While the AR platform can be assembled easily, I think many of us know that while almost everyone can put it together, there's a different process all together, for truly building one. Matt Patruno is the owner and co-founder of Two Grunts Inc., a Michigan based rifle company. As a former Marine, and a former Police Officer, Matt knows the importance of a reliable work rifle. From material sciences, to metallurgy, to understanding what the label "mil-spec" really means, Matt and I get into a lot. There's truly a science and a detailed knowledge that he puts into every rifle her produces, and he shares an awful lot of it with us in this conversation. I was surprised to hear that many of the common beliefs that I personally held, weren't near as true as I had been led to believe. This entire chat serves to show you that while there's a ton of popular opinion out there, there sure isn't a lot of knowledge. If you run an AR, this is a MUST LISTEN for you!

Head over to https://twogruntsinc.com/ to learn more!

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Lantern Rescue is a Counter Human Trafficking organization, founded in 2020, that helps fight trafficking across the globe. From providing assistance to local law enforcement, to assisting with legislative and prosecutorial practices, Lantern is able to contribute by creating sustainable change in the constant battle against trafficking. In this discussion, I sit down with Lantern's founder, Korrin, a lawyer and former Marine, to talk about the mission behind all of the work, but also to dispell some myths and misconceptions, while bringing more visibility and reality to the conversation. As the world continues to change in an increasingly electronic age, the way we fight back against these practices also changes. We spent time talking about the cultural challenges that Lantern faces when assisting foreign agencies, and how they've been able to leave ego at the door, and create a remarkable impact.

To learn more about Lantern Rescue, and their mission, you can visit their website: https://lanternrescue.org/

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Happy Easter everyone! With the turn of the calendar into April, comes another edition of the SITREP. For the first time in a while I have some current developments to share with Prepared Mindset and our YouTube channel, as well as obviously taking the time to get into a few political happenings. Mostly notably, the very recent dismissal of Pam Bondi as the Attorney General of the United States. This comes just a handful of weeks after the dismissal of Kristi Noem, who was another prominent cabinet member in the media, and perceived to be a key part of the administration. I talk about my first strike on our YouTube channel, and the unfortunate reality that our community faces, and then pivot over to the Bondi firing and what it could potentially mean for us as a nation. I hope you all enjoy, and have a fantastic holiday with your loved ones.

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I catch up with Joe Fasanella, the owner and founder of Grayfighter Gear in this weeks conversation, to talk about the tools and solutions he produces to help modern law enforcement. Of course, as a retired federal agent, and former NYPD cop, Joe is able to speak to several of the unique needs that his gear has been able to address both here in the United States, but also around the globe. Past nylon, we also discuss the culture change that Joe is helping to bring about in New York City for private gun owners, and even got into some recent events. Seeing videos of the attempted bombing in NYC during the "mostly peaceful" protests, it led us into some valuable insight, and interesting stories from Joe's time in law enforcement, in the Big Apple. It's always a blast connecting with Joe, and I think you guys are going to love this one. Check it out!

You can check out everything Joe's been working on at https://www.grayfightergear.com/

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I'm catching up with John Ketteman, and in this week's discussion, we're talking about something unique that I haven't truly dove in to on the pod. The realities of applied and physical violence. While this at face value seems like something that applies to every conversation we've had on the pod previously, we've certainly never taken the time to dive into what it really means. While things like an aggressive nature, and a disposition for physical violence can help in a fight, they actually can put you in a worse position to win. Additionally, when we look objectively at the realities of sport shooting compared to defensive shooting, they do each bring different values to the conversation, while also carrying some detractors. This was a good conversation for those of you who might find yourself feeling like you've over-dedicated your time and focus to a particular discipline and may want a check, on how to circle back. I very much enjoyed this one, and I think it'll offer a lot for those of you out there, with a prepared mindset.

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Mark Smith is the owner/founder of JBS Training Group and has been shooting for over 15 years. JBS offers training all over the country to concerned and prepared citizens, law enforcement, and military who are seeking to improve their shooting abilities. Mark and I dive into a lot in our conversation together from the pitfalls of self-validation and accepting mediocrity, to the different ways of learning, and the importance of prinicple based techniques and training. The passion that Mark has for shooting at a high level, as well as for teaching and educating, comes through in the conversation. I personally connected with a lot of what Mark shared, and found our dialogue to be extremely insightful. I definitely recommend giving this one a listen if you're searching for more information on training, and performance based shooting.

You can learn more about Mark at jbstraininggroup.com

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After meeting up at SHOT show just a handful of weeks ago, I finally get to catch up with Jack, the owner and founder of Guerrilla Tactical. Guerrilla was founded, like many companies, during the abundance of free time during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Unlike many companies though, when we fast forward to 2026, they are thriving, growing, and expanding. Sitting down with Jack, we talk about the importance of a quality holster, share some experiences using sub-par gear, and hear a few first hand experiences from a customer service perspective that show us that while information on carrying is abundant in our community, we still have lots of work to do. From concealment, to comfort, and everything in between, there's a lot of thought, engineering, and testing that goes into modern solution for the problem set that we face as prepared citizens. Jack and Guerrilla Tactical have made it their mission to help us, solve those problems.

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As requested by our YouTube audience, here's a re-hashing of a very popular subject, and one that, given the climate of things, is probably of interest to many. Carbines, and how to build one or set one up in a way that will be most advantageous to the prepared end user. While there's some common themes present here, I think there's always room to make some adjustments or changes depending on your unique needs and goals. Throughout this discussion I make some recommendations, while trying them back to my use cases and my needs. When building out any solution set or platform, whether it's a plate carrier, chest rig, or weapon system, you need to always be able to tie the decisions back to your WHY. While this is all just my thoughts, feelings and certainly opinions, based only off of my own experience, I think it'll be helpful to some, and hopefully at least entertaining, to all. Check it out!

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