Episode Details

In State of the Second 1x68, hosts John and Kaylee sit down with 2A content creator Katie Stone, who runs Stone Second and focuses almost entirely on short-form video. The episode opens loose and personal, with a rapid-fire round covering Katie's bucket-list gun (a tank), her zombie-apocalypse loadout, and a long, funny detour into pizza and chili. From there Katie tells the story of how she fell into the firearms industry by accident. Her sister found a bookkeeping job at Classic Firearms while Katie was working an infant room in a daycare making about $800 a month. She took a customer service role, got pulled into product videos by Ben at Classic, later became his personal assistant, and eventually decided she had maxed out and needed to grow somewhere else.

That move led her to Braden and Langley Outdoors Academy, where she built a shorts channel under the Second Press umbrella, which also runs a newsletter and merch. Katie makes the case that short-form content is how you reach a generation with a shrinking attention span, and that a 30 to 60 second video can pull a curious viewer toward longer content from creators like Braden and Tim Harmson. The hosts and Katie then climb on the soapbox to call out what they see as a political and media class that does not understand guns, citing claims about AR-15s, a vice president saying she owns a Glock, and a politician who could not load his own shotgun.

The back half lands on a serious through-line under the jokes. Katie and the hosts argue that culture is upstream of politics, that memes only work if people understand why they are funny, and that the firearms community needs a wide, diverse range of content because you never know what reaches a gun-curious person. They close on civic engagement: pay attention to local races and school boards, do not go apathetic after an election, and treat advocacy as a small personal sacrifice. Katie shares that she takes a personal day to attend every GOA Lobby Day in Tennessee so no one can say she was paid to be there. GOA notes it has scored politicians and published a voter guide since it was founded in 1976.

Questions this episode answers

How did Katie Stone get her start in the firearms industry?

She fell into it by accident. While working an infant room at a daycare for about $800 a month, she took a customer service role at Classic Firearms, got pulled into product videos, and later became personal assistant to the company's top buyer and general manager.

Why does Katie Stone focus on short-form video instead of long-form content?

She argues short-form is how you reach a generation with a shrinking attention span. A 30 to 60 second video makes Second Amendment politics shorter and spicier, catching a curious viewer's attention and pulling them toward longer content.

What is Second Press and how do its channels and newsletter fit together?

Second Press is the umbrella Katie works under alongside Braden of Langley Outdoors Academy, where she built a short-form video channel. It also runs a newsletter and merch.

Does short-form content give creators an edge with younger gun owners?

Katie says yes. A quick 30 to 60 second video can hook a gun-curious viewer whose attention span is short and lead them toward longer content from creators like Braden and Tim Harmson.

Why do Katie Stone and the hosts say the political and media class misunderstands guns?

They point to a class that does not understand firearms, citing inaccurate claims about AR-15s, a vice president saying she owns a Glock, and a politician who could not load his own shotgun.

Why does it matter to pay attention to local races and school boards, not just the presidency?

They argue culture is upstream of politics and that local people and races matter, so gun owners should stay engaged with county races and school boards and not go apathetic after an election