While it's pretty well noted that I don't have a ton of knowledge or experience out in the wilderness or in the survival community, my guest this week, has more than enough to make up for what I lack. Craig Caudill is the owner and founder of Nature Reliance School, and has dedicated his life not only to teaching survival, bushcraft, and sustainment, but to continuously seeking out individuals who know more, and finding ways to learn new things in areas he's spent his whole life studying. This was a fascinating conversation for me, and we were able to get into all sorts of interesting topics from beginner courses of instruction, to advanced training, to escape and resisting human trafficking. Craig has done a lot, and has a lot to share. This is certainly a discussion tailored to those of you more comfortable in the woods, than in your own home.

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The Red Letter Project is a unique company that takes the traditional approaches we see to skills like firearms safety and proficiency, force on force training, and individual capability, and builds on them through personal focus, and faith based principles. Maddy Scholar is the owner and founder of The Red Letter Project, as well as a avid shooter, as well as a student of business and faith. We sit down in this discussion, starting with Maddy's story of what led her to such an impactful life mission, and spend a lot of time talking not only about the benefits of the training, but the importance of being an invested coach and educator, as well as constantly looking for ways to improve yourself so that you may more positive improve your students. I found this conversation to be very interesting, and was blown away by the work that Maddy and Red Letter are doing to change the world.

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The first major piece of legislation for the new Trump Administration has passed, and it's been dubbed "The Big Beautiful Bill" by many. For me, I think it's more cheeky to simply refer to it as the "T Triple B" for reasons only a few of you will understand (but shouldn't). In this bill, which numbers somewhere between 1,000 and 1,1000 pages approximately, are a number of very impactful changes to the country. Chief among those is the removal of the unconstitutional two hundred dollar tax attached to NFA items like suppressors and short-barrel rifles, as well as hefty budgets allotted to border security efforts. There's a lot to unpack, and as always I have a lot to say about several pieces of this and how I see it impacting normal American's, as well as the downstream impacts that they could trigger. While I usually try to stay away from the politics in our weekly episodes, I think this one is justified. Check it out, and like always, drop us a email, a message, or a comment and let me know what you're thinking!

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We're officially kicking off the second half of 2025 with the July SITREP! It's Fourth of July weekend, and with that, comes obviously the fantastic celebration by all Americans (mostly) of our fight as armed and well regulated civilians fighting for independence and to defeat tyranny. Now, in the last several decades, that notion does seem to have faded a bit over time, but it's an ideal that is uniquely American, and one that holds more value than many realize. I do my best to articulate my own thoughts and feelings around the holiday and why it's so important that we celebrate it now, and for many years to come. Additionally, we have terrible flooding in parts of Texas impacting thousands of families and once more, we as a community are called on for help and support. There's some information on who to reach out to as well as a brief update on the information that I've been able to gather over just these last few days. Hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday weekend, and God Bless America!

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A discussion many of you have asked for, I finally had the opportunity to sit down with Kevin, of Custom Night Vision fame, and cut it up. While our time together was shorter than I would have liked, we were able to dig in to a whole lot. From hearing the story of how Custom came to be what we know it to be today, to discussing the mindless postings and arguments on reddit, and beyond. Kevin has always been someone who's willing to share with folks his own thoughts and opinions, and has been a resource to the community. In a segment of the industry where there's constantly evolving options, developments, changes, and enhancements, it can be difficult for folks to stay informed and in the loop. The content that the team at Custom and Kevin put out helps to close the gap, while also keeping us all well entertained. I enjoyed the discussion a lot, and am looking forward to the next one!

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In a carry on discussion from Episode 313, JT and I sit down to get his perspectives and opinions on the question at hand. What really, if anything, is the difference between teaching, and sharing knowledge? Right off the rip we dive in, talking about the relevance of prior service, both in the Military and Law Enforcement, as well as what the expectations for maintaining that relevance could be, within the context of this question. This brings up a lot of points, including the passive and active "gatekeeping" we experience within the community around not only the information itself, but who is "allowed" to spread this message, and share these lessons. There's a degree of danger and concern when we only allow the spread of institutional knowledge without outside input, and impose unnecessary limitations. I really enjoyed the discussion, and I think this will be a value packed conversation for you all.

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We have some very strict, and oddly defined "rules" within our community around who is allowed to "teach" a skill, and even further, what skills they're "allowed" to instruct. However, in the scope of simply sharing what one has learned, regardless of who you are and what you've done, that's deemed as acceptable. In the context of this conversation, it does appear that to most folks, the line of delineation between these two concepts, is financial compensation. My thought behind this is, that this seems a flimsy way to articulate the two, and a very much unreliable way to qualify information and what is shared within the community. I dig into this, and of course get deep into the finer points behind communication, being effective, the illogical social constructs around this all, and as usual, much more. I think this is a worthy listen for those of you tied into the community, and training scene.

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Drones. They've become a fascinating and popular topic as more and more battlefield video leaks out of the conflict in Ukraine. Over the past several years, this has taken a strong interest in the community, and helped it grow exponentially. To get a perspective on what we're seeing not only on the military front, but the civilian space as well, I'm sitting down in this episode with Rob from Constellation Response. We had a great conversation, and touched on everything from unconventional applications, to the high tech developments that are on the horizon for drones. Some of which already exist in the military capacity, and are being leveraged in various capacities within our armed services. These devices are a complete step up in capability, and if you're looking for a multiplier that has the capacity to potentially tie in to things like your mesh network, communications, and more, this is the next stage in the evolution.

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This community, our way of life, the goals and missions we have for ourselves, can be all consuming. So many of us define our entire personality and daily life around training, and developing our skills. However, there's a huge miss in the one-dimensional nature of this over-dedication. It can lead to rifts, it can trigger failures in relationships, and cause waves of adverse impacts all around you. In this weeks discussion, I share my thoughts, insights, and personal experiences around this all. Having a personal outlet for your emotional and physical energy, aside from the range and your tribe, can be extremely beneficial. In some instances, even including those closest to you in these outlets can create stronger bonds, and a more robust group of like-minded men. I get into all of this and more. If you're feeling the burn out, and find yourself perhaps losing a little of your motivation, this one's for you.

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Hard to believe that June is already here, and summer is in full swing. But with the new month, comes a new SITREP. There's only a couple topics in this edition, but both I think are very impactful to those of us in the Second Amendment community. We have some community developments to discuss, involving one of the most influential brands and individuals of the last decade or so, and some changes that might see a different community in the coming months, and maybe even years. Additionally, there's some pivotal legislation that has managed to make its way through the U.S. House of Representatives, and now is headed to the Senate. As always, I give my opinion, and share some insight on both of these points.

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