Ep. 66: The Gun Blog with Nicolas Johnson

Professional journalist Nicolas Johnson knows first hand how the general media vilifies firearms and firearms owners.  He also knows how to combat that negative narrative.  If you own firearms, and wish to continue to own them in the future, you will want to listen to this podcast.  This is the longest Silvercore Podcast to date and it is jam packed with valuable information on a multitude of topics important to hunters, anglers and firearms owners. 

 

https://thegunblog.ca

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What is The Silvercore Podcast with Travis Bader?

The Silvercore Podcast explores the mindset and skills that build capable people. Host Travis Bader speaks with hunters, adventurers, soldiers, athletes, craftsmen, and founders about competence, integrity, and the pursuit of mastery, in the wild and in daily life. Hit follow and step into conversations that sharpen your edge.

Kind: captions
Language: en-GB

I'm Travis Bader,
and this is the

Silvercore Podcast.

Join me as I discuss
matters related to

hunting, fishing, and
outdoor pursuits with the

people in businesses that
comprise the community.

If you're a new to
Silvercore, be sure to

check out our website,
www.silvercore.ca where

you can learn more about
courses, services and

products that we offer
as well as how you can

join the Silvercore Club,
which includes 10 million

in north America, wide
liability insurance,

which ensures you are
properly covered during

your outdoor adventures.

One of the unique
prospects of the

Silvercore Podcast is
that it allows me to

share my connections
within the outdoors

and firearms industry
with our listeners

and provide a unique
insight into the inner

workings of the industry.

Today, I have the
pleasure of doing a swap

cast with someone who
you've likely seen his

work, but yet might not
know much about him.

Personally.

My guest today is
a graduate from

France's prestigious
Sorbonne university

with a master's in
philosophy, anthropology,

and sociology.

He has accreditation
from George Brown and

security intelligence,
counter intelligence and

emergency management,
and has worked as

reporter for Bloomberg
the Globe and Mail.

And is the owner
and editor of the

gun blog guts.

Welcome to the silver
court gun blog.ca swap

cast, Nicolas Johnson,

Travis.

It's a real pleasure
to be with you and

to be your guest.

And it gives me great
pleasure also in

this swap cast to be
interviewing you the

founder and owner of
Silvercore and getting

to know more about you
as a, as an individual

and as a businessman
and so much more,

I guess, you know, to
get things rolling here.

I'm curious about the gun
blog.ca and sort of what

motivated you to get into
such a niche industry.

This is taking
me back though.

I love the question.

It's a simple question.

And you know that
sometimes the simplest

questions are the
hardest, because

I want to get back
into the motivation.

I started it.

I went, I went live on
January 4th, 2015, and

at the time, what really
motivated me was what I

felt was, uh, an impact.

In the media, I was
deep into self-defense

and concealed carry
and or discrete carry

and personal protection
in terms of like

philosophically, I've
never had to do it,

but I was interested in
those, those concepts

and learning the
techniques and as a

gun owner, and I had
recently got my firearm

license, my possession
and acquisition

license in Canada,
I'm based in Toronto.

And I just felt
that there was an

incredible anti-gun
bias in the media, in

politics, in policy.

And I want it to be a
counter narrative, you

know, I wanted to start,
uh, just basically give

an opinion that I felt
was not being reflected

their perspective
of a recreational

firearm user, who yeah.

I felt that perspective
was not being reflected

and I wanted to offer,
I wanted to offer it

interesting because
that's honestly, that's

similar to why I started
the Silvercore podcast.

I just look at an
industry that has

such a social stigma
behind it and a

negative social stigma.

And I want it to be able
to provide a voice for

the industry and for,
uh, firearms owners

and outdoor enthusiasts
said basically just

shared their passion
with others, which

normalizes the process
of loving the outdoors

and what it entails and
all that entails within

the firearms industry.

So I've, I've never
gotten kind of

into the political
realm or sphere.

Uh, not nearly to the
degree that you have.

With the podcast, because
I've always wanted to

showcase the positivity,
or if we're going to

talk about something
that somehow has negative

connotations, find a
positive way to be able

to wrap it up or some
sort of summation on it.

But do you find, do
you find that you're

achieving what you're
hoping to get out

of the gun blog in
the last, what was

2015 you started?

Yeah.

So we're coming
up to finishing

the seventh year.

It's a question.

Yeah.

And that's, that's
also the key question.

Like, are you, are you
achieving the dream that

you're asking me or am I
achieving the objective?

Yeah.

Yes and no, I guess
following that, that

was my conscious
objective, but I like

a lot of projects.

There is a lot of other
stuff that I realized

subsequently, oh, I'm
also trying to do this.

And I'm also
trying to do that.

I was also trying to
hit play and discover

and have fun and, and
practice this and learn

that the, the, it took
me also several years

to get to what you just
said, which is I want

to focus on the positive
for a few years there.

I got really political
and, and, um, it

almost became a very
political, very policy

focused and very much
focused on stopping the

aunties as opposed to
promoting the beauty and

benefits of our side.

And I think there's much
more powerful and much

more power, much more
satisfaction talking

about the good stuff that
you want to do versus

the bad stuff that your,
your opponents are doing.

So have I achieved?

I believe I
have achieved.

I believe I do offer
a vocabulary, a way of

thinking a position, a
stand for personal gun

ownership and a stand
in the way of people

who want to eliminate
personal gun ownership.

I believe I have
advanced, obviously

there's still a lot
of work to be done

that the, the, the
fight's not over, but

I believe I have from,
I believe I have raised

some consciousness
and changed some minds

and gotten people to,
to think differently

about the issue.

Let's say, Hmm.

You know, when I look
at different firearms

forums and they have
categories of different

topics, the politics
section are typically the

ones that have the most
amount of activity in it.

So from a editorial
standpoint, writing about

things of a political
nature for firearms, I

would think would be a
sure-fire way to ensure

that you have maximum
interest or engagement,

but it can also be an
extremely negative arena

to be playing in as well.

So how do you kind of
balance that dichotomy

between wanting to have
the maximum engagement

and have those people
kind of looking at

it and the fact that
politics isn't always

the, uh, the most fun
place to be, to be.

Yeah, I, I, I'm going
to, um, I would like,

I w everything you're
asking me, I want to ask

you back, so get ready.

It's coming.

Oh,

the, the, I think what
I believe now is that

whatever niche you choose
to go into, no matter

how micro that niche
is, you will attract

the other people who are
interested in that niche.

And I think that, yeah,
so if you're, if you're

writing a blog focused
on firearm politics

in Canada, or a video
channel or a podcast or

whatever it is, if you're
focused on gun politics

in Canada, you will
find other people who

were attracted to that.

And you probably will
alienate people who are

not interested in that.

And I found in my
case, I don't know.

I think I got interested
in the politics.

In fact, I've just
gotten, I've just gone.

I'm just losing interest
in the politics.

I'm so turned off by,
by what's happening now.

And that I'm actually
losing interest in

politics and get trying
to move the blog in a

different direction,
move what I do in a

different direction.

But the politics
is also nasty.

It gets mean, and
people have very

strong convictions.

And when I would
talk about certain

topics, whether it
was, uh, interviewing

the, the, the.

Manager of ships
or Canada, or doing

something about,
about hunting or a

competitive shooter.

There's not, you know, it
doesn't, it doesn't get

a lot of, um, it doesn't
get a lot of views.

Doesn't get a lot of
attraction, but if I

write something about
what the liberals are

up to lately, oh my
God, people get really

excited and I get
lots of emails back.

And the risk is, uh,
I'm curious to hear also

your point of view, the
risk is that, oh, that's

where I get the feedback.

That's where I get
the validation.

So that's, that's kind
of an incentive to

go in that direction.

And that's what
that's, what's getting

the page views.

And if, if you're, you
know, we like to get page

views or downloads or
whatever your metric is

that you go in the way
of your audience, you go,

you follow your audience
to some extent, and it's

taken a lot of me heart.

Um, but we can discuss
that more, but that's

yeah, so it got very
political for a while

and I'm actually trying
to move away from that.

And I have a paywall
and I'm keeping the

political stuff.

Like I still care about
politics and I still want

my, my members to know
about what's happening

and they still want to
know, but I'm putting

that behind the paywall.

So it's not, it's
not front and center.

Yeah.

That makes sense.

Well, I'd like to
ask you, um, tell

me about Silvercore.

I, I, I'm realizing
I'm embarrassed to

admit how little I know
about this incredible

company that you run.

We're a small company
out of the lower mainland

of BC and it started at
around what I in 1994.

Providing basic firearm
safety course training

to the general public.

And that was when
the program first

came into play.

And I was still in
high school and I, I

was working for a few
different companies.

Uh, I was a general
manager at an auction

house for a short bit.

I was working for
an armor car company

and I've always been
entrepreneurial minded.

You know, uh, first
jobs I had was in

grade four grade five,
I would perform magic

and kids birthday
parties for other

kids' birthday parties.

Right.

And, or I would mow lawns
for real estate agents

prior to their showings
of their houses or even

working for let's say
the armored car company.

I ended up taking a look
at everything outside of

what my actual job role
was because I tend to

get bored quite quickly
and find other areas

that I can do work.

And I started with
welding up their

hand trucks for them.

I had never welded a hand
truck in my life, right.

Nor had I ever welded
aluminum that thickness

before, but I, uh,
talk them into giving

me a chance and that
proceeded into the next

step, which was, well,
he got all these guns

hanging on your wall.

You have people that
come in and service

your vehicles on
a regular basis.

What kind of maintenance
program do you have

for your firearm?

And that sent me
down to Springfield,

Massachusetts, and got
trained up at the Smith

and Western academy
and through the armor

school and started doing
repair and maintenance

just for the company
that I was working for.

And they had branches
across BC and I started

doing more branches
and then Alberta

and Saskatchewan and
Manitoba and Ontario.

And then at one point
I think almost every

single armored car
company in BC, I was

doing their repair
and maintenance for.

So I said, maybe I
want to be a gunsmith.

I started up Silvercore
gun works and was doing

the teaching on the side
and started picking up a

work with law enforcement
agencies they'll have

their own arbors on
staff, but if they

needed extended work done
that their armor didn't

have the tooling for,
or the, the background

into being able to do
and land on my table.

So, uh, around 2003,
I, uh, I incorporated

Silvercore training.

I was doing silver
court gun works as a

sole proprietorship
before that and sort

of never looked back.

And today Silvercore is
the leader in its field.

We are.

Yeah.

And that's,
that's in Canada.

That's a pretty big,
uh, like just from

what your website says,
you do everything from

training, people who
want to get their gun

license or their pal.

So the Canadian firearm
safety course training

civilians, you also
train police and

law enforcement and
conservation officers.

You have the podcast,
you have gunsmithing,

you have, what
am I forgetting?

You know, and we do
work with the courts.

So I'm a subject
matter expert for

the courts, both,
um, uh, crown counsel

and defense counsel.

And, um, the training
is sort of the primary

crux of what we do.

Uh, and when you say,
you know, leader in, in

the industry, we are, I,
I, I carved out a niche

where there, when did not
exist before in Canada.

Uh, but you know,
it's like saying that

I'm president of the
cracker factory, right?

It's a big fish in a
small barrel it's I

it's nothing that I'd
be getting too, uh, uh,

too excited over myself
about, but it has allowed

me to explore new ways
to be able to communicate

with people because
all, all teaching is, is

basically conveying an
idea to others in a way

that they're able to,
uh, readily accept it.

And if it's, doesn't
stand up to a challenge

and you have to take a
look at what your idea

is that you're conveying,
uh, whether it's, it's

a good idea or not.

And, uh, Or how you
convey that information.

So, uh, yes, we are the
leader in, in what we do.

We do firearms, repair
and maintenance.

We do training programs
for DFO ministry of

forests, um, uh, parks,
um, armored car company.

So we do use of force
and firearms training.

If you're going to
be carrying a firearm

for the, uh, defense
of your life or, or a

third party, somebody
else, we provide that

training, um, mineral
exploration industry,

uh cartographers and
geological survey Canada.

I mean, we've got a
lot of people that,

uh, use firearms
for their employment

on a daily basis.

The film industry
is a big one.

Do a lot of people in the
lower mainland required,

just basic training and
safety within the film.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's, it's huge.

I got ask.

Um, I think I first came
across Silvercore when

I was a, for myself.

I was looking for
who does, uh, I don't

like the name, but
tactical or defensive

or protective training
for civilians in Canada.

And there's tons
of places in the

us, but I couldn't.

The list in Canada was
very small and you were

one of the people who I
thought was on that list.

That's, that's
how I first came

across the name.

Silvercore.

And why is the, why is
the market for civilian?

I don't know if you
have a better name for

it, but I'll call it
defensive, uh, civilian.

Well, first of all,
there's very few

courses after the
preliminary pal course,

the pal possession
acquisition license.

After that, there
are very few courses

that I've been able
to find at all.

And when you talk about
protection or defense,

it's like, there's almost
nothing I'm curious to.

Why is that right?

I think there's a
few reasons for that.

Like in Canada,
particularly in the

states, firearms
ownership is enshrined

in their, their right,
their constitutional

rights, right.

Uh, in Canada, it's
not considered a

right, but rather a
privilege and firearms

owners are reminded on
a routine basis that

this is a privilege
that can be taken away.

Right.

And if you start talking
about, um, you, you

say tactical training,
well, that's always

something, even from the
beginning of Silvercore

that stuck in the back
of my head is something.

I didn't like the word
or the connotation

of tactical.

Like it used to be
back in the day, if

you wanted to sell
a rifle, they would

put the word varmint.

This is a varmint rifle.

And the connotation
behind that was that

you can shoot small
objects or small game

at a far distance.

And it was very accurate.

I've got to get this
environment and gun,

and that was a great
marketing term and then

came tactical and they
started just throwing

the word tactical
behind everything.

Hey, we painted the
black, it's now tactical.

Well, tactics got
nothing to do with

what you purchase.

And it's got everything
to do with how you

apply your mindset to
a certain situation.

And tactics will
change based on the

different situation
you're going to be in.

And so I was always kind
of shy about using that

marketing term, cause I
didn't think it properly

relayed what we do that.

And when we're working
with law enforcement

agencies, there is
an overriding thought

that they don't want
to be teaching tactics

to the general public.

They don't want to
have the general public

knowing something
that they do, which

can then in turn be
used against them.

So we've got law
enforcement, firearms

instructors, or work on
staff and some feel very

strongly about this.

And my mindset on that
has always been why don't

we just teach somebody
how to use a firearm

proficiently and that
can be applied to a

sporting situation, which
is socially acceptable

here in Canada or.

Applied to a, um, a
workplace situation,

which would in turn
require somebody to

think about tactics.

If they're going to
be using this firearm,

my thinking on, and
I've, I've never agreed

with that mindset.

I don't want to teach
tactics to the general

public because anybody
who's got access to

the internet and can
go onto YouTube, can

learn everything.

And more that the police
are learning right now.

I mean, the information
is out there.

And the other thought
I always had was if the

tactics of a, an agency
is going to deploy

in order to protect
others or protect

themselves is such that
it would fall apart.

If anybody else kind
of knew or had an

inclination of what
they're going to

do, maybe it's time
to reassess that

tactics, those tactics.

And it's sort of like,
um, it's sort of like

having a, an argument
or a disagreement

with somebody.

If you've got your
position and they've

got their position, or
even, let's say you want

to negotiate to some
sort of a, uh, common

ground having a whole
bunch of tricks in your

back pocket doesn't
necessarily mean that

you are going to be the
big winner at the end

of the day, especially
if that other person

learns those tricks.

And then you're back
to it, mind you, if

you have a framework
that everybody knows

about and they're were
aware of, and they

know if this happens,
we're going to do this.

They kind of know the
process through it.

Um, it will allow.

Both of the people in
the, in the dispute to

be able to more quickly
come to a common ground.

I don't know if that's
the best, um, analogy,

but you know, just
talking here off the top

of my head, if we were in
a tactical situation and

you were doing something
that, uh, would elicit a

response from me, maybe
you wouldn't do that.

Something knowing full
well that the next

step is that response.

And maybe we can come to
some sort of a resolution

that's more favorable.

I don't know, maybe
a bit off topic,

but it's interesting
as you're saying that

I'm thinking of vac.

So again, just it's,
I'm going to be

perfectly upfront here.

I make no claims
to be gun slinging,

whatever I've, uh,
internet commando, or

armchair armchair, a
commander, whatever

you want to call it.

A few hundred hours
of, of what in the, in

the industry is called
defensive training,

unforced on forests
and judgment and, um,

and, uh, various drills
and stuff that, that

you'd find in, in a,
in a commercial school

available to civilians.

And I know that that
for me, it was, it

really changed my life.

First of all, it
opened me to concepts

and considerations
that I never

would've thought of.

Cause that whole world
was brand new to me.

And I find that it was
also very humbling and I

got a guy who, you know,
I've studied, uh, armed

and unarmed fighting.

And as I've gotten older
and wiser, what really

has happened was I
want to avoid the, the

principle of avoiding.

Has really, once you
know, this stuff works,

you kind of like, you
know, I'd rather do

anything at all possible
to avoid using the

stuff because no one
ends up there's no, no

one, there's no winner.

And I find that's part
of the, the mindset, I

guess, beyond the, we
love talking about the

gear and the tactics
and running and gunning.

That's a lot of fun, but
actually for me, what's

more, most interesting
in my own discovery

has been how my mindset
has shifted and, and

yeah, it's, it's, it's,
it's, it's, I've mostly

had to do that stuff
in the United States

because that market, as
far as what I've been

able to find, when I
looked did not exist

in Canada and I get it.

And you know, in the
United States, there's

also a, like I've set
up before everyone and

their grandma owns a gun
in the United States,

the firearms ownership
doesn't hold the level

of, um, perceived.

I don't, I can't even
think of the right word

or the, the perceived
glory that it seems

to do in, in Canada.

Um, people go through
a firearm safety

course, they get their
firearms license.

They have criminal
records checks, they

have background checks.

They, they now have
special authorization

to go pick up a, a
handgun, which they

can only use in certain
places or a restricted

finding that they can
use in certain places.

And each one of
these steps is a,

it's a barrier to
firearms ownership.

But when you achieve
these things, there's

some people who will look
at that as look at how

special I am, because
of all these things that

I'm able to achieve.

Y you don't tend to
see that in the states.

Um, not, not when
anyone can just go

out and purchase a
firearm state-by-state

dependent, right.

Um, have the driver's
license screen,

clean, uh, criminal
record check.

So I think that leads
to a very different

sort of mentality.

And then you, you couple
that with the feeling

of always being under
attack, whether it's

new laws that are coming
through, or whether

it's part of a political
platform, Hey, we're

going to ban whatever,
uh, that the firearms

community in Canada has
now worked very hard.

And the squeaky clean
records, daily criminal

record background
checks, and they've got

the proper training and
they're very safe yet.

They're still
feeling attacked.

And from my perception,
anyways, it seems like

perhaps things are
falling outside the locus

of control of the general
firearms community.

So in turn, people
will try and find ways

to regain that sense
of control and that

can come through in
your typical range.

The they call it
range Nazis, right?

The people on the range
who are, um, just so old

vicious and, uh, uh, rule
oriented or they'll make

all of their own extra
rules up, or they will,

uh, the community will
start putting extra,

um, rules on top of
WhatsApp's absolutely

needed because they're
so afraid that if they

don't, they don't either
a have control or B the

general public might turn
around and, uh, view them

as, uh, not responsible
and they'll end up

losing more privileges.

So it's, there is a
different lifestyle and

mentality to firearms
ownership in Canada.

That's for

sure.

And you're like, EV
everything you surfing.

Oh my God, we've
got our, I want to

comment on this.

I want to
comment on that.

And, and I, I, I get
what you're saying.

And so much of that,
that range, Nazi-ism

the rules, the, oh, we
got to do it this way.

Are there a lot
of tacos for this?

Like, that's, that
stuff drives me

absolutely nuts.

And it's one of the
reasons I visited a

bunch of ranges to, to
join and it's difficult.

Um, I don't agree with
that and I don't really

want to be part of that.

And, and that mentality
just blaming whatever,

just personal preference,
it's prevalent and

it, I disagree with
it and it doesn't sit

well with me and I'm
trying to change it.

And the idea, for
example, of a holster

course, you can't, you
can't use a holster until

you pass our holster
course after you've done

all these other things.

For me, I'm sure that
the clubs that do that

have a reason to do
that as a guy who's

not in the industry.

I'm speaking kind of
speculatively here.

Maybe C assess
the person.

Maybe they, maybe
they're a SWOT, but you

know, maybe they're a
SWAT guy who's been on

SWAT team for 15 years.

Maybe they know how
to use a holster.

Maybe they don't need
to sit in your class

for half a day and learn
from someone who doesn't

actually, and whatever,
you know, I hear you.

I hear you
anyway, whatever.

Yeah, no, I hear ya.

Yeah, no, I'm all about
having, uh, processes

in place to ensure
that you can show

your due diligence
and you've done things

safely, but they have
to be open to reason.

Like what you say there,
let's say somebody

is well accomplished
or they're an ERT

member here in Canada.

Um, or there they've got
all the qualifications

they need, but we live in
such a litigious society.

And I think that the
firearms community in

general is so afraid
of having another rain

shutdown or losing these
privileges that they'll

start making all of these
new courses so that they

can meet their, uh, due
diligence requirements,

their legal due
diligence requirements,

and hopefully prevent
further shutdown.

But as one firearms
officer, uh, was in, uh,

actually the area, this
is my podcast studio

is my old office and
all the, all the staff

were on the outside
there, he, he was doing

an inspection and he's
talking about something

called I believe he
mentioned it as normative

process and he says,
Uh, referring to how

normative process is,
how laws are created,

at least in his opinion.

And that's, I think
a double-edged sword.

So from the firearms
community side, if they

do things in a certain
way all the time, then

it's easy enough for
others to say, well,

this is how it's done.

And it's now a new
requirement on you.

And I've seen that come
up in legal proceedings.

I like in the order in
council, uh, firearms,

prohibition hearings that
are happening, the CFP

expert comes up and just
essentially on a number

of items, this is how
it's always been done,

or here's how people
generally refer to it.

And in that case
specifically, we're

talking about, um,
variants and, um, he

was being pushed to
define what a variant

is and basically leaning
on what he feels the

firearms community
usually calls it.

So it's a bit of a
double-edged sword, but

in the same process, how
that firearms officer

used it, and we're
totally going on tangents

here, but how that
firearms officer used it

was in regards to, um,
some firearms that were

I considered deactivated.

And then they thought,
well, maybe, maybe

not the activity.

Cause we have these
new guidelines on what

deactivation is, which
we're going to treat

as if it's a regulation
or legislation.

Um, so maybe it was just
called them disabled.

And I, at that time,
the member of parliament

in our area, and she
was a lawyer and she

says, um, tell you
what, I'm bringing

this up with minister.

He tell the firearms
program that this is

being discussed at
the ministerial level.

And we're going to
come up with some sort

of a, a, a reasonable
conclusion on this.

So I mentioned that to
the firearms officer

and the firearms officer
says, and I quote, he

says, I don't give a fuck
about what your member

of parliament says.

I don't give a fuck
about what minister

Blaney says that they
don't make the law.

We do.

I said, what, please
do tell of course the

whole place has got
video and audio through

it, and we're a security
business, right?

And that's when he
got in, he says, if we

keep doing things in a
certain way, it's called

normative process, then
the courts will lean

on that when there's
any and ambiguity

between how to handle
a case and say, how is

it normally handled?

And then that's how
the laws are created.

Um, I did get an
apology letter shortly

thereafter because
everything is video

and audio recorded, but
that was somewhere along

the line that firearms
officer had picked up

that, uh, that terminal.

And there

is just so much, you say
we're on a tangent, we're

down this rabbit hole,
but I love this rabbit.

And what you just said
for me, there is, there

is so much like it's such
a rich, it encapsulates

so much about the words
that we use and these

terms that are invented
in Ottawa, that they

try to spread it.

And so many Canadian
gun owners refer

to grandfathering.

What is not
grandfathering or the

amnesty that there
actually is not an

amnesty or a variant.

Um, the, or even
the word phrase.

I did an article about
this a couple years

ago at law abide.

Like we should not
refer to law abiding,

and that's one of the
things I'm trying to

achieve at the gun log,
by changing the way

we speak and changing
the words that we use,

we are changing how we
think and how we think

about gun ownership.

And I'm to just pursue
this thread a little bit

more of the I, if you're
talking about, if you're

talking about Marie
Smith's testimony last

year, too, in the federal
court cases, Marie

Smith was one time was,
was in charge of the,

the, um, the firearms
reference to we invented

the firearms, orphan
stable at the Canadian

farmers program and big
force for confiscation

and prohibition.

I read through the
transcript and it is mind

blowing how the, again,
I, as a, as a resident

lay person, it just
strikes me at is how this

is a government official
and what he is doing.

We are, we've paid a
salary all his life.

He is not working to
clarify and inform.

Improve the situation
he's working to

obfuscate and spread
disinformation and hide

and be what's that thing
where you, you don't

give a straight answer.

You're kind of dancing
around and you're

shifting and trying
obstruction, basically

obstructing the pros
and people it's it's

it's I published this
and I recommend anybody

if this is, if you care
about this and you want

to see the workings of
the guts of the former

head of the, um, the
confiscation department

in the Canadian virus
program, you've got to

read that Marie Smith
testimony, you can go

to the gun blog.ca in
Google, Marie Smith.

And, and, and I think
it's available there or

through the federal court
anyway, or contact me.

Um, can we switch

gears for a sec or for,
I guess it's really

funny how quickly to
people who are looking

to spread positivity
and not talk about

politics, just jumped
into a politic room.

It is funny, isn't it?

You know, do, as I say,
not as I do, you got, it

takes effort.

We're human man.

We're human.

Uh, I, um, what is,
what are you trying to

achieve with Silvercore
in general and the

podcast in particular?

That is a very good
question because

it changes, right?

It changes over time.

It evolves over time.

It's like anyone talking
about a business plan.

Well, have you got your
business plan together?

And a business plan is a
fantastic place to start.

It gives you parameters.

It causes you to think
about different things

that you may or may
not have thought about.

But the second.

The rubber hits the
road business plans

change like immediately.

So silver quarter is
always been something

that like, like I said, I
started in an area where

there was no structured
business model doing

anything similar to
what silver court did.

And just, can I
just ask, when you

say that you mean in,
in Southern BC or you

mean across Canada?

I mean, across Canada,
like, I, I don't know of

any other organization
that's working with

government agencies
providing training as

well as the general
public and firearms

repair and maintenance
and, um, the, sort

of the breadth and
idea of what we do.

There were people across
Canada, obviously who

are teaching basic
fire safety courses,

therefore those who would
be teaching a use of

force courses or hunter
education courses, or,

uh, but the totality of
everything that we're

trying to put together.

And I mean, taking the
firearm safety course out

of, out of the basement,
out of the community

church or the community
hall, uh, and putting

it into a professional
environment, um, I,

I haven't seen across
Canada at that time.

Uh, I have seen, I
have seen it now.

Yeah.

Um, it's not like I
invented the idea, but

I just sort of built
on something that

was sort of already
there and continue to

add these different
pieces to it and find

ways that we can.

Bring value to both the
end user, the client, the

student, the customer,
as well as the, uh,

interesting part is do
all of that while still

playing well with all
the government agencies

and the regulatory
bodies, which will have

differing views and
opinions on how, how

any of these things
should be conducted.

So it's been, it's
been a very interesting

juggling experience, but
originally the idea was

a Silvercore gun works
and providing firearms,

repair and maintenance.

And I thought, you know,
we'll go after the,

um, go after everybody.

Hey, you know, you
want a gun barrel

cut and crowned
chambered, threaded

bluing parkerizing
um, any little the

trigger jobs done and
any little thing that

you can kind of think
of firearms related.

And I quickly found
that that is not a

way that you're ever
going to be able to

feed a family with it.

So with dealing with
the general public, they

would quite often come
in with a $100 firearm

that they bought at a gun
show that they want to

look or function like a
$1,000 firearm, but they

only want to put another
$50 in it to get there.

And why not take
it to the kid who's

doing gunsmithing?

Cause I was in my early
twenties that, that.

And I was more than happy
to do the work because

it gave me experience
and like connections

and all the rest.

Uh, so that was sorta
where Silvercore started.

And then I thought,
you know, I really

enjoy training
and I really enjoy

dealing with people.

Um, can I turn these
courses that I'm

doing maybe once a
month and a shut down

in the summertime
doing the courses?

Can I turn this
into a business?

The answer is yes and
I have, but like I say,

not without the, uh, the
challenges along the way.

So that was sort of the,
the advent of all of

that through building
a business in a niche

industry, you're going
to get opposition

from all sides.

So you're going to get
opposition from the

regulatory, uh, bodies.

Cause they're going
to say, well, that's

not how it's done.

And I'd say, why not?

I've read through
the regulations.

I've read through
the legislation.

Why not?

And some people would
clue in and they'd say,

yeah, you know what?

You're right.

Let's, let's play ball.

Uh, other people there's
a, would be a little

bit more rigid in
the thought process.

And they say, well,
no, maybe that's

that whole Nirvana
process thing again.

Right.

This is how it's
always been done.

So I'd have to push
really hard in order to.

Progression in
those areas.

But on the same side,
I would also find

those within the
firearms community.

Some people were like,
hoo, rah, go for it.

This is great.

Right.

Whereas others would
push back and they'd

say, well, who,
who is this kid?

Right.

He's not a
police officer.

He's not military.

Uh, he's not an if
six shooter, right?

Because that was sort of
the process back then,

one of the more formal
shooting, uh, disciplines

who is this guy to go
in there and do this?

I mean, it should
go to somebody else.

Who's done all of these
things and sure, very

well could have, but
nobody was pushing.

And I was, so it's been
a, a learning process,

but thing is, as you
start building up steam,

you start finding more
and more people kind

of getting behind the
idea and the concept.

And the end concept has
always been to assist

the firearms community
in Canada to reduce

barriers, to lawful
firearms ownership.

And I know you, you're
saying before, get

away from the whole
legal gun owner, but

obviously having barriers
in place to minimize

access to those who
are of criminal intent.

I, I think is a
really good idea.

But for those who are,
has her stand before

law abiding individuals
who are looking to use.

Firearms for an NIC
Ukrainians here.

And I think I just,
don't just on the

word findings.

That's all.

That's just, that's all.

But you, you can
say what you want.

Okay.

Let me take a guess at
why you say law abiding

because people who use
a word law what's that?

So I don't use the
phrase law abiding.

No, no.

Let me take a guess.

So why you don't want
to say law abiding

because the second
the laws are changed.

They're no longer
law abiding.

Yes, yes.

And exactly.

So, yes, that's,
that's a, that's

a big part of it.

The other idea.

So you focused
on the law side.

The other side
is the abide that

abiding implies.

I'm going to put
it simply a master

slave relationship,
the slave abides by

the masters rules.

And I want to restore
the concept that we

don't abide by the law.

We make the law, we make
the law indirectly by

electing politicians
who act on our

behalf and so forth.

But we should, we should
not be law abiding.

We should be law
demanding or law making,

or, and then also get us
to get a little deeper.

Why do we want to
qualify ourselves at all?

The reason we want to
qualify gun ownership

is because we're
trying to appease the

aunties and make us
an ice would say, just

call yourself a good,
just stand up and call

yourself a gun owner.

Yeah.

I mean, if there's
any distinction in

there, it would be the.

And that's it because
anybody who's a gun

owner is obviously
law abiding because

they've gone through
the process or they're a

criminal because they've
acquired a firearm

by some nefarious.

Well, I

would say, and that's
also how in this cultural

moment that we are
experiencing in, in

Canada, maybe the world,
the debate, like we, the

world, I believe this,
this, the regulatory

world we're down.

We're going down into
the rabbit hole here.

Are you running up
the regulatory world?

In my opinion, things
are upside down backwards

and inside out, it used
to be, in my view, you

would, a person would
buy a gun in order to

protect themselves.

And public safety starts
with personal safety.

If I can protect myself
and my family and my

own, and we can protect
our community and we

can protect our region
and we can protect our

country from internal
and external threats.

Well, then you
have public safety.

You have personal
safety, you have

national security,
things are upside down.

Now in, in this world,
we live in where

restrictions on the
ability to protect

yourself is considered
public safety.

So you disarm the public
and you're calling

that public safety.

What?

I like some things.

So we've flipped that
completely upside

down and gun owners.

The debate has shifted
such that we feel

instead of just thinking,
well, gun ownership is.

And there's this fringe
element that does bad

things with guns and
ammo, but we don't like

that's so fringe it's
so marginal that it

needs to be maybe talked
about and dealt with,

but that's not what gun
ownership means to us.

The debate has so
shifted to the paradigm

of crime and violence
that the hunters,

the sport shooters,
the collectors, the

investors, the craftsman,
everybody feels that

they have to qualify.

Oh, I'm one of
the good guys.

I'm not a bad guy.

And I'm trying
to say, stop it.

Stop trying to qualify
yourself and appease

the, the aunties and
Regis re reclaim the

Greek claim, your ground,
reclaim your ground and

just call yourself a
hunter or a gun owner.

And you don't, you don't
no one would think of

calling themselves.

Oh, I'm a law
abiding driver.

Yes.

There are people who
steal cars and crash

cars, or I'm old, I'm
a law abiding chainsaw

user, or I'm a law
abiding computer user.

You know, I'm, I'm a
law abiding computer.

I'm a law abiding
phone user.

I don't, I don't detonate
bombs with my phone.

Like no one it's absurd.

And yet in, when it
comes to gun ownership,

there's no other domain
that I've ever come

across where someone uses
the word law abiding.

Except when they're
talking about themselves

as a gun owner, what the

heck is up with that?

I like that.

Well, I think that's
got to do with just see

the social engineering
over the last many

decades of firearms and
how they're portrayed

in the media, which
comes full circle to.

A fellow who worked
for Bloomberg and for

the globe and mail,
and now writes on it.

W what do you think
about how firearms

are current, how
they're being portrayed

and firearms owners
are being portrayed

within the media.

Do you think that
the media is abusing

its responsibility
in how it reports?

Ooh,

that's a, that's a
lot of questions.

That's a loaded question.

Yeah.

So, so the backhand re
original, I love it.

I love it.

Travis, back to your
original question of

why I founded, why I
started writing about,

about gun culture and gun
ownership, and because I

was responding to what I
felt in the policy debate

and the political debate
in the media discussion

was an unfair and a
hostile representation

of firearm owners and,
and what I believe and

what a lot of people
I believe are wrong

and not realizing that
journalism is activism,

that every modern
newspaper TV program,

TV channel, uh, what
else has radio channel.

Almost everyone basically
was founded by someone

who was trying to promote
or prevent social change,

whether it's the male
or the Toronto star or

a pick, you pick any TV
station, any media was

founded by somebody, an
activist, pushing someone

pushing to prevent or
promote social change.

Okay.

So I'm journalism
equals activism.

Right now we have big
media, which is hostile

to gun ownership.

The way they cover
it, it's it's we

could get good.

You know, what
are the, what are

the clues of that?

Well, the language that
they use, the concepts

that they use, they'll
have entire articles

talking about what the
prohibitionists want.

And they'll talk about
the, the activist for

this and the Polish
politician for that.

And they will use the
terms of the prohibition.

They'll exactly.

Copy the terms from the
press release of the

prohibitionist government
or the prohibitionist

associations.

And normally in
journalism, one of

the principles, one of
the principles, core

principles is give
the opposing view.

Yes.

If you're writing a
story about X, okay.

Write about X and write
about the people who

are, who have that point
of view, but also show

that that's not the
only point of view and

give the opposing view.

It gets get off balance
or some type of a

contrarian opinion, but
they don't, they will

not go to, anyone will
let, whether it's a

hunter, whether it's an
association to give the

point of view of that
opposes prohibition.

So we have a hostile.

And at the moment, a
hostile government.

And I forget
your question.

No,

I mean, where you're
going with that is

interesting because I,
I'm not convinced that

everybody within the
media is approaching it

from a hostile situation,
but I think that people

are predisposed to
naturally just go to w

w how you speak about
firearms is this certain

way with, which is where
the gun blog.ca and where

the Silvercore podcast?

Uh, it sounds like
both of our efforts

are aligned in what
we're trying to do.

My thinking behind the
Silvercore podcast is,

you know, if we can just
talk about openly and

honestly about different
aspects of firearms,

ownership, or hunting
or angling or whatever,

it might be things that
I'm interested in, uh,

without even getting
into the discussion.

Like you say, I never
actually put two and

two together with the
whole law abiding portion

of trying to defend
your position without

even getting in that
defensive position.

Um, maybe S my small
efforts and your large

efforts, you're the
gun blog.ca will,

will permeate into the
consciousness of others.

And how we talk about.

I don't know.

Do you, do you think
you think it well, or do

we, do we have to hammer
people over the head?

Well, it's one of
the, one of the

questions I wanted to
ask you to follow up.

What you were saying
earlier was what keeps

you going with all the
challenges, whether it's

legal or administrative
or regulatory or business

or personal, whatever,
what keeps you going?

And I'll answer first is
the, like, when I think

of everyday, I think of
throwing in the towel or

almost every day, I think
of throwing in the towel

because it's not moving
fast enough and who

cares and it's too small.

It's not whatever
blah, blah, blah

excuses and reasons.

And then someone will,
will write me an email

and say, thank you.

You've you've, uh, I'm
thinking of, um, of Ron,

Ron, if you're watching
this, he S he said,

I want him to try to
remember his exact words.

Thank you for helping me
think freedom again, I

get an email like that,
and I say, yes, okay.

This guy gets it.

Maybe I want to
reach tens of

millions, but okay.

Maybe for now, I'm only
reaching hundreds or

thousands or tens of
thousands, but there

are people who get it.

And when you have these
anyway, so that's the

feedback that, that's
what keeps me going when,

in terms of permeating.

And I would say, even
raising consciousness

and helping people think
differently about this

stuff, but I just want
to tag a footnote here.

If I could.

I don't really in terms
of the media, I want to,

you know, my colleagues
in, in, in media, I,

as you said, it in the
introduction, I worked

as a journalist for,
for, for more than a

decade at Bloomberg.

And that's where I
learned to what, you

know, the, the, the
trade of journalism.

I thought I see now
what I was doing

in a completely
different light.

I was not writing
about guns.

I was writing about
a stock, the stock

market, basically.

And I thought that at
the end of the day, when

I published my story,
I thought that I was

telling the truth or some
version of the truth.

And now as, as a
journalist, I thought,

yeah, I'd covered.

I, I told the story
and now I real, I

think journalists
act in good faith.

I was acting in good
faith, trying to

accurately portray the,
present the facts and

present whatever the
issue was to the best

of my ability and with
quotes and the experts

and whoever tell my story
in a way in good faith.

And I believe most
journalists are acting

in good faith when they
publish the story, or,

um, so they, I think
it's a case of systemic

bias over the last
couple of years, we've

talked a lot about
systemic bias as regards

to race or sexuality.

There is at this
moment, a systemic

bias in reporting
about gun ownership.

And I'm also, I don't
publish this, but

I've got a lot of
conversations with

journalists behind the
scenes, into interviewing

them and educating them
and informing them and,

and to, to try to change.

And obviously I'm
perfectly up front.

I have a systemic
bias, uh, pro gun bias.

That gun ownership
is normal.

And I'm, I think
that between, I

think you do too.

And I think that's
what I think that's

what you're trying to
do with the podcast.

We have, we are two
little voices and

there's a few other, uh,
media voices like pro

gun voices in Canada.

I don't, I think we can
get away with having our

bias because in front of
us going the other way

is, is it's an elephant
versus a mouse versus

a mouse situation.

Mm.

Yeah.

I don't know.

I, I've never tried
to take the, obviously

my you're right.

My bias is pro
firearm pro firearm

for responsible
individuals, right.

For people who should
have firearms, I don't

think everyone's got
a God-given right

to own a firearm.

I think there's certain
actions that people

can make throughout
their lifetime.

They can start putting
restrictions on those,

uh, those sort of, uh,
endeavors, but from a,

and I'm kind of, uh, my
brain's kind of going off

in a couple of different
areas at the moment.

Good.

But I do agree that there
is a, uh, a systemic bias

within the media, but
I've never approached

the Silvercore podcast is
trying to be pro firearm.

I simply have
approached it as,

by trying to be pro
positivity, pro passion,

just show is mind
blowing cause, okay.

Wow.

That's that's you.

We'll just try and show
people what's out there.

And for me, from a very
selfish standpoint,

for me to be able to
enjoy what I do, because

when you spend X number
of years, that I have

trying to build within
a, a, a niche industry.

And I find myself
in fights and with

government agencies
just to try and push

the business forward,
like some super

logical things that
would just make sense.

And it's a process
of, um, I guess being

told no over and over
again, or same within

the firearms community,
there are those within

the firearms community
that would just revel

in tearing down others.

I think any business
industry is like that.

There's always going to
be cutthroat aspects to

it, but I would think
within the firearms

community, there should
be an overwhelming, um,

thought process that
goes towards how does

this benefit long-term
how does this benefit

my business, longterm,
which in turn means,

how does it benefit
the firearms community?

How does it benefit
the general public?

If everyone's benefiting
long-term, then you've

got a, a sustainable
viable business plan.

And I think some
people get caught up

in the moment and are
looking for the quick

buck or how they can.

Uh, how they say
tear one, person's

building down to
make their building

look, look taller.

So there's, um, again,
I'm trying to piece

together a couple of
different thoughts

on this one, but I
realize I'm going a

little bit off topic.

Um, I guess to back up
a little bit to your

question about, um,
what is it that drives

me in the industry?

What is it that
keeps you going?

Um, I, I think some
people would say that,

uh, I revel in the fight
and I would say they're

wrong, but I think some
people from an outside

perspective would say,
oh my God, that guy

just doesn't give up.

And he keeps he's in
a position and he'll

just keep pushing and
pushing and pushing.

Uh, other people would
say that I am a sort

of pie in the sky,
altruistic in my, in

my concepts and ideas.

And I'm, I'm not sure
if that's entirely true.

I enjoy the process
for me, the process of

creating something and
building something is

very, very enjoyable.

Seeing that process
through the completion

is very enjoyable.

And once you come
to completion on one

thing, how do you
regain that process?

Like that whole journey?

When everyone says it's
not the destination,

it's a journey.

I enjoy the process
of building.

And I realized that
there's going to be a

lot of challenges in
what I'm trying to build,

but that's where the
enjoyment also comes.

So that, that, that
I guess, would be

how I would describe
what keeps me going.

It's the process.

Cause I'm just, now
my brain is processing

is processing.

You are, I think
entrepreneurs in general.

And in particular, we
tend to forget all the

skills that are required.

So you have your, your
I'm going to call it

a technical skill.

Uh, in terms of
gunsmithing PR I presume

we've never met face
to face, so I've never,

we've never seen each
other on a range.

As far as I know.

Uh, I I'm in Toronto,
you're in, you're

near Vancouver.

Um, I presume you have
some technical skill

with regards to firearms
and, uh, hitting, put

it, putting bullets on
the target and stuff.

You also have skill
in terms of founding

a business and
creating a business.

You have skill in terms
of training people, you

have skilled in terms of
technical skill related

to building a podcast
studio and the tech,

you know, publishing
it and getting it

out there and having
a tens of thousands.

Maybe you want to tell
the exact number of, uh,

a huge, uh, relative,
you know, huge audience

for an independent media.

And I'm thinking what
kind of a guy would

would, and there's all
sorts of you're, you're

a parent, you're a dad,
you're a husband, you're

you, you've got all these
areas of, uh, I see a

builder, a guy who has
you can't achieve that.

I don't think without
having surmounted some

pretty big obstacles
and people throwing

you some, some pretty
slippery banana peels,

uh, legally, uh, business
wise, personally,

that the attacks.

I'm sure on in chat
forums about people who

trying to take you down.

And it's interesting
to hear you say that

it's, that you're,
you know, it's the

process of building
that keeps you going.

It is, and it's,
I don't know.

It's, uh, entrepreneurs
tend to have very

short memories to
the difficulties that

they've encountered.

It's been my experience
anyways, and tend to

be very, um, optimistic
in nature for a glass

is half full because if
they're always glass is

half empty, they probably
wouldn't have started

the endeavor to begin
with and you bring up

parenting and there might
be a little bit of an

analogy or a crossover
between all of this.

You know, I think
back to when my first

child was born, my
daughter was born.

My wife was in labor
for, I think it was

27 hours and it was a
tough pregnancy, um,

or a tough birthing.

The, we had a midwife,
but we opted to have

a hospital birth and
things bragged on way

longer than they really
should have probably

because the midwife is
and wanting to have a

very natural process.

And, um, when you're in
the, uh, when you're in

the hospital, everyone's
calm, cool and collected.

Everything's normal.

Everything's natural.

Even if it isn't,
they all say, Hey,

this is normal.

This is natural.

And.

When things started
to kind of go

sideways during the
birthing process.

And they had to call in
some experts to come in.

And I remember this,
um, this woman, the

obstetrician comes on in,
and she's got a forceps

and suction cup, and
then they decide, Hey,

we're going to, um, I,
we think the umbilical

cord is wrapped, so
we're going to cut

the umbilical cord.

So they do, and
they still can't

get my daughter out.

And she looks over
at her helper.

And at this time, you
know, things aren't

right, because it goes
from a few people in the

room to a whole bunch of
people in that room and

people are yelling and
running around and the,

she looks at her helper
and she tells her, help

her start pushing on her
belly and her helper.

I guess didn't like
the tone that she

used, put your hands
down at her side.

And just like, like you
don't tell me what to do.

And I looked over at
her and I looked at

the obstetrician, the
obstetrician looked at

me like, what the hell?

Right.

And so I just, I jumped
in there and I put my

forearm on her rib cage,
found where the belly

is and tried squeezing
my daughter out, like

a tube of toothpaste
or daughter comes out.

She is not been breathing
for some time, no one

bill court, no blood.

Right.

And I remember, I
thought, for sure,

my daughter was
dead and I remember

feeling so bad, lying.

I thought to my wife
and saying, when my

daughter came out,
said, she's, she's fine.

She's fine.

It's all good.

Right.

Um, and then after a long
period of time, I heard

my daughter make a noise
and my first thought was

alright, that's awesome.

She's breathing.

And then my second
thought was maybe a

little bit selfishly.

Um, oh no,
she's breathing.

That was a long time to
not have oxygen for, is

she going to be okay.

Um, despite that
ordeal and despite the

difficulties and the pain
and the issues that my

wife had to go through,
the midwife looked at my

wife afterwards and says,
do you think you'd ever

want to do that again?

And my wife's
first response was

absolutely yes.

In a heartbeat.

And it's amazing how
quickly you will forget

all the difficulties
and the pain and

the issues that you
go through in life.

If the reward is great
enough, my daughter

turned out fine.

She's getting
straight A's.

She wants to be a doctor.

She dances almost
every single day.

We were very, very
fortunate in that

whole process.

But I look at that and
I think to a very small

degree in entrepreneurial
ship, it's sort of

a similar process.

If the reward is
great enough to the

entrepreneur, if you're
doing something that

you think is worthwhile
for yourself, for your

family and for others,
then you'll continue

to push through despite
all of those different.

Um, I'm, I'm,

I'm very moved by what
you just shared because I

had, my son was born this
year and he's fine, but

it was not an easy birth.

And, um, I hope one day
I can talk about it as

easily as you seem to be.

And, um, I just thought,
yeah, it's not easy.

I'm sorry.

I don't know why
I'm losing it here.

No, it's not easy is
because we care about the

things that are important
to us and those things

like really the business,
everything that I do, I

do it for an end goal.

And my end goal is so
that I have something

that I can be able to
provide to my family.

And hopefully in the
process, I'm able to

do something that, that
helps the community

from a very early age.

I've told my children,
you could throw a match

in our house and burn
everything to the ground,

not telling them to do
that, but the whole house

could be burnt down.

Everything that I've ever
worked hard for to own

or achieve could be gone.

And I really truly,
and honestly could care

less provided everybody
in the family is safe

because we can rebuild
as an entrepreneur.

You've built a business
in a heartbeat.

You could build
this on again.

It's been a struggle.

I'm sure for you to build
it to where it is now,

but if your business
was torn to the ground

right now today, I bet
you, it wouldn't take

you more than a week to
replicate the model that

you've already built.

I hope I hope I'm.

Yeah.

I mean, I hope so,
but I, again, I think

the being apparent,
um, has completely

reset my priorities
and I never, I never

thought I'd be a dad.

I never expected it.

And I never knew I was
capable of this much

love and vulnerability.

And it's funny, like
I got to put my son

in a totally a and
now my family, my

woman, my, our, our
family in a totally.

Yeah.

Like it's, it just, it
just resets, um, all my

priorities and I, and
I, and I didn't know

this about you, Travis.

I didn't know any of what
you're just discovering.

Right.

Where, um, and I, um,
I'm really thankful that

you shared what you said.

Well, how, how do
you define success?

If I always ask
you, what, what is

success for you?

How would you
define that?

It's something that
I used to worry about

a lot and kind of
something I don't really

care about anymore.

I think success for me
has to do with things

like, well, what I would
consider failure is

let's say I forget that,
um, I get all victimy

and, oh, this sucks.

And that I didn't like
the way that happened and

this, uh, when I, when
I kind of get complainy

and blamey, that is I
would consider unsuccess.

So I, I guess I would
consider success

when I remember.

That in any given
situation, I have

choice personal choice.

And that's what I'm also
trying to share with,

with the, the community
of, of gun owners, that

we have choice that
we are powerful, that

we can, you know, the
response ability we can

choose how we respond
to any situation.

So what is success is
when I remember, I guess

it has to do with the
kind of person I am

being and whether it's
in the professional

domain, whether it's, um,

when I'm living with
my son and my son is

doing something that
I find annoying, let's

say he's a baby and
he's acting like a baby.

And he's screaming at two
o'clock in the morning.

And I get frustrated.

I consider I'd want
to be a better man.

And I consider it a
success when I, when I

stay cool and I can stay
loving and kind to this

little baby and to my, my
fellow citizen, my fellow

man, my, my fellow, my
neighbors on this planet.

Um, that's how I
consider it, what I

define as success.

Oh my gosh.

And we can, like, I love
seeing the, you know,

when, when the numbers
in my bank account

go up, that's great.

When I achieve something,
when I publish something

that, uh, that I didn't
think I could publish.

That's great.

But that's yeah.

When you, when, anytime
I achieve something or

help someone else achieve
something that we didn't

know, we could do, I
consider that a success.

Yes.

It's interesting for me
how that kind of comes

second to, I don't know
if the right word for it

is personal or, or the,
yeah, I guess the, the,

the kind of person I'm
being when I like the

person I'm being, I would
consider that a success.

How about you?

I think a fantastic.

Uh, I'm going to take
the easy way out on

that one, but it's
something I do believe

in it's Earl Nightingale
has a definition of

success, which is the
progressive realization

of a worthy ideal.

So it's not the person
who's made millions

and has achieved the
pinnacle of whatever

it is in their career,
but it's the person

who's made millions
and they've enjoyed

the process doing it.

They've achieved the
pinnacle and they're

doing it because
they loved you.

Or it's a person who
isn't making millions.

It's the janitor who gets
up for work every day and

is looking for new ways
that they can make the

place better and do their
job in a better way.

If whatever that were
the ideal, it's a

teacher who just loves
communicating and

teaching with the kids
and seeing them progress.

So that progressive
realization of a

worthy ideal to me
is what success is.

And then you have, I
have to always take a

look and just sort of
check myself for what

is my worthy ideal,
what were the ideals

on my working towards?

Because we quite often
have numerous worthy

ideals that we have
out, uh, that we're

working towards.

Do they all kind of
go towards a sort

of a guiding light?

Like if my worthy ideal
is in my business to be

able to reach X amount of
people or make X amount

of money or take on a new
challenge or whatever it

is does I can do that.

And I know I
will, whatever.

Uh, what editor an
individual wants to

put their mind to, they
will be able to achieve.

Um, but how much effort
is that going to take?

And when you get to that
end objective, and you

look around, did the
ends justify the means,

did you have to give up
on other worthy ideals

in order to do that?

So for me, it's
constantly taking

a look at what my
worthy ideal is.

And do I still
consider that to be

the worthy ideal?

I would like to take
that as an invitation

to talk about what I
think was one of, if not

the darkest period of
your business, when you

were, I'm going to use
the word under attack by

the lead by, well, I'll
let you tell the story.

Do you want to
talk about that?

Uh, in any way you
want either the

situation itself or how

the, what you're
talking about?

W w O w what are
you talking about?

Nicholas?

I have no idea.

If you want to talk
about, I'm going to put

you on the hot seat.

Yeah, well, I
don't I'm okay.

I'm going to you, you
were, my understanding

is that you were, you,
you F you were attacked

essentially by someone
you trusted, who then

turned around and
attacked you, uh, using

the legal industry, using
the regulatory industry,

using their connections
and drag the courts.

And, and I imagine that
was a tough time for you.

I'm curious if you
want to talk about

what happened and get
the details, right.

That I don't know.

And also.

Did you, how, what kept
you committed to pursuing

your worthy ideal to
get you through it?

That's, it's an
interesting one and I

pretty sure I know what
you're talking about.

And unfortunately I'm
not a hundred percent

sure because I've lived
the life where I've been

under attack more than
once in a fairly big

way, by those who I've
trusted or those who are

within the industry, who
I've brought into the

industry and trained and
set them up and had them,

uh, accredited only to
have them turn around

and try and, uh, hurt my
business in order to try

and promote theirs or to
take from my business in

order to promote there.

So, um, it is
unfortunate, but then

again, I look at it and I
say, it's probably life.

I it's probably
any industry.

At one point, I would
say, oh, there's

a gun industry.

I tell ya.

But any industry where
you're pushing and

making advances, there's
going to be the optics

of, uh, either real
or perceived money and

power, money, and power
or money or power.

And those are, tend to
be the two major things

that cause issues or
problems in people's

lives that I've observed
where if there's

no money coming in.

To a business.

People can do some pretty
strange things, right?

People can get a little
squirrely and sometimes

it's a real good test of
their, their ethics and

their moral character.

When there's lots of
money coming in, watch

out, that's where the
real test happens.

Number one, number two
power, whether they're

real or perceived.

If people have a
perception of some

loftier, a place that
they'd like to be able

to get to, that can
cause people to do some

really squirrely things.

So I think what, you're
one of the ones that

you may be referring
to dates back to

about May 16th, 2008.

So that's going
back there.

There's the nod.

I see.

So that's, I'm on
the right track.

Um, so that goes
back a little bit.

That's, that's a bit of
a wormhole that I'm sure

at some point I will talk
about in totality, I've

had reporters, uh, speak
to me on portions of it.

I've had, uh, publishers
asked to be able

to publish a story.

I've actually cuddled.

Uh, he, a lawyer who says
he'd like to write the

book on it, the lawyer
who actually dealt with

the, uh, uh, the whole
instance there, but that

was a, a pretty dark day
for me and for the, for

the industry in general.

And I fought back against
the man for six years,

uh, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8 years.

Was it eight years
and I'll have to do

the math, but I fought
back for some time.

You can't see it, but
over the, my right

shoulder here, there's
a, um, an apology letter

that was drafted by the
RCMP, a very rare apology

letter for what they did.

Uh, and there
was a undisclosed

settlement amount.

And it was interesting
because I didn't

settle until I walked
into the courtroom.

I remember we had after
so many years of going

through a process of
just corruption and

malfeasance by government
officials that as

opposed to turning
around and saying, we

messed up, we're sorry.

We made a mistake.

Let's limit the, uh,
the costs now and

figure out how we
can get through this.

They took a different
approach and they said,

let's double down.

Let's see if we
can run this person

out of business.

They came up, they did
an appraisal of my house.

They did an appraisal
of my business.

They did an appraisal
of my family's house

and they said, here's
how much money we think

you can get to fight.

It'd be much cheaper
if you just sign on

the dotted line, just
this little letter that

says, you're sorry, you
get everything back.

We'll drop,
everything's gone.

And I said, you know,
I'll sell everything.

I'll live in a
cardboard box.

My wife and kids might
not be too happy with me,

but no point in my life.

Am I ever going to
admit to you any

sort of wrongdoing
that I never did?

If I did something wrong,
I'd be in a heartbeat

up there saying, Hey,
sounds like a good deal.

So walked into
the courtroom.

And, uh, it was funny
because it's went

up to, um, the, the
head of the RCMP.

And I remember the, it
was just an odd, odd

negotiation practice, uh,
like a couple days before

that we're supposed to
be going to court and

calling them to task.

And the department
of justice says,

how will you just
give us a number?

Just, just tell
us what you want.

And then we'll throw
numbers back and

forth and, and we'll
figure something out.

We don't have
to go to court.

I'm sorry.

This is after what, let
me, let me, eight years.

It was eight years
after eight years.

You want to just do
this little back and

forth number game?

Nope.

Sorry.

Right.

And I had originally
come up with a number

which was, um, uh, on
the higher end, but

I said, guys, tell
you what we can bring

that number down.

How about you provide me
with an apology letter

for what you did a couple
of days before they start

this negotiation process.

And it was funny cause I
remember they said, well,

the number we're looking
at here, we're going to

have to get this approved
by Robert Paulson who,

uh, always sticks in
the back of my neck.

My commission
RCMP at the time.

Right.

Robert Paulson was the
commissioner of the RCMP,

but always pretty hard.

Anyway, it was, um,
yeah, the corruption

was high level.

Um, the, what was it?

Fight club.

His name is
Robert Paulson.

It's a C always a
stuck in the back

of my head anyways.

They said, well,
we're going to have

to wake them up.

I said, well, go
ahead, wake them up.

Right.

I don't care.

Right.

They're playing
this goofy game

back and forth.

And finally I
said, forget it.

I'm going to see
you in court.

We'll just go for
the high number.

Forget the
apology letter.

Well, as it ended, I
got the number and the

apology letter I walked
into the courtroom

department of justice
says I've never met

anybody with your
level of brinkmanship.

And I said, first off,
I didn't even understand

what that word meant.

I figured it out when he
said it, but I'd never

heard the word before,
but, uh, I said, you

have to understand there
was no break for me.

I was already over, you
might've had a break,

but I was all in, um, in
the end, oh, in the DOJ

and the separate people
had their own lawyers,

their lawyers came up.

I want to shake
your hand.

Travis, kind of like no
hard feelings when he

had over in the corner.

He didn't want anything
to do with that.

Two of them wanted to
shake my hand, which

I had no interest in,
um, that dollar amount

that the government
came up with really, in

hindsight, even though
I was holding their feet

to the fire on that one,
not only could have I

got a lot more, I'm sure.

Um, it means absolutely
nothing to me, that

apology letter, which
I was willing to

throw out and just go
for, Hey, that's it.

I'm going to
stick it to you.

That apology letter
means so much more.

You don't have to stand
up and say, well, he

had good lawyers or is
it a technicality or

no, it's very clear.

They fucked up
and they've taken

accountability for it.

And that in a nutshell is
the, um, kind of defines

me and my character.

What means more to
me than money is

your reputation.

And as much as I'd like
to say, you know, you

should never care what
other people think.

Uh, I've just come to
realize that's part

of my personality.

I do care.

I care about how
I'm perceived when

I'm out there.

So, um, yeah, that
was a long-winded way

of talking about the
story without actually

saying anything really
so that others can,

uh, they can Google it.

They can look in
the newspapers.

I was front page of
the newspaper in our

province and the sun.

And, uh, then they can
read a boat if they

dig down a little bit
further, they'll going

to see the apology letter
and they're going to see

criminal charges against
the, uh, uh, one of the

law enforcement officers.

And then he
was convicted.

And I mean, it's a,
it's a difficult thing

for me to be able to
speak to without going

down that rabbit hole.

So it's something that.

I'm sure.

At some point we'll
be spoken about in

greater detail, maybe
the audience would be

interested in hearing
it and they can let me

know, but if I'm going
to do that, it can't

just be for the purposes
of complaining or for

the purposes of just
pointing fingers at the

people who did wrongdoing
and how the system

essentially, rather
than looking bad, would

prefer to support them
and try and push somebody

out of the business.

Um, it's gotta be from
a positive perspective

and when I can get my
head wrapped around

a way to do that.

Yeah.

We'll talk about it.

Well, if I can help
in any way I'm here,

um, selfishly, I want
to know the story,

but also I also, I
struggled with something

I struggle with.

Um, it's, it's,
it's really easy to

complain and blame
and point fingers.

And I, it's fun to
do for 10 minutes,

but I want to, I want
my contribution to

be bigger than that.

Um, and I think you
do too, and that's why

I'm I'm I don't think,
I don't see you as a

guy who, uh, um, who
also, who likes to

bathes and complaining
and finger pointing

and blaming others for
what happens to them.

You know, you don't,
you don't strike me as

someone who, who rebels
in the victim mindset.

You can do that and
it's easy to do.

And it particularly
in our industry, it's

really easy to adopt
that victim mindset.

Cause it's just
a part of the.

Our culture,
unfortunately, that

just, it stems a big,
great back to the

language that we use
of, Hey, I'm sorry.

I'm Canadian or law
abiding firearms owner.

Each one of those
with subconsciously

is going into that
whole victim mindset.

But on the other side of
that, I might not even

be the best person to
tell that story, even

though I know it in
and out, and I know all

the different nuances,
because there are some

parts of that story that
are incredibly important

to me that just might be
boring to others, right.

And might not be
important to others.

And there's so many
different tangents to

it over eight years.

I mean, we had people
playing silly bugger

games of driving by
and taking pictures.

My wife was in the house
in, in a marked vehicle

and, um, go to the,
uh, police department

logic complaint.

It was just like
harassment tactics.

And, um, department
says, Nope, nobody

was ever in that area.

No, we don't have
a record of that.

I said, well, you know,
I know the person who

installed the radios in
your car and you've cars.

You have GPS, you
can pull it up.

Nope, Nope, Nope.

So finally, after all of
that, I said, okay, in

a few, but a month, the
process of them doing

their investigation
and coming back.

Absolutely.

Okay.

I didn't mention, I
also have cameras on

the house and, and
here's the vehicle.

Oops.

Okay.

And they had to
backtrack and here's

pictures of it.

He pictures of the
officers doing, I mean,

there's all these little
tangents of areas I go

off with your eight years
of, um, intimidation and,

um, bullying tactics by,
uh, by an organization

that most Canadians are
brought up to believe

is there to protect
them and has their

best interests in mind.

And by and large,
a lot of them do.

But when some decide
to go rogue, it's

interesting how the
masses or the, uh,

organization will circle
its wagons in order

to sort of protect
themselves again, like

I say, bit of a rabbit
hole and I'm probably

not the best person
to tell the full story

w I'm going to, you are
the best person to tell

it from your point of
view, you are the best

person to give you how
you live through it and

pursue it through it.

Do you, um, do you
think that this was,

I'm trying to get to
the question, um, do you

think that this was an
action by two rogue slime

balls or, and that the
system is still good?

Or do you think the
system is right?

Um, you know, that's
a good question.

So I, yeah, there
is some slime balls.

Uh, none of them got what
I feel they should have

gotten at the end of it.

Even the one who was
criminally charged,

didn't get what I felt
would be appropriate,

but Hey, that's a
system that's in place.

Um, there's going to
be like any occupation.

The majority of
people are lazy.

Really humans are lazy.

We're creatures,
animals are lazy.

It's why we have
game trails, right?

Because they, they find
an easy way to walk

and they create a trail
and that's, you know,

it's easier, right?

It's easy to go through.

So by and large people
will take the easy way

to get their job done.

And there's going to be
those small percentage

that are just going
above and beyond and

doing a fantastic job.

And there's going to be
that small percentage

who are on the opposite
side of that spectrum.

So I don't think, I think
it's just a process of

human nature for the
most part, whether the

system is messed up.

Well, I think the
system is human nature.

I think people are going
to protect if you and

I belong to a club and
somebody in the club does

something that's offside.

Uh, we might say, well,
but we know that person.

And they're a
good person.

They're just like me.

Well, maybe they're not
just like you, but you

would be, you'd have a
cognitive bias towards

possibly wishing to
protect that individual

to protect the good
name of the club or

whatever it might be.

Right.

And I think that's where,
uh, Whole organizations

can be pegged as bad.

Whereas like this one
involved the RCMP, I

don't think the RCMP as a
full organization is bad.

I think they're not
without their problems,

but I think they got a
hell of a lot of really

good people there, but it
still stems down to man.

I got a job to do.

I do it day in, day out.

I want to go home
safe to my family.

Am I going to go
above and beyond it

really put my neck out
there, whether that be

physical risk, whether
that be political

risk, that job acts.

If I step up and say
something, uh, or am

I just going to find a
way to be able to get to

this and, and be able to
continue helping people?

Cause I'm a good person.

I want to help
people and I can find

another way to do it.

I, I think, um, the
process has taught

me who, uh, who
your friends are.

I think it's
taught me that.

Well, there are some
people out there who

would, most people
would want to cover

their own butt and
protect themselves.

Um, if just keeping their
mouth shut was the easy

way and they could make
sure they're protected

most would take that.

But it also surprised
me that there were some

that just came out of
the woodwork who owed

me nothing who I didn't
know who stood up and

put their careers on the
line in order to say what

they knew to be true.

So that was, um, you
know, it's, it goes

down to the whole.

Is, are people
inherently good?

Are people
inherently bad?

Um,

you also spoke a couple
of months ago as an

expert witness in one
of the federal court

cases, uh, to, to stop
the mass criminalization

of, of May, 2020.

What led you to do that?

Like you think don't,
you have enough on

your plate right now?

What, what led you
to be allow yourself?

It's a pretty grueling
process as well to

be cross-examined
and, um, what led you

to say yes to that?

To have to file a
testimony, um, filing an

affidavit and agree to be

cross-examined.

I was asked even if
that's the shorts or

in the long answer
to that would be, uh,

I, I don't find it a
grueling process of, of

being cross-examined.

I've been cross-examined
on numerous occasions

for, in the consulting
work that I do.

If I know something to be
true and I can back that

up, I will speak to that.

It's easy.

And if I want to use
liberal speak, you know,

you speak your truth.

Not that you want
to say that, because

that would imply that
there's another truth.

So you speak the truth.

You just tell what
you know, to be true.

And as a subject matter
expert, it's my job

to be providing the
courts with information

so they can make the
best possible decision.

I've worked on some
cases as a subject matter

expert at the provincial
level, at the federal

level, uh, Where I've
gone in, I've provided

my information and it
was completely contrary

to those who had hired
me, what they would

like to be able to hear.

But that's, that's the,
the risk, I guess, that

they go in, uh, they
were hoping to have

me say one thing, but
that wasn't the truth.

And if you're going to
employ me to provide

information, I'll provide
exactly what I see to be

true and quantify why.

Um, I remember another
one where I provided

all the information and
the other side lied and

clearly lied and I was
astounded and it was

just a bit of a, uh,
an eye-opener for me.

Uh, you know, the
individual actually, uh,

not personally, but you
know, the individual,

um, I'm not gonna
mention the name on here.

Um, and I should say,
you know of, and, um,

it, if you give your
testimony in court and

you were already done
and you've given your

information, you can
sit in and watch the

other side if you want.

So I did, if you haven't
given your testimony,

you got to sit out
and while the other

side gives her stuff,
I gave my testimony.

I watched the other side,
this guy had no idea

that everything I said,
essentially supported

their line of thinking.

I didn't say anything,
but took a position

where they had to
misrepresent the truth.

Do you use legal speak.

Uh, to try and get his
point across in the end.

It really didn't matter
because regardless of

what was right or wrong
in that particular

court case, it was, did
the government follow

the proper process.

When coming up with the
end conclusion again, eye

opening for me, they can
come up with a completely

erroneous conclusion,
but if they can show

that they followed the
right process, they

took step one, step
two, step three, as

they're supposed to.

And they come up
to their maybe a

predetermined conclusion,
which is completely

contrary to what all
the facts would say.

It's okay.

That conclusion stands
because they followed

the process and that's
how that legal process is

designed to approach it.

So, um, yeah, it's always
a learning experience.

Why would I put myself
out there because I know

something to be true.

I'll share that if
the courts agree with

me, so be it, if they
don't agree with me.

So being really, I've
got to try and divest

myself emotionally from
that whole process, I'm

not trying to argue a
stance or a position.

I'm just providing them
with information, which

I know to be true.

And now I'm, I'm thinking
that sounds pretty

common sense to me.

And I'm thinking of what
separates, I view that

as sticking your neck
out, because I believe

there is lots of people
who would probably

have the same views or
very similar views to

you, but the reason we
know your name and the

reason you were called
in as a, as an expert

witness is because
there's something.

That separates you from
all those other people.

And I'm thinking any,
any of us who stick, I'm

going to call, you know,
stick our necks out.

Uh, as the summary
of creative business

puts them, it says
yes, when he's called

to, to step forward
and speak publicly.

And I'm just wondering
what separates people

like us from the people
who keep quiet and,

um, there's people who
keep quiet and don't

do what they're told.

I'm thinking of the
people who keep quiet

and do what they're told.

Those are the people
who really scare me.

Yeah.

That is scary.

I agree.

And I think, I think
people just have to

pick their battles.

Right.

Um, it's probably stuff
that you would think

of personally from a
personal standpoint,

uh, that I don't see
you reporting on because

it's just, where are
your efforts best quit.

Right.

Um, so on, on the
firearms side, you

know, people would refer
to me as a gun guy.

I've never thought of
myself as a gun person.

You know, I've been
shooting since I've

been four years old.

I got my first rifle when
I was five, a little 22

Stevens took down into
two pieces would fit my

backpack, custom stock
on it to fit my small

frame, short barrel and,
um, shot competitively,

uh, as a preteen and
through my teenage years.

And

That's just one aspect.

It's like, it's like
saying, ah, I don't know.

Um, I mean, there's so
many other aspects to

everybody's personality
and character and

to be a gun guy, I
enjoy the process.

I enjoy building.

I enjoy looking at
the, um, the structure

that's in place, which
I think is beneficial

to the courts.

When I, I look at
it perhaps from a

different perspective.

Um, yeah, but when
it comes down to

the question about
sticking your neck out,

maybe it comes, maybe
it's the same thing.

It's I remember a, um,
I crown, uh, counsel

in, in one case and I
want to shake your hand.

I really respect
what you've done,

blah, blah, blah.

Right.

And, um, it's got nothing
to do with respect.

It's got nothing to
do with brinkmanship.

I think when you're
in a position, you

just act accordingly.

I think there are some
true heroes out there

that do heroic things
on a daily basis.

And sometimes people are
putting extraordinary

circumstances and
they just react and

people are like, oh,
that person's a hero.

The person who says
no, no, no, I'm not,

I'm not, I'm not right.

I think it basically
comes down to, um,

some chance and just,
um, the, the position

that you're in.

So I don't think I'm,
I don't feel like

I'm sticking my neck
out there when I'm

doing these things.

So.

But I do know full
well that when you're

running a business,
there are consequences

to, uh, alienating the
civil servants who,

uh, administrate the
business, governments

will come and go with
the civil servants

they remain in place.

So it's, um,
it's interesting.

I'm just thinking about
this also in the context

of the, I don't like the
idea of heroes, because

I think we all play a
role and one person's,

you know, you're my hero.

I was like, no, I'm just,
just doing a job and

you don't know whatever
I switched it could, we

can that there could be
another wormhole, but

the, um, the people who
stand up in, especially

in this, in this
current socio cultural,

political, legislative
thing that we have going

on in Canada at the
moment, it strikes me

that out of 2.2 million
licensed individuals

and a couple of hundred
thousand directly

targeted by the may 20,
20 mass criminalization

and, um, hundreds, maybe
thousands of businesses.

So few people, so few
of us, I'm going to call

that the community of us.

So few of us have
said a word to say,

hang on a second.

This, this, this
isn't right.

Or, or donated a dollar.

Um, it strikes me again
that some people do stand

up and some people don't.

I get pick picking
your battles.

You also, as
something else.

The concept of gun
ownership, I think,

and I hesitate saying
this because I don't

know enough about the
shooting community, if

there is such a thing,
but I think that gun

ownership, isn't really
a thing that binds that

there's something, when
you said you're not a gun

guy that kind of tick.

Oh yeah.

Well, because there's
gun owners who believe

like everybody else
in society, we are

all over the map in
terms of our religious,

political, social,
cultural, whatever,

how we identify that.

I wonder if one of
the reasons we don't

see unity is that gun
ownership, isn't really

a thing that unifies
and there are within

the shooting community.

I don't, I think that
I think the big, dirty

secret of the shooting
community is that there

is no shooting community,
but that'll be for

another day that there
are gun owners who want

the mass criminalization.

And there are gun
owners who voted for

the, for the regime
currently in charge

because they wanted the
suppression of certain

types of firearm owners.

And of course there's
other, I mean there,

well, I'll let you play
with that for awhile.

Well, that's very
interesting about the

idea of no community,
no firearms community

would, would that same
hold true for let's

say, I dunno, scuba
diving or snowboarding.

Interesting.

I, and the reason, the
reason I use those two

as specific examples,
as opposed to let's

say baseball or.

Hockey, um, because
firearms tends

to be a fairly
individualistic activity.

And the shooting
of firearms is you

pulling the trigger or
pressing the trigger

on, on a firearm.

It says, you, your
gun and your fire as a

half cock would say he
gets into his bubble.

Right?

And I think that
in general, it will

attract those types
of people who are

more individual minded
and not necessarily

community minded,
those who wish to hunt.

Well, you know, you'll
go out in a hunting

party or hunting group to
increase your successes

and your odds, right.

But, uh, you're also
a type of person who

would be able to, um, S
self be self-sufficient

and sustain yourself.

There's those in the
firearms community who

are into first aid and
being a prepper and

all of these things
that are very kind

of individualistic
in nature.

And I remember as
teaching I'm one of few

master instructors in
British Columbia and of

the master instructors.

I'm the only one that
I'm aware of that

pushes very hard to
make new instructors.

Quite often, I've
caught in flack

from other firearms
instructors in the

province saying, Travis,
what are you doing?

We've got a
closed market.

Look at all the money
that we can make if

they all come to me
for whatever reason.

And I've always looked
at that as short sighted.

If you offer a quality
product, if you provide

a quality service,
you're going to have the

clients, the students
and the customers.

And if you don't well,
that's what competition's

good for is good for
pushing things forward,

making them better and
getting rid of the ones

who aren't doing a great
job as firearms owners.

We want to be able to own
firearms and be accepted

as a firearms owner, as
a hunter, as w w whatever

it might be, but you're
not going to do that.

If you don't have others
that are willing to

voice, like you say,
um, because we all

know that out of a
hundred, maybe one or

two will be out there
really, really doing it.

Right.

So I British Columbia
had a moratorium on

making new instructors.

They said, that's it.

We're not making
any new instructors.

And so I actually
launched, I think

it's called a judicial
review is the process

I went through.

Um, it might've been
something else anyways,

uh, went down the
process a little bit,

and then a lawyer finally
turned around and says,

you know, it's really
odd in this sector.

There is no legislative
framework to compel

the firearms officer
to actually do their

job in that respect.

Um, this is untenable,
so backed up and took

a different approach
on that and was able

to successfully.

Um, compel the firearms
program to start

making new instructors.

So we had a big batch of
new instructors come on

through the classroom.

And I just did a poll out
of all these people who

are firearms owners who
wanted to be instructors.

And I said, Hey,
what do you guys do

for your hobbies?

I, one guy who was
big into scuba diving,

another person who
was into skydiving,

another person who was
great into IPSec, sick

and out of the entire
class, only one person

put their hand up.

And they said,
I like hockey.

I play hockey.

And that person was
a friend of mine

who actually owns a,
um, uh, a firearms

business already.

I owned the range Langley
here in Langley, but

by and large, those who
are, I found attracted

to firearms from more
than just a, I need it

for hunting, or I need
it for, uh, employment.

If they're attracted to
the idea of firearms,

ownership for sport
or for the mechanical

workings of them,
what we're collecting,

they're going to
be individualistic.

So you might be onto
something there.

When you say your
perception is, is that

there isn't a community.

Cause I could argue
the, I could argue the

opposite side to that,
but it all depends

on how we wanted to
find what community is

interest.

Yeah, we liked to.

Yeah.

And also, I don't want
to feed our opponents

too much emo here, but

yeah, honestly, again,
that just comes down

to the point of if
we're feeding them ammo

and it falls short,
then we've got to

adjust our approach.

We should be able to
talk openly and honestly,

about anything that we
do and you should be able

to hold a candle to that

yeah.

To share.

Um, yeah, absolutely.

I agree with that.

I'm

I'd like to, uh, I'd
like to talk either today

or another day, but I'd
like, I really love to

talk to you about how
you produce your podcast

and what goes into it
and, and everything like

how you, you want to do
that now or do you want

to do that another time?

Hey, we're here,
we're talking and

you know what?

I think this sort of
information is valuable

because other people
can take a look at this.

Cause I also have
questions about you

as a journalist of
how you approach

different situations.

This is valuable because
the listener might

say, you know what?

I could do a bot.

I could do a podcast.

I can write a blog.

It's really not
that difficult.

And nothing in life
really is difficult.

Is all about putting
one foot in front of the

other and just doing it.

Right.

Um, I think fear is
the biggest thing that

tends to hold people
back, whether that's

fear of failure or fear
of rejection or, or, or

whatever it might be.

And the second that
you frame that.

Sort of network.

He, you take a look at
it for what it really is.

All fear in my
opinion, is, is, um,

the anticipation of
what might happen

or what might come.

And if you take a
look at that and you

just anticipate it
differently, what if

you're successful?

What if you do
well, right?

Or if you can approach
that fear process,

let's say you're jumping
out of a plane and

you're parachuting.

Oh, I'm so scared.

I can't do it.

Well, are you scared?

Are you excited?

Right.

So some of these little
mental mind tricks, I

think can help people
in, in overcoming

the trepidation of
putting their name

behind an article that
they write or getting

their voice out there.

So for me, from the
podcast perspective, I

looked at it like, who
am I to have a podcast?

Right?

I'm just some guy who
has a business and

the lower mainland.

And he's

got some interesting
things have happened

in my background, but
you know, interesting

things happen to
everybody who am I

really to have a podcast.

And it was actually
my friend who, um, who

owns the range, who
came up one day and he

said, Travis, you got
to start a podcast.

You got to start a,
um, immediate company.

And he got to the end.

He had all these
different reasons why?

And I did what
I typically do.

Okay.

Why not?

Let me give it a shot.

If I suck at it, I can
always do something else.

Right.

Who was just on my, on
my other computer here.

I should have done this
research beforehand.

Who was your first, um,
who, who was episode one?

Uh, that would have
been Paul Ballard

and Nick Bolton.

So Paul Ballard and
Nick Bolton, they're

both very good friends
of mine known him for a

long time, both retired
Vancouver police.

And I think it was
two hillbillies from

Chilliwack is what
I named the podcast.

No idea where to start
with this kind of stuff.

I was recording it on
a single track, which

meant every time that
one person coughed, he

couldn't edit that out.

Uh, it was all
on, on one track.

Now I do most of my
recording multitrack

and whenever possible,
so that you can make

sure you can make those
cuts and do it in a way

that it's, um, uh, not
cutting everybody else.

So when I first started
it, I was so concerned

about sounding stupid.

Now I realize I can
sound stupid, but

people can have short
memories, right?

So, uh, uh, within all
the stupidity, there's

sometimes going to
be, uh, areas, right?

Don't sound stupid.

Uh, I would go in
and edit the podcast.

I have one individual,
um, should I name them?

Uh, I don't even know
if I told him this, but

when he talks and he's
been on the podcast

a few times, so that
kind of narrows it down

every single time he
says something, he goes

before he says something,
you hear a little,

little, little kind of
T click and he can see

that in the wave form.

And so I'd go through
and edit every.

Out as I went on through
or someone coughed and

edited out now I tend
to leave the majority

of everything in.

I find it reduces the
editing process greatly.

It adds a sense
of realism.

It's not a highly,
highly polished product.

And, uh, unless of
course something happens.

And afterwards, like I
had one individual, he

says, you know, that joke
I told halfway through,

if my wife heard that
joke, she'd kill me.

Can you take
that joke out?

Sure.

Not a problem.

So that's, that's
about the extent of the

editing, but I do now.

Yeah.

It's interesting.

I, how long have you
been doing the podcast?

Uh, started in it's
only about two years.

Uh, so yeah, two years
ago I started it.

So I went on and

I slowly pre pre COVID,
like, um, so just, just

before COVID you started.

Okay.

Because I wonder I
started before COVID

I wonder if also the,
like the, the, um,

the fashion or the
accessibility has shifted

between a polished
product now with COVID

everybody's used to zoom
calls and, and seeing

record like, uh, live to
tape that we put up with

coughs and sneezes and
what used to be con you

know, basically raw we're
now more comfortable and

more accepting of the
audio is not quite right.

The sound of image
of whatever, the

bit rate we're like.

Okay.

It's kind of fashionable
to do live and imperfect.

I think live
and imperfect.

It's been Fastenal
for a lot longer.

And I think people are
just starting to kind

of get on the idea
that, hold on a second,

we start putting out
these polished products

because everything out
there was just polished

productions from large
organizations and you

start to gloss over and
people feel that there's

a sense of reality when
they see that it's not

from the same sort of
polished background.

I think that, um, general
conversation tends to

be lacking in some, a
lot of people's lives

and podcasts appeal to
the idea of being able

to sit in and listen to
a conversation that's

going on, that they
might not have thought

about having or with
people that they didn't

have the ability to have
the conversation with.

Um, I think podcasts are,
uh, the, the metrics that

show that they're still
gaining in popularity,

but also the, uh, they're
getting diluted because

more and more people
are getting into them.

For me, it's a challenge.

Uh, I've got ADHD.

I've, uh, for me to
stay on topic and string

together information
in a way and, and,

and talk through these
sort of things like

my head's going a mile
a minute, and I want

to talk about so many
different things, um,

that I, that I enjoy the
challenge of doing this.

I enjoy spreading the
positivity and it's,

um, It's a way to be
able to reframe some of

the negative things and
aspects that happened

throughout just building
your business and life

in general, because
I think most people

are negatively biased,
myself included, and

you'll tend to go
towards the negative and

look at the negative.

And there is
negativity in the

firearms community.

If we call it a
community, there

is naked Vivity and
firearms businesses.

There are some really,
really slimy stuff that

kind of goes on, but
in the same breath,

there's some great people
out there doing some

really great things.

And it's all about
where we decide.

We want to spend
that attention.

So for me, the podcast
is reaching out to

others who have shown.

They want to share
that attention in

the same direction.

Are you achieving, are
you achieving that same

question you asked me
a little while ago.

Are you achieving
your goals?

Uh, well the goal
always wants to

spread positivity.

So from the, from the
standpoint of what

I'm being able to
put out, absolutely.

Is there any noticeable
change within the

community that, that,
uh, that I'd see?

Well, I don't want to,
I don't want to say that

I'm, uh, I'd like to
be a leader for change

in the community, but
I'd like to be able to

offer a different way for
people to consume, uh, or

maybe just think about.

Issues that are happening
within, within our

industry and maybe
without even talking

about the negative stuff.

So I would feel that
yes, I'm achieving it.

Uh, every week that goes
by we're, uh, gaining

more subscribers and
more listeners, you

know, just like with
what you're doing.

Uh, it's the people, if
they like what they're

listening to, they're
going to share it for me.

I, the biggest compliment
is if somebody else

is going to share it,
if they want to share

it on Instagram or on
Facebook or with their

friends to an email and
they just say, look it,

I listened to this say,
you should listen to

this part right here.

Cause I listened to it.

The whole thing
that, um, that's the

biggest compliment.

And yeah, I do feel
that we are affecting

some small change in how
things are approached

and in the process of
me finding my own voice,

because I'm still finding
my voice on this podcast.

I am slowly bringing to
light some issues that

have happened within the
community that are in

the firearms world, at
the firearms industry or

that continue to happen.

And I think the more
people that are aware

and start seeing it
will stop accepting that

and they will in turn,
start looking for ways

that we can support each
other and work together.

So I do see that,
um, to some degree

and I can say personally,
That you have affected

me and influenced
me and shaped me.

And now that's going to
radiate to the people

I communicate with.

So if you're wondering
about, are you

having any influence?

Well, I'm going to hear
to say yes, at least

a plus one over here.

Um, well, I, I really
do appreciate that.

You know, from a
journalistic perspective,

I don't have a
journalist background.

I have, I've never
wanted the podcast to

be, uh, me interviewing
somebody else.

I've, uh, I remember I
did with the Vancouver

police a number of
years ago, they invited

me in to do the, uh,
the Reid technique.

I did their, uh,
beginner, intermediate

and advanced interview
and interrogation

courses with them,
which is kind of cool.

Um, so I've my formal
training in interviewing

and interrogating
would just be through

a police interview
and interrogation.

So through their systems,
as well as through a

couple of others, that
process is not one

that I've ever really
wanted to apply to

this, to the podcast.

And I've always wanted,
it's more of a, just

a back and forth
exchange of ideas.

It's difficult
to get there.

Uh, some people are
more, um, comfortable in

front of the camera, in
front of the microphone

and able to, to do that.

And I don't blame them
because even myself in

front of the mic, in
front of the camera,

you'll notice, I'll stop.

And I'll think like, how
will this be perceived

if I say it, even
when we talked about

range Nazis earlier,
I'm like, do I want

to use the Nazi word?

Right.

Um, but for you, you've
clearly done a lot of

research in just speaking
with you before and

how you approach this.

What is your process?

If you're going to
write an article or

you're going to speak
with somebody, what is

your process for, uh,
preparing for that?

And what do you typically
hope the outcome will be?

So for a guy who hasn't
studied journalism and

here in journalistic
interviewing techniques,

let me tell you you're
doing a really good job.

No, seriously, seriously.

That's that's again,
a very, very w what I

mean by that is, it's a,
it's a simple question.

And it's also a
deep question.

It's very, it's going to
be difficult to answer.

It's going to lead
to, uh, uh, it

opens a potentially
rich response.

And the response
is that it depends.

Sometimes I'm in bed.

I remember, gosh, how
many times I'm in bed

looking through my.

Twitter, which I don't
do anymore, by the way.

But, uh, I'm thinking
I grumbled this

something angers me
and I write a blog

post and out of anger.

And in 30 minutes I write
my thoughts are grumble,

grumble, grumble, Trudeau
verus are the liberals

that are grumbled,
grumble, grumble,

and knock it out.

And so anger is
the motivator.

And I don't, I just want
to just kind of, um,

I guess more of a gut
thing other times, and

that's, that's done and
dusted in a, in a short

period, let's call it
an hour and other times

it's, it can take months,
uh, an article I wrote

several years ago about,
I think the headline

was how statistics,
Canada shapes, gun

politics and perceptions.

And that took months
to research and I've

data analysis and a
Q and a was text with

statistics, Canada and
other experts, uh, across

the country and hours
and hours and hours

and hours of research
and fact checking.

So, and what do I
hope to achieve?

Well, sometimes it's,
um, I hope to achieve,

I'm curious about this
topic and it's a personal

blog, so I get to write
whatever the heck I want.

And if you like
it, read it.

If you don't like it,
do go, go listen to

the Silvercore podcast.

Um, but sometimes
it's pure.

It's, it's always
motivated by curiosity

is something I'm
curious about something.

I think my readers or
the community would be

curious about or want
to know or a little

bit, sometimes it's
a little bit you, you

guys should know about.

And this has flown
under the radar.

I think this
was important.

I think you should know.

I want to put it on your
radar and yeah, so it's

a mix of personal read.

It's a mix of news.

A lot of it is kind
of newsy and a lot of

it is I do apply the,
the standards that I

took to the best of my
ability that I learned at

Bloomberg about factual
and links I offer my

own analysis of, but I
always provide links to

my data, to the original
document, whether it's

a press release, whether
it's a, a report.

So I do try to respect
the, the values of

transparency and
accountability,

um, and a mix.

And a lot of times
it's, it's trying

to transparency is
a big motivator.

Actually, the, I want, I
believe a little bit like

what you said earlier,
you want it, you want

it to bring the pal
courses, the pal courses

out of the basements.

I want to do that
too about genuine

owning community.

And I remember one kind
of example of that when

I started the blog in
2015, I wondered how many

pal holders pal holders
are there in Canada.

What's the number.

I couldn't find it.

Right.

And it took months.

And when you know
where to look, it's,

it's, it's in the
RCMP annual report.

When you know
where to look, it

takes five seconds.

Right?

But no one was
talking about it.

No one was mentioning it.

And I was the first to
the best of my knowledge.

I in, I believe it
was 2015 released

in 2016 that the.

Exceeded 2 million
for the first time.

And I, I wrote an
article, um, something

about gun license over
that, um, exceeds 2

million for first time
or reaches record or

something like that.

And so I want
transparency.

I want people to
know about this.

I want to bring gun
ownership out of the

woodwork, out of the
basement, out of the,

the, um, the dark, not
the dark alleys, but I

mean, I want to get it
out of the door, but

also the metaphorically
speaking, I want it, I

want to shine a light
and, you know, be a

proud gun owner and
talk about it openly.

And it's not a sin.

It doesn't, it's
not immoral.

It's, it's a good thing.

It's we, its values
of responsibility

and sportsmanship and
nature conservation and

camaraderie and all these
incredible, beautiful

values that we, that
we are ambassadors for.

I hope.

And yeah, so it's a
desire for transparency

and pride and, and
getting out of the,

get out of the shadows.

One of my other, I think
most important articles

was how quiet gun owners
become former gun owners.

And I, the quiet, the
fact that we, we, a

lot of people like
what you were saying

earlier, your we want
to be a closed society.

Hush, hush don't
make any waves.

Don't tell anybody what
we're up to stay out of.

The media, I
think is the best.

If you, if that's your
strategy, then your

extension extinction
is on the way.

Keeping quiet in
today's world.

The best way to go
extinct is to keep quiet.

And I think you're on
the right track with

the, with the gun
blog and with these

podcasts that you're
doing in the video cast.

And, uh, because in
the same breath, if you

want to get that message
out, anybody who would

be maybe contrary or
want to, um, attack you,

so to say would have
a much more difficult

time knowing that you
have a platform with

X amount of people who
follow you and watch

you on a regular basis.

So I, I think, um, if
they had to also anyway,

um, like if you look
at the study and

it feeds twist some
Twitter feeds, I mean,

yeah, who's the day.

It depends.

The aunties used me
as the lightning rod

as one of the targets.

Oh, look what
the gun law.

But you're talking
about the people,

the, the, the, the
CFOs or the police or

the regulators you're
talking about that.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

So far as far as I know,
um, I don't, I'm not

aware of any attacks.

The worst attacks
have come from, from

the gun owning the
shooting community.

Those are the nastiest
violence, personal

attacks have come from
the shooting community,

the, the aunties

they hurt the most,
you know, they,

well, yeah, they're,
they're also, they also

surprised me the most.

And, um, but I'm not
aware of anyone in

the regulatory or
legal or, uh, policing

community that is
seeking to undermine.

I am aware of people in
the shooting community,

what I would call the
shooting community,

who are working
to undermine me.

And I've seen that and
I see a time and again,

and it's so unfortunate
and it, it just comes

down to the same in a
building down to make

their building bigger.

I don't know if it's just
a deep seated inadequacy

or jealousy that somebody
would have, because

from my perspective,
if somebody wants to do

the exact same thing I'm
doing, I'll help them.

Yeah.

And I have, and I have
countless times train

people up as instructors,
train people up, show

them how I conduct
my business, show

them how we're even
on the podcast here.

There's numerous people
that I've had come in.

Some people have
taken me up on it.

If you want to start your
own podcast, I've got all

the equipment, I've got a
studio, I've got a room.

Right.

Of course that's not an
open offer to everybody.

Those are people that who
have already vetted in

our, um, uh, primarily
past guests have

been all my podcasts.

And I find that you tend
to, for me, uh, a closer

relationship, because you
really get to intimately

know somebody over, over
this period of time.

But, um, yeah, I
think there's always

going to be haters.

Right.

And I guess what,
I've come to you.

So you've been in the
business, I'm going to,

you know, two or three
decades at this stage.

I mean, I'm a newbie.

I've only been around
since 2015 doing this.

And what I've found
though, I'm curious

if, if, if like, I feel
like I'm coming, I'm

getting to where you
are, which is that.

Yeah, it's a big, it's a
big, it's a big family.

And just like,
you can disagree

with uncle Harry.

You can disagree with
this organization

or that individual.

It doesn't mean
we're gonna agree on

everything all the time.

We can still be
respectful and okay, you

do your thing over there.

I'm going to do my
thing over here.

I don't have
to dump on you.

You don't have
to dump on me.

That's um, yeah,
I, I tried it.

I, I probably have
dumped on people in

the community and I
probably regret it, but

I do my done my best
not to and stay United.

Um, it doesn't mean
it doesn't mean

we love you all.

It doesn't mean we all
have to love each other,

but we can still be,
we can at least avoid

dumping on each other.

You know, I remember
a number of years

ago, a, uh, this is
going back a fair bit.

So he, a fellows wants
to be an instructor.

There's a group of them.

They wanted to come
through and do a, uh,

instructor level course.

And I, um, was teaching
a, uh, a course said,

okay, we want to come
in and you can shadow

with it myself and
another instructor.

And, uh, this guy says,
well, you know, I, I

don't have a vehicle.

Can you give
me a ride in?

Okay, no problem.

Where are you at?

And, okay, so he takes a
bus, comes to a location,

pick them up, driving,
man, drive him back.

Back and forth again,
next day, provide them

with lesson plans,
trailing syllabuses

stuff that wasn't
being provided by

the firearms program.

Things of how I, how
I would put together

the, um, uh, the
course, basically

just a cookie cutter.

If you want to get it
going, here you go.

Afterwards.

This fellow says I don't
really have any money

because I never accepted
payment at the get go.

And I probably should
have, uh, can I

just work it off?

Can I just keep
working with you?

I'm like, I don't know.

I hummed it out a little
bit and like, like, no,

no, you should pay it.

And it was only like, I
didn't think I charged

them that we're going
back 20 years or so.

I think it charged them
like a hundred bucks or

something like nothing
and nothing for beat.

Right.

For setting somebody
up for a great success

in the industry.

And then he comes
by with his firearm.

Can you cut and crown
my, uh, my bureau for me.

Yeah.

Not a problem.

Do it for free of charge.

Can you help me find
some deactivated or

disabled firearms yet?

Not a problem.

We'll get you set up.

Cause they had
the contract.

There's two businesses.

One was, um,
Murray Charlton.

It was, uh, who at the
time was the owner of

MD charletons and myself
who had the contract for

all seized firearms from
the police for disabling,

for firearm safety
course instruction.

Oh, problem gets you set
up and I'm in the back

of hunter sporting goods,
which is no longer.

Helped a, uh, a fellow.

I know who actually I met
him in army cadet camp

and lived with me for a
while and, uh, helped him

out and had a couple of
gun stores till a point

he took over and owned
a hundred sporting goods

and I'm in the back.

And I see this other
instructor who had

trained up and had my
cards out at the front of

Hunter's sporting goods.

And somebody comes in
and they're looking

to take a course and
they pick up the card

and I'm sitting there
and I'm watching, he

doesn't know I'm there.

And this guy says,
no, you don't want

to go see them.

Yeah.

Travis guy, he's no good.

You got to come to me.

And he spends the entire
time as, as opposed

to saying why he's so
great, which I think

would be fantastic.

Have anybody emphasize
the points of why

you are great.

Don't spend the time
emphasizing why the

other person, in your
opinion, isn't great.

And I'm sitting there
thinking like, holy

Crow, like I bent over
backwards to set you

up only to have you
out there bad on me.

And I see this.

And then when the May
16th, 2008 stuff went

down, which will probably
be a conversation

at a later date.

Um, I get to read things
that he's written.

Cause somebody
supplied me.

Back-end, uh, information
they're getting from

the, the forums.

And it is astonishing
what some people will do

or say in order to just
try and give themselves a

leg up at the expense of
anybody else out there.

So I don't think
there's ever going to

be a lack of haters
in our industry or any

industry, but I think.

Oh for myself personally,
I've got to be a lot

more diligent about, um,
allowing myself to be,

um, taken advantage of
where my good intentions

be used against me by
those of intention.

So as you're building
yourself up and you're

probably seeing similar
kind of things, um, it's

probably changing your
approach to how you,

how you report and how
you put your blogs out.

I don't know.

Yeah.

And I think also what
I hear a bit like,

um, underneath what
you're saying is the

it's besides what we do
publicly on, on, on air,

on microphone, on video
in our businesses and so

forth is how we change
as men, as individuals.

And, and I think it,
yeah, it's reflect

especially now.

And that was apparent.

Uh, what are the kinds
of values I want to

demonstrate because
I I'm learning kids.

Don't listen, they copy.

Um, what are the values
that I want to model

for my, for my son?

And one of those is
that, okay, do you know

you can, every cliche
in the book that the

dogs will bark, but the
caravan moves on, or

if you stop to throw
rocks at every dog that

barks, you will never
reach your destination.

I think that one's
Winston Churchill,

um, that we have
to stay focused and

stuff will happen.

And that's that's
noise and stay focused

on, on, you know,
signal, follow the

signal, not the noise.

I like that.

That's

funny.

Follow the sound on
that, the noise and

be, be also, I think I
I'm guessing, uh, that

what, uh, w I'm I'm
guessing that you've,

I'm, I'm guessing that
you would share this

sentiment, but I should
ask the question.

I've learned a lot to
be my own compass and to

trust my own compass and
to, and to listen and

to hear my own compass.

And it used to be,
oh, what should I

do when I look to
others a lot more for

validation or direction.

And now it's a much more
trusting of my own inner

compass and learning
to, uh, to accept that,

you know, real easy
hack on all of that

for people maybe.

So people are raised
without a moral

compass, right.

Um, is just lean
on the fact that

you're a father.

So I find when you say
that, um, I think people

are really ready and
willing to be able to

disappoint themselves.

Right.

Hey, did you
work out today?

Right?

Uh, I've got no problem
sitting on the couch,

maybe playing, playing
a video game or sleeping

in later, but if you
have to disappoint

somebody else, right?

Yeah.

Is there somebody
who's waiting for

you at the gym?

You're probably more
likely to show up and

how I conduct myself
is if I do this,

whether anybody knows
or not, how would my

children think about me?

If they did
find that out?

How would my wife
think about me?

How do I want to be.

Regardless of people
ever find out or not.

I want to conduct myself
in a way where they

would be proud of me.

So I find that a very
simple life hack for when

you're making decisions.

And oftentimes if
it's a difficult

decision, it's probably
the right decision.

So I love the, the
pride angle and I I'm

proud to say it because
a while back I would

have said, oh, that's,
you know, kind of

egotistical in vain.

And what do you care?

What other P and
L you know, what

do you care about?

And I said, okay, use it.

It's a Jedi mind trick.

I'm a proud vain.

You get just a
gold, whatever.

I'm going to use
it to my advantage.

I care about how I
look and I care about

what my wife and my
kid think about me.

And absolutely
you got it.

Okay.

I like the life hack.

Yeah.

I use use the, uh,
and also I think,

but I think there
is something deeper,

which is your identity.

I'm, I'm the type
of guy who am I?

The type of guy who
misses my appointments

and my commitments,
or am I, am I the type

of guy who respects
my appointments

and my commitments?

It can be very powerful.

Very much so.

Well, we've, we've
talked about a lot of

different things here.

We never did get into
that one rabbit hole

that you wanted to get
in about the podcast

later.

Do you want to

do that?

No.

No.

No.

Okay.

How do you,

how do you, um, decide,
walk me through your

process for the part
for a plus, let's say

a podcast episode.

Uh, all depends.

All depends on who
I'm going to be

having on as a guest.

I mean, sometimes I
will approach it more

from a, um, maybe fly by
the seat of your pants.

I don't, I don't
like to say that.

Cause I always
do research.

I always have some ideas.

I I'll write down
different things that

I'd like to have if I get
stuck in the conversation

and I don't quite know
where to go, I've got

different things like
I've in front of me, I've

got Alec Baldwin rust.

There's one thing that
completely off topic.

Right.

But it's something
that is a, uh,

a talking point.

Um,

yeah, I've got

a bit of an interest.

There you go.

So I'll have the,
I'll have an intro.

So I know where to start.

Cause I find that to
be the most difficult

thing in the podcast.

How do you start
the conversation?

And I don't listen
to podcasts.

I, once in a while, I'll
hear tidbits from some,

but I'm not the type of
person to sit down and

listen to a full long
form podcasts because

I don't have the time.

If I'm in my vehicle,
I'm driving to go

hunting, let's say or
go surfing or I'm going

to be gone for awhile.

Uh, sure.

Not a problem.

I'll listen to a book
or a podcast, but I, my

office is a 10 minute
walk from my house.

My studio is a 10 minute
drive from my house.

It doesn't give me
a lot of time to

listen to a podcast.

So unless I'm doing some
woodworking in the shop

or I'm in the middle shop
in the back here, maybe

I'll put something on in
the background to live.

Um, I don't I've
approached the podcast

from a, um, intentionally
ignorant standpoint.

I don't know if that's
good or bad, but I didn't

want to be like every
other podcast and maybe

I ended up like it.

I don't know.

Um, but I wanted to be
able to provide something

that was unique to me.

And I figured the best
way to do that would be

just without inundating
myself to try and be

like everybody else.

Do you pick your guests?

My guests approach you

both.

So we got, we
got both sides.

I mean, I'm, I'm super
flattered when someone

approaches me, uh, there
have been some podcasts

that will never see the
light of day and not

because they were a bad
podcast, but because

I've got respect from the
guests who came on there

and I, I didn't feel
that they came across in

the best possible way.

And it didn't, it didn't
go in line with the

bringing the positivity
and the, the core values

of what I would like to
be able to put through on

this Silvercore podcast.

Um, I've got one, I'll be
recording next week with

just a fantastic fellow
who is, um, extremely

well accomplished.

He's been on
past podcasts.

People will hear
about them again.

So I won't be given
that one away, but,

uh, uh, gave me a
message last night.

It says, uh, it's
been too long.

It really liked to
be on the podcast

and he's done tons of
different podcasts.

Very well.

And, um, oh, I'll take
it for what it is.

He says, you know, out
of all the podcasts

that I've been on,
I look forward to

yours the most.

And so that's, um, um,
I, I value that highly.

Yeah.

So, so, uh, I will
try and find people

who have extraordinary
life experiences.

Uh, there's been
suggestions that have

come up for some people
who've done some pretty

neat things, but I just
don't have any idea in

my head of how I'll be
able to talk with them.

And until I can get
that figured out, I

don't, I don't ask
them to be a guest.

Um,

Hmm.

How long does it
take you from prep

to recording, to
editing, to publishing?

Uh, some are really
quick, uh, most aren't.

So as I go through
a podcast, I will,

uh, record it.

So we've been
talking for a while.

I think this is my
longest podcast yet.

Um, oh, I'll record it.

And then if I'm really on
the ball, I will edit it

right shortly afterwards,
while everything's still

fresh in my memory.

And if there are long
extended pauses, then

for the listeners
sake, cause I value

the listeners time.

I figured they're going
to be spending their

time listening to me.

I want to provide
them with something

as educational
or entertaining.

And I'll, I'll take out
some of the long pauses

or let's say somebody
had to use a washroom

halfway everyday.

Obviously we edit all
that stuff out, but

I do my best now not
to go over it with a

white glove treatment,
not taking out all

the ums and AHS and
ticks and all the rest.

Um, So I can get
through one in a

day, but oftentimes
it'll be longer.

Uh, because now that
we have video, I've got

to do color grading.

I've learned premier
pro and Adobe audition,

and then you gotta make,
um, I, I run it through

and to do a complete
transcript of everything

that we've talked about,
um, for SEO and I run

it into, uh, YouTube.

And so you have to
make thumbnails and

Photoshop and, uh, then
do a bit of a writeup

and post it up on the,
your podcast provider.

And then you're
constantly looking at

different areas where
you can pick up feeds and

then I'll get on to read
it in different forums.

If I think it's going
to bring value to the

people, I don't want
to be the guys out

there just shamelessly
plugging myself.

But if I can actually
add some value to a

conversation, then
I will submit it on

these different places
just to try and get

some more exposure.

So it's, um, uh, it's
not a swift endeavor.

Mind you I've done
a podcast with

another fellow he's.

Um, first one that I was
ever on was his podcast

and he will record it
and it's up bang it's

up, that's it flaws
and all, and he says it

adds a realism to it.

Maybe there's something
to be said there.

I don't know that
maybe the guests

can let me know

that the listeners maybe.

Recording live is,
is, is how I've been

doing it lately.

That's my
preferred approach.

Yeah.

Listeners do tell,
tell, tell Travis, uh,

um, what you think the,
is this, would it be

fair to say that this
podcast that we're

doing now of, of your
podcast is the one where

you've spoken the most?

Uh, probably yes.

Yeah.

There was one other
I did with the,

you do a lot
of listening.

I noticed

I do.

If a person wants to
talk, I'm going to let

them talk because I can,
if I wanted to, I can

turn the mic on myself
and I don't have to have

anybody in the room and
I can talk all I want.

But if I've asked
somebody to come in

and they're using their
time to share their

passion with others,
I want to hear what

they have to say.

It's I, it's not an
ego thing for me.

I don't, I don't
particularly enjoy

listening to my voice,
but I enjoy the process

of creating something.

And if I can watch
that grow, uh, and

others get value out of
it, then I like that.

So that's why I do a

lot of listening.

Uh, I'm getting
the impression that

you like to empower
people, is that fair?

I tend to, yes.

And that can the
process of empowering

other people.

The difficult part
is finding the right

people to spend your
time and energy.

Um, In earlier
years, I would help

everybody else.

Everyone.

I can just help them out
and do what I can because

I find value in being
of assistance to others.

And I mean, you can
analyze that any which

way you want to from the
positive to the negative

sides, but, um, um, in
empowering other people

to be able to have their
own voice and get the

message out there is
also a bleed off on that.

If they have something
that's worthwhile,

hopefully others
will share it.

I don't monetize
a podcast.

I have zero
intentions of ever

monetizing a podcast.

But what it does is
it is a another area

where people can
hear more about what

Silvercore is about.

It used to be, in my
opinion, businesses

would talk about the
Royal we, oh, we're

getting to it shortly.

And our team is looking
at, and, um, these

are our friends of our
team or whatever it is

that they want to put
out on social media

or in their messaging.

When in fact it's
one person in their

basement typing on
their computer, right.

Nothing wrong with that.

But I think that people,
the general public is

tired of the we, and
they want to know the

individual behind it.

If they're going to
support a business and

there's other businesses
out there that they could

support, why would they
choose your business over

somebody else's maybe
it's price, maybe it's

because their values
align with your own.

Maybe the offer a secure
superior product, or

it's better availability
or accessibility or

whatever it might be.

But by providing this
voice, it's got that

double-edged sword of
the positive of people

getting to know what
Silvercore is about

because Silvercore
is my business.

So by default, it's
going to have, share

my, my core attributes,
but it's also going to

alienate some people too.

So, you know, I just take
the good with the bad.

How did you
choose the name?

Silvercore.

Super easy.

Actually, my
grandfather was a police

officer, detective
Vancouver police.

His name was
silver Armando.

My other grandfather
was Cornelius Bader.

He's an entrepreneur
and he, uh, had a

very successful, uh,
bakery that he had.

He re he owned about a
city block down by the

Croatian cultural center.

And he used to talk
about how they're

were bigger than
dad's oatmeal cookies.

But anyways, I just
took silver in core and

it just cold core, a
little bit different.

Did a little port man
do, and I got silver car.

Beautiful.

Have, have you ever
thought of doing

them or maybe you do?

I haven't seen it.

The Travis Bader show
where you do get to where

you're not interviewing a
guest, but you are giving

your rent, whatever
your view on things,

a solo, basically you
in front of the camera

ever thought of that.

Uh, no I haven't.

And I don't know
if there'd be an

appetite for it again.

Maybe the listeners can
let me know, but I've.

Uh, never been the type,
despite being the one

who's would be in front
of a class teaching and

at the ego portion of all
of that has never been

the motivator for me.

I would watch people
teach and it's, uh,

a trick that I will
tell my instructors

as well that I use.

And if it works for
them, great, maybe

they want to borrow it.

But so often I find
people when they teach

will stand up in the
front of the class

and they will, uh,
spew information and

they'll throw it out
and they'll see what

catches, um, they'll go
through the PowerPoint.

They'll show the
different slides we'll

have have little breaks,
but if you take yourself

out of the equation
and you know, I know

one instructor and
he's probably right.

He says, you know,
all good instructors

should have ego.

And from the standpoint
of like, you care enough

about whether your
classes thinks of you,

that you want to put on
a pro quality product,

I totally agree, but I
will, as opposed to, uh,

teaching a course, I am,
I treat my class like

they're an individual,
the entire class as

if they're one person,
one person that has

a bunch of different
questions that has

different personalities,
that there's different

ways that I have to
approach that one person.

But for me, teaching is a
very personable process.

And with the end result
of them leaving and

not needing me, them
leaving and being more

competent in whatever it
was that they had before.

And if they're able
to be better than me.

I take that as a
compliment, that I was

able to help them on the
process to some degree

or another where they
can do even better.

So it's never been
an ego process for

me and for the Travis
speeder showed us,

give, give your views.

Number one, I don't
know if I'd have enough

to talk about, right.

Um, but number two, I'm I
do tend to shy away from

the camera and the mic.

It's weird.

When we talk about, I was
talking with, uh, Brad

Brooks who's, as I say
it, I seen it, he sit

here yapping for the last
couple of hours, right.

Uh, Brad works, he
owns our galley and

uh, he says, um, that
he's an introvert.

And he said, you'd
be surprised at how

many people in the
industry are introverts.

Um, and I'm like,
well, hold on a second.

So he's got an
awesome, uh, you go

to go check out Brad
Brooks, his business,

awesome business, go
check out his, uh,

uh, YouTube channel.

And he does like
fantastic cinematography

filmography showing him
up in the mountains,

doing his thing
from a very personal

kind of connection.

And he says, you
know, and he lists

off a number of other
names in the industry

that are well known.

Some people through
the mediator, cruise

someone other crews.

And he says, you know,
all these people,

when we talk there
were introverts.

And I said, well,
I don't know.

I guess I can't be an
introvert because, you

know, I got the camera
and the mic and all the

rest, he says, well,
let me ask you this.

If you're in a group
of people, does

that charge you.

Or do you leave
drained afterwards?

And I said, huh,
interesting way

to look at that.

Cause it doesn't
charge me up.

I find, I give a
lot of myself when

I interact with the
class, I'll be drained

when I, I enjoy it.

I enjoy the process
of helping them, but

going out to parties
or public areas I'm

drained and prime example
of that is like going

to shot show, forget
it, not my favorite

place to be right.

Too many people, too
much stuff going on.

I'll go there
if I have to.

But uh, uh, I guess
maybe by that definition,

I'm an introvert.

Interesting.

Cause I I'm, I'm back
to, I I'm, I would

love to, uh, see the
Travis theater show if

that, uh, if that ever
happens, I support it.

But also it's the, um,
I think that it's, I

don't, and I don't view
it as a selfish thing.

It can be, it can
be an ego trip.

Look at me, look at me,
but I don't think that's

how the, the YouTube
personalities that say

that, that I follow.

That's not, I don't
think their motivator.

I think, um, I think it's
in line with what you

were saying that they
have an approach or a

view or an angle or, or
a skill or an expertise

that they're sharing.

And I know for
myself that I.

Um, you teach what
you need to learn.

It's through the
sharing and through

the expression
that I discover.

Oh, I don't, I don't know
what I think till I hear

what I say and it helps
me to refine and, and I,

sometimes I hear myself
stay stuff that I, that

surprises me or that I,
when it comes out of my

head, I was like, I don't
actually believe that.

So it's, uh, I guess
you, the, the fact that,

yeah, you have a lot
to someone like you and

you in particular, you
have a lot to offer.

And, um, and it, I don't
see it as actually a

selfish or, um, vanity.

It doesn't have, it
can be a vanity project

and maybe that's okay,
but it doesn't have

to be a vanity project.

Well, I might have to
rethink my approach

or my, my, how I, uh,
view that whole thing.

I, I guess at this point,
I'm at the stage where

I don't even know how to
take that first step in

doing it and as stupid
as that sounds, and it

was kind of like when I
started Silvercore, like

what's the first step
I'm like, okay, I'm going

to be a businessman.

I guess I need
business cards.

Right.

So go out and get myself
some business cards.

I'll probably
need a logo.

So I make that
little swirly logo.

Right.

Um, I, I know others,
they got business

bank accounts at the
Royal bank of Canada.

That's what I need.

I had no idea how
to build a business.

I did no background.

I had nobody to
show me the process.

And, um, in hindsight,
looking at it,

what's taken me so
many years to build.

I could rebuild
next week.

Cause it, it really is
easy once, you know?

So when you talk about
doing a solo show for

somebody who's talking on
a podcast anyways, um, I

haven't even put my head
to what that would look

like or how you do it.

Okay.

Cause,

cause for it's
interesting.

I think, you know, things
are easy once you know

how to do it and they're
impossible or difficult,

but it's like, you like,
you, you, you got the

microphone, you've got
the camera, you sit in

front of the microphone
in front of the camera,

you press record.

And you, you say
what's on your mind

is one way to do it
is one way to do it.

Other people write a
script that they feed

into a teleprompter
and like there's a,

like a thousand ways, a
thousand ways to do it.

And I, by the way, I'm,
I know I'm not, I'm not,

it's not my place to,
to pressure you, we're

telling you what to do.

I'm just expressing
curiosity.

And uh, and uh, yeah,
I would support that

project if, uh, if you

ever do it from a, from
a standpoint of if, if

the industry or people
had questions that they

wanted answers, I'd
be happy to sit down

and go through them.

And, uh, rather than
rehearse and look

through and try and,
uh, come up with the

best possible answer.

Just give them the
oddest answer that

I have at that time
and be able to touch

back on a later base.

Yep.

And not, I could see
that as a very viable way

to, uh, to approach it.

But for me to actively
have to search out,

like, what do I want to
talk about this week?

Where do I want
to go with this?

Um, Might be like at the
end of the day, there's

only so many hours.

So it'd be a reallocation
of other duties

that I'm, that I'm
currently looking at.

Um, Hmm.

Interesting.

And now it's occurring
to me that you get that

you get to express your
values, your beliefs

in the classroom,
in the podcast.

And in other venues,
you don't need a

separate show to do it.

You have other channels
where you can get it

done in a different way.

Maybe,

you know, the, the
difficulty with being

a business owner.

So we've got about
a little over,

over 20 people.

I work with Silvercore
and, uh, w admin staff

and instructors, and,
um, that as you grow

your business, despite
the fact that you love

what it is you do,
you tend to do less

of what it is that you
originally started doing.

So I'm still in
the classroom.

I'll still help out
and make sure you keep

the instructor number.

And I'm training the new
instructors as a master

instructor, but the day
to day instruction and

teaching, if I were to
put myself into that

role, which I love doing
would be a disservice to

my coworkers who require
the business to expand

and to, to move forward.

So, uh, who wants to,
just to the typical

thing that you get
bigger and bigger,

and he stopped doing
the one thing that you

originally started doing,
have you found that in

your, uh, in your realm
there as you've been.

No, I have not.

And I've tried to as
my, like my beacon,

uh, do I love, what
do I love this?

And to not do this
stuff I don't love

doing and to stay
focused on this stuff.

I do love doing and
that's um, yeah, that's

partly out of, um, to
do as much as possible.

I focus on doing
this stuff.

I love.

So it hasn't,
uh, it, yeah, it,

so what's to stop
you from throwing in

the towel the second
you don't love it,

that's it?

Yeah.

Um, I'm not sure how to,
I'm not sure if there's

a single answer a little
bit might be, like I

said, there was the,
the feedback from the,

my, the audience, the
readers, the viewers,

the listeners that say
you, you know, thank

you for whatever, some
kind of validation or

feedback or something
that tells me that I'm

having an impact on them.

Uh, sometimes it's
also, I have to remind

myself, like, do a little
bit of soul digging.

It's all searching.

And remember why
I'm doing this.

I'm not doing this
because it's easy.

I'm doing it because
it's important or at

least important to me.

Right.

Or it goes, it
goes beyond me.

And I think also, maybe
it's about showing

up in a PR, you know,
uh, someone said, I,

I, I can't remember
whose quote this is,

but, uh, amateurs do
it when they feel like

it professionals do it
because it's their job.

There's, there's a
bit of that going on.

It's eight o'clock
it's it's this is not

my case, but yeah,
it's, I'm doing.

I'm showing up for,
for, to do this, uh,

this profession, maybe
also a commitment

that I'm, that this
commitment to, to, to

be like, I love comfort.

I'm also willing to
be uncomfortable.

So maybe my commitment
to the mission is,

uh, stronger than
my commitment to be

lazy or comfortable.

Yeah.

See, I don't
like comfort.

I don't think, I
think we, no, I don't.

I think we're naturally
drawn towards comfort,

but the second that
you start feeling

comfortable, that doesn't
feel right with me.

I think most

people are like,
yeah, well, I see.

So it's the thing, like
it's, it's I like, I

am more looking for.

That's a really
interesting, um, I'm

going to kind of play
with that for a sec.

I love being comfortable.

Like if have someone
says, do you want a bed

of feathers or a bed
of nails, I'll go with

the bed of feathers.

But sometimes there's
a higher value,

which is learning.

Well, I'd like to
experience, you

know, I've seen
these yogis, they lie

in a bed of nails.

Maybe I'd like to try
that and just to see what

it's like, or, um, I will
sleep in, uh, in, in my

car instead of going to
the hotel because there's

some other value that
it's, whether it's to

be a nature or cause I'm
feeling cheap that day,

or I want to push onto my
destination or whatever.

Yes.

Comfort is not my main.

You know, speaking to
the bed thing, it's

funny as a teenager,
I had a water bed and

that was when water
beds were all fallen

out of Vogue and nobody
wanted them anymore.

So you got to, I got
a free waterbed from

somewhere and they
have a little heating

pad at the bottom of
it that keeps up the

water inside the bed.

So it's about
body temperature.

Otherwise your hot
or cold thing is

body temperature.

If you're a degree higher
or a degree lower, you're

going to feel really
hot or really cold.

And a thing was
always cold or hot.

And it was just, it was
never the idea of it as

a kid was like, awesome.

But the reality wasn't.

So I drained the whole
thing through the whole

thing out my window, and
then in a burning it.

And, uh, I slept on the
floor for, for years

and I don't sleep on
the floor anymore.

But, um, the process
of the, um, of seeking

comfort, like I get
that people work jobs

because they seek, um, a
lifestyle where they'll

be able to sustain
themselves comfortably.

And I think that's a
little bit different from

comfort seeking nature.

And if I find myself in
a position where I'm kind

of comfort seeking, I'll
have to assess myself,

like, why is that?

Is it because I'm in.

And I need to actually
rest myself so that I

can, I can get better.

Okay.

That's that now seems
objective oriented.

Otherwise I will seek
the more difficult

path or the more, the
less comfortable path

because I find otherwise
I'm just not, I don't

feel like I'm growing.

Maybe it's a weird
psychological thing,

but the, the feeling
of growth, uh, requires

me to be outside
of my comfort zone.

And that's again, an
interesting thing.

Like it's, it's it,
there are lots of people

don't run marathons.

They don't
climb mountains.

They don't swim
across the, they

don't do triathlons
because it's easy.

It's a lot easier to eat
potato chips and drink

beer and pizza, but some
people do it anyway.

And I think there's
another thing

that separates
what's separate.

What separates the
people who do from

the people who don't.

That's an
interesting one.

They don't have
the answer.

Yeah.

I honestly, I think
it's the people who

will actually write
it down and think

themselves through and
take a look at how the

next step might be.

So when you talk about
having a, uh, it's, uh,

the Travis Bader, uh,
podcast, uh, the doer

we'll take that next
step and start saying,

what does that look like?

Um, and start trying
to path, plot that

path out to see if the
end result is desired.

I mean, there's no
shortage of good

ideas out there.

You go to any bar and
sit around and listening

to all the great ideas
that people have.

And I remember that
as a teenager and

early twenties, and
we're sitting in the

bar and people say,
I want to do this,

or I want to do that.

And at the time I take
out my Palm pilot either

I'd have a pen and paper
around until, um, uh, my

girlfriend at the time
now wife, uh, her sister

gave me a Palm pilot and
I'd mark all of these

things down and then I'd
ask them, are you going

to do anything with that?

That was a great idea.

Are you going to do
anything with it?

Or if I came up with
something, I write it

on down the next day.

When you wake up,
you take a look, do

they still look like
good ideas now that

we're not in the dim
dark bar drinking?

And if so, which one
do I want to start

working on first?

And that was, I
think that's kind

of what separates
most of the doers

and the dreamers is.

Who's going to take
that next step.

It's so interesting.

It's topical for me
personally, I was

with my, with my wife,
uh, kind of thought

thought bubble.

Like if you, if you
have, if you say you

want to do something
and you haven't acted

on it within timeframe,
X, I'm going to say, you

know, within say three
weeks, you probably don't

really want to do it.

Like, if, if something,
if you say it's more

of a wish or wouldn't
it be nice if, but

it's not a deep desire.

I I'm playing with that
concept because I know

for myself, my deep
desires, I usually get

them done or, or usually
start work on them, work,

achieving them instantly.

And so I'm now using
the, if you haven't,

if you haven't taken
action on this in three

weeks, you probably don't
really want to do it

that much.

That's such an easy
way to declutter too.

Isn't it?

And it's yeah.

Yeah.

And I like your idea
to look and look at it.

The light look
at your ideas in

the light of day.

Are they?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

I don't think there are
lazy people really, for

the most part, I think
they're unmotivated

people, but I don't
really think people

are inherently lazy.

Well, I don't know.

You look at some kid
who's, uh, not wanting

to do, to do their
schoolwork, but man,

they sure want to play
video games all day.

Well, maybe they're
motivated to play

video games, meet.

Maybe they're actually
doing something they're,

they're doing something
with their time.

So if there's a way
to, uh, speak to what

motivates an individual
and from your, and I

perspective, if we take
a look at what it is

that drives us or what
motivates us to, in

order to take the next
step, um, when we're

feeling lazy and I got
my, for those that are

listening and doing my
air brackets here, just

find out why is it?

Because it just doesn't
properly motivate

you at the time,
because the second he

light that spark and
he finds something

that motivates you.

Okay.

You're on it and you're
not, you're not sleeping.

He might not be
eating, just working

on these things.

I find anyways, I
remember when I was

learning the machining
and working as a

gunsmithing and, uh,
she was my fiance at the

time now wife, right.

Girlfriend, fiance,
wife, and, uh, would

come into the shop and
she had bring me lunch.

Okay.

And I put it on
the side and she's

a chef by trade.

So it was probably
something really

good, but I'm working
on this and okay.

I go over and I eat it.

And next thing I
know there she is.

She's bringing me dinner.

Oh, okay.

Still working away.

And then she comes
in and said, okay,

I'm going to bed now.

Okay.

I'm still working away.

And next morning would
come around and be

like, Jesus, three, four
o'clock in the morning.

I better get some sleep.

But when you're
motivated, that's how a

person tends to respond.

Hopefully people have
better boundaries

and control over
that motivation

when they do it.

But, um, and that's
coming from somebody

who like I got straight
F's in grade seven.

I got kicked out of
when I went to five

different high schools.

Um, school never
motivated me.

It doesn't mean I
was a lazy person.

So I don't think from
that perspective of my

life perspective, I don't
think that, um, people

tend to be on average,
lazy, just undermining.

And I

that's a very, again,
so much, you've said

so much in that, in
that anecdote, in that

story, that, that I would
love to dive into it.

I'm just going to share
one thing though, that I

took to, to like add to
that, that alignment, the

word alignment is what's
coming is that when we,

when that time with your,
with your then girlfriend

and she's, she's, she's
bought into your project,

whatever it was, you were
doing, you were doing

your thing and you know,
the law of attraction,

she was helping you
and supporting you,

brought you dinner
and didn't have any

whatever she was, she was
fully on board and you

were staying up to three
and w we have energy.

Like the, when we,
I believe when we

are aligned, the
universe helps us.

Then we have energy and
resources and attract

people and good thing,
miracles, basically,

uh, when we're aligned,
getting into the

zone, I think what you
talked about to me,

it's like that flow.

Yeah, absolutely.

A state of flow of,
of being in the zone.

Amen.

Hello.

And people talk
about the, the law of

attraction, or do we
live in the matrix?

We create our own kind
of destiny and to a

degree perhaps, but I
think there's a, uh, a

natural proclivity of
the brain to be able to

reform things that have
happened so that you can

look back and say this
happened because, right.

So, um, I think we will
naturally either a find

ourselves in situations
where we attract certain.

Or we ended up writing
them off or B um, we will

turn around afterwards
or the benefit of

hindsight and say, see,
that's why it happened

because ABC and D,
because it's always

easy to be able to, to
reframe these things.

It's.

Um, but that's a totally
different tangent

and again, I've yeah,
it's, it's, uh, it's

one that I always
no surprise, totally

agree with that we have
incredible minds that

are able to rebuild
our narrative and, and,

and, uh, I think it's an
important, uh, if we can

master that, um, it can
be an important skill.

Yeah.

I definitely think so.

Do you work towards
mastering that

I'm actually going a
little bit, the other

way at the moment in, in
get to put it simply put

taking out because, and,
and like, uh, someone

did something because,
well, I don't know the,

because there's no way
to actually know that

because they might say
that their motivation was

X, Y, or Z, but there's
no way to actually verify

that, but we can stick.

I it's a more factual
so-and-so yelled at

someone like, let's
say dad yells at sign.

Okay.

Well, there's a man
making loud noises

with his mouth in
the presence of this

young, young kid that
is yelling at his son

because, well, there's a.

1,000,001 potential
reasons because of

some childhood thing.

Cause he had a
bad day at work.

Cause the son did
something the father

thinks deserves rebuke.

You can, you can, you can
write a story, basically.

We're trying to get
what I'm saying, get it.

Um, I'm trying to
eliminate the story,

eliminate the narrative
as much as, uh, interest

as much as practicable.

So you eliminate
the story.

Yeah.

And that, that will help
deal with situations

as they come up and
help help you reframe

the situation to a
more action reaction.

And if I didn't like
the reaction, then

I just change it.

Yeah.

I would say response.

Yeah.

Okay.

Action response.

So example, when I
ran as a political

candidate, I thought
there was someone who I

thought was on my team.

I thought they would be
on my team and I kept

making a story that they
were trying to undermine

me and oh, they're
doing this because

I invented reasons.

And later years later,
actually I took away this

story and just realized,
saw it from a completely

different point of view.

And if I had remained
factual and so-and-so

is doing such and
trying to essentially,

I invented a reason,
I invented it because

to connect the dots.

And I think now in
hindsight I was wrong.

And um, by I think
the ability to create

a story and create a
narrative is, is a very

powerful thing, but like
power, it can be used.

For stuff that makes
us happy and stuff that

makes us miserable.

So you got to, it's
got it's the power to

wield with, with care.

Hm.

Yo I, I, a hundred
percent believe we

create our own lives.

We are 100% responsible
for everything

that happens to us.

And that's kinda the
key to happiness, right?

Like if, if everything
that's happening to

you is because of that,
because, because that

person's nasty or because
the government did

this and it ties into
firearms owners, right?

Because ABC and D you
know, it's completely

within anyone's power
to be able to make that

change for themselves.

Now, whether that's
massive political change.

So that now firearms
owners are permitted to

have all these firearms
that were no longer,

uh, accepted due to
the OIC, or I don't

know, move to a country
where you can have it.

I mean, those are very
acceptable options.

One's going to be a lot
easier than the other,

but we 100% control
everything that happens

to us and what we
allow to happen to us.

And sometimes
it's difficult.

I find to get your head
out of the, what you were

saying before, sort of
the victim mentality,

that things are happening
because, and sort of

elevate it to, to that.

So that's

interesting.

And I'm again, no
surprise are, I'm

agreeing with what
you're saying.

Like it's, it's my,
my soul brother here.

I'm even looking at the
it's the two us also.

Uh, the, in the victim
mindset in the gun

community, nice segue
by bringing you back

to guns, like Trudeau
is doing this to us,

or the liberals are
doing this to us.

And I would say that's
where the it's those last

two words with a victim.

And whether you, where
you reveal your mic,

where the person,
the speaker would

reveal their victim
mindset, so-and-so

said such and such or
so-and-so is working

towards such and such.

And the beauty of
being a human being

on this planet at this
time is you get to

choose your response.

So he's not
doing it to you.

They're not
doing it to you.

You, they are, they
are doing what they are

doing and you get to do
whatever the heck you

want.

That is the
ultimate power.

Do you know who
Victor Frankel is?

So the man's
search for meaning

you got it.

So what happened to him?

He was put in
concentration camps,

friends, and family,
all around them or dying

under the, uh, uh, Nazi
regime and, uh, viewing

atrocities everywhere.

Right?

And he approached this
from an analytical

perspective and he
says, well, why is

this person who's been
stripped down naked,

starved, and beaten
and treated poorly?

Why is.

Smiling at the moment,
or why is he actually

laughing where this
person beside them,

they can't even get
out of their bed.

They're so beside
themselves, right.

They're experiencing
the exact same

situation, but how is
that person finding

joy in this otherwise
joyless situation?

And of course his famous
book man's search for

meaning and out of all of
this stuff that he went

through in a very kind
of pragmatic, analytical

approach of looking at
all of these things,

he came out saying,
you know, what do we

actually have that we can
affect in our own life?

And I think his quote was
the one thing that you

can't take for me is a
way I choose to respond

to what you do to me.

The last of life's
great freedoms is one's

ability to choose our
own attitude in any

given situation or any
given circumstance one

or the other there.

Um, but really at the
end of the day, that

is the last thing.

When you are stripped
and everything taken

from you, and you've got
zero control over what

you have around you.

And this applies to
the firearms community.

When they start feeling
like things are outside

the locus of their
control, they have the

ability and we all have
the ability to affect

how we choose to respond.

And it's, it's
rather empowering.

And I think that's
would be one thing that

the community could
probably as a whole, uh,

ponder and look at ways
that they can respond,

that would benefit.

Personally and the
community in general.

Yeah.

And it's, I didn't
realize, I didn't

know that quote
from, from Franklin.

I read that, uh, I
think the F it, the

first time it must've
been high school.

Um, but it's a remarried,
isn't very powerful

book and I, yeah, if
we cannot always, we

can mostly not control
our circumstances.

We can certainly
control our response

or shape our response
to our circumstances.

And this as a, as
a new father, I

get this every day.

Yeah.

I got a screaming kid.

I can, and I can
still be happy.

Or I got a, I got a
kid who woke me up

five times last night.

I can be, oh, you
know, I'm tired and

sleepy, or I can, I
can still be kind and

loving and energetic,
even though I didn't

sleep much last night.

Yeah, totally.

Yeah.

People would wake
up in the morning.

Well, I'm grumpy.

Why?

Well, because I'm
tired and well, cause

it's the morning.

I'm always grumpy
in the mornings.

Um, and it's not a way
to go through like why.

Right.

I get it.

You got, it's hard
to break out of these

systems and routines
that we, we tend to get

into, I guess, you know,
again, getting off topic

a bit, but we, we choose
our reality and then

we make our reality.

So you choose at
the end of the day.

Do you want to be happy?

That's a very
simple question.

Do you want to be happy?

And the answer should be.

I think for most people.

Yes.

Not, yes.

And or if this happens,
it's a simple one.

Yes.

I'd like to be happy.

Are you happy?

And then introspectively
take a look at that.

If the answer's no.

Then what is it in
your response that you

can change an order to
be happy about that?

I don't know how
that ties into the

gun world, but, um,

I think it ties, I'm
going to try, attempt to

link here that it ties
into what w something

that we believe or
choose to believe that

we choose to be a force
for I'll call it good,

positive, joy, happiness.

We want to be on that
side of the equation

rather than on the
blaming and complaining

and whining and that
side of the equation.

Yeah.

I think also it's we
were part of it is

maybe in response to
what we see in the

gun world that we see.

There's a lot of
negativity and nastiness,

and I'm including
myself in that I've

been there, done.

That probably will again,
but I, I like it better

when I'm doing the fun,
joyful building up.

So I think it relates
to the gun world

by, by both what we,
what we are doing as.

Leaders or, or forces
in the gun world and

perhaps what, um, we're
calling out a little bit,

our, our, our colleagues
and peers who aren't.

Yeah, I like that.

You know, and as well,
I guess when you, when

you look at the, because
the, you were talking

about wow, for those
taking the firearms,

because he doesn't like
me feel they're liberals,

uh, they're ABCD.

Well, maybe it's just
because they want to

get elected again,
and they can use this

as sort of a divisive
platform, so they can

paint their opponent
into a certain position.

And they just think it
would be politically

advantageous and they
could care less about

your firearms if
you own them or not,

because there's more
than enough to be able

to look at a statistic
sheet is same as URI.

It

could be, it could
be simple electoral,

electoral politics.

It could be nothing to
do with principals or,

uh, maybe.

But does that change
it for people how they

want to approach now?

Like if they look at
it and just say, well,

maybe, maybe all the
passion that I have

against it against them
is misplaced where I

would rather, like, if
they want more votes,

there's other ways
they can achieve that.

Maybe we just approach
this from a different

angle and show them
how they can get garner

more, more votes.

And that's a really,
again, that also hits

close to home because
for, for several months,

maybe even a couple of
years around bill C 71,

I would look at my own
page and it was very.

It was like a liberal,
every, every headline

had liberal or Trudeau
or gun ban or something.

It was like, wait, am
I, am I, I spending so

much energy criticizing
the other team instead

of talking about
the joys of my team.

And he, so I didn't
like didn't like that.

And I, I don't actually
let me rephrase that.

I'm looking for a
way to, to be that

force for positivity.

And we have this reality,
this political reality,

we have this policy
reality at the moment.

How do we, uh, how
do I personalize it?

How do I be a force
for positivity?

What's positive here.

And I think, I think
the clue might be in the

mindset in remembering
that we have the power

to make or break any
policy that politicians

and regulators, they can
do whatever they want.

We have the power to
say yes or no, because

we're the ones like,
if we all just say no,

well, we break that.

We break the firearm
program overnight.

Like it's,
it's that easy.

Most people say,
yes, it really is.

If we choose to say no,
it's done it collapses.

Yeah.

Very good point.

Yeah.

Just say, no, I
like that a lot.

You know, there, there
are the things that are

on the, on the, uh, back
of my head that I figured

I could throw it, but
it's going to take us

down yet another tangent.

And I'm looking at the
time, let's end it there.

And.

Unless there's anything
more that you'd like

to be able to get
out or say, Travis,

the, what I would like
to say is in preparing

for this, uh, you
lit me up and when

you're talking about
empowering and enabling,

those are the kinds
of the keywords that

I associate with you.

You, uh, before this
interview and in this

conversation, it's
a bit, it's a huge

all over the place.

And I find it, um,
you've lit me up and

you've inspired me.

And, uh, I'm looking for
like, I'm now looking

forward to doing a whole
bunch of other stuff.

So it's put an absolute
treat and I cannot

thank you enough, a
huge, huge thank you

for having initiated
this conversation,

Nicholas.

Likewise, I really
enjoyed the conversation.

I'm looking forward to
future conversations

and for the listeners,
anyone who's made it this

far, please check out
the gun blog.ca tons of

great content on there.

Thank you very much for
being on the Silvercore

podcast and the gun
blog.ca swamped.

Thank

you, Travis Bader of
Silvercore CA top-notch

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for law enforcement

individuals check
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