Episode Details

John welcomes Jeremiah, the founder and inventor behind Slide Fire and the bump stock, for a different kind of State of the Second episode recorded from John's home studio. Jeremiah lays out his origin story: a retired Air Force veteran who grew up as a dirt farmer in West Texas, he created Slide Fire Solutions in 2010 with a goal of selling 500 units in the first year. He put a couple of videos on YouTube, sold the first 500 in four days, and the company was born. Over the next several years he brought 39 different products to market across 11 platforms and grew into a large company, all while holding ATF letters confirming his products were within the law.

Then came October 1, 2017, the Las Vegas shooting, which put a spotlight on his company. Jeremiah argues the response was unfair because his product does not shoot bullets and would not stop a mass shooting. He describes the ban that took effect in March 2019, the government destroying roughly 80,000 to 85,000 units of his inventory, being sued by over a thousand people, and being told he had no legal recourse. He recounts the years in limbo, nearly losing his tooling when it sat dormant in a warehouse, and the trip to fly up to Pennsylvania and drive it down to Texas to recover it. The Fifth Circuit's split with other circuit courts gave him a real shot, the Supreme Court took the case, and a 6-3 ruling found the government overreached and that a bump stock is not a machine gun.

With the ban overturned, Slide Fire is rebuilding. Three products are back online, with the AK, Ruger 10/22, AR, and Glock models in the works. Jeremiah has filed a 97-page lawsuit, framing it less as a fight about bump stocks and more about compensation for property the government took and destroyed, a constitutional right he compares to eminent domain. His statute of limitations runs out in March, so timing was close. John and Jeremiah talk through the broader pattern of ATF overreach, the 'war on plastic' that followed with pistol braces and FRT triggers, the VA fiduciary rule that once affected Jeremiah himself, and a culture they say has traded facts for feelings. He closes asking people to know their rights, support the company, and buy a bump stock, and floats leading a congressional investigation into Vegas.

Questions this episode answers

Who invented the bump stock and how did Slide Fire get started?

Jeremiah, a retired Air Force veteran who grew up as a dirt farmer in West Texas, invented the bump stock and founded Slide Fire Solutions in 2010. He posted a couple of videos on YouTube, sold his first 500 units in four days, and the company was born.

How many products did Slide Fire bring to market before the ban?

Jeremiah brought 39 different products to market across 11 platforms and grew Slide Fire into a large company, all while holding ATF letters confirming his products were within the law.

What happened to Slide Fire's inventory after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting?

After the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting put a spotlight on the company, a ban took effect in March 2019 and the government destroyed roughly 80,000 to 85,000 units of his inventory. Jeremiah was sued by over a thousand people and told he had no legal recourse.

How did the Supreme Court rule on the bump stock ban, and on what grounds?

After the Fifth Circuit split with other circuit courts, the Supreme Court took the case and ruled 6-3 that the government overreached and that a bump stock is not a machine gun, overturning the ban.

What is Jeremiah's new lawsuit against the government actually about?

He has filed a 97-page lawsuit framed less as a fight about bump stocks and more about compensation for property the government took and destroyed, a constitutional right he compares to eminent domain. His statute of limitations runs out in March, so the timing was close.

How is Slide Fire rebuilding, and which p