about the contents of the bill, the Rep didn’t know what was in the bill. We also got into the NRA stuff, covering how the board has been changing for the positive with new people and new blood. Wallace also brings up that NY AG Letitia James could be the person credited with saving the NRA by going after the association. As with all the episodes with the NRA 2.0 candidates, I want to emphasize that the 28 candidates running as the reformers need to be elected as a whole if we want to see changes to the NRA BOD. The ballots were sent out in the February NRA magazine issues and need to be in by April 6, 2025. The only members who can vote have to be a dues paying member for 5 years in a row or have a life membership. I went up to where Jim lives to record the episode. He lives on the very North Shore of Boston. We got to drive through his hometown area, see some of the scenery of those who live by the ocean, and where he used to hunt, and still lives an active outdoorsmen lifestyle. Favorite quotes: “I just dug because something didn’t look right.” “As a result, I had weekly meetings with his Chief of Staff until he left office.” “They didn’t care about input. They already had the bill written.” “We didn’t turn that bill 180 but we certainly turned it 175 degrees.” “There’s a little bit of education that’s going to have to happen with new people being on the board and how things work. But I think we’re heading in the right direction.” Elect A New NRA Website Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/35621210

RSWC #225 Charlie Hiltunen 03/04/2025

RSWC #225 Charlie Hiltunen Riding Shotgun With Charlie #225 Charlie Hiltunen III NRA BOD, NRA 2.0 Candidate Here’s another great interview with one of the NRA Board of Director members and NRA 2.0 Reform Candidate, Charlie Hiltunen III. At the Great American Outdoor Show, I got to meet several of the NRA 2.0 Candidates and set up to film some shows with a few of them. He had some commitments on the morning we filmed and asked if I could get him back so he was able to get to the airport. I told him I could do him one better and take him there. Currently, he’s finishing his first term on the board. Hiltunen was born and raised in Indiana. He grew up shooting and hunting as part of the midwest family life. He grew up in a time where high schoolers would bring a .22 rifle to school to hunt on the way home. This was a tradition with his father and he wanted to pass it along to his own children. When his kids were old enough, he was instructing and coaching them in the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Action Program. With all the coaching and working with young people, he thinks he got more from it than they did. His career was as an attorney working with government affairs, lobbying, and politics. When the traditions he shared as a son and father were at risk, he got more involved in activism. Part of this journey got him involved with the Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association. The “family bond in the 2A community became even stronger.” As an instructor and coach and president of ISRPA, he was asked if he wanted to be a candidate for the NRA BOD. While on a hiking trip in Michigan, he got the message about the offer. When he asked when they needed a bio, they said right away! With his experience as an attorney, lobbyist, and as the president of a state association, it was a great fit! One of his personal goals is to reconnect the NRA with its members, new and old. The messaging from the BOD members I’ve talked to have all been the same. They want to increase members which will bring back some political clout. They want to focus on safety training, education, and competitions. The board is working more with each other to make the improvements they see fit. They all want to make sure the association stays around for another 150 years. But they do know that getting the message out is going to be a challenge. Part of the conversation is about permitless carry and training. When Indiana went to permitless carry, there were more people who wanted to get training. Of course, it's needed for responsible gun owners. The need for those without permits is different from a regular licensing course. When the state requires training for a carry permit, that’s often the only thing people take. But when they don’t need a license, they have more practical needs for shooting and training. We talk about training the women being the largest growing demographic of gun owners. He brought up fellow board member Rick Ector and the event he does in Detroit every year. It is important to get new people to try shooting so that they get that shooting is fun and training and safety are important for everyone. It is important to vote for all 28 of the Reform Candidates. In the past, people have encouraged “bullet voting” to try and get a message to the board. That method raises only a few candidates and pushes the others down. But this slate of candidates is going to work together to make the changes they think are needed. With more of the reformers on the board, there will be less of the “old guard” who had allegiance to the former EVP. Ballots were sent out in the February issues of the NRA magazines. They’re due on April 6, 2025. It was great to get to know Charlie more during this conversation. I’m looking forward to seeing what the reformers will do and hoping the changes they make will be positive changes for the association. Favorite quotes: “There’s so many great people on the board of directors.” “Change is difficult for any organization.” “The NRA is not an organization, it’s an organism.” “If you forget your history, you’re going to lose your future.” Elect A New NRA Website Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/35522865

Riding Shotgun With Charlie

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