Isaac Botkin is a longtime leader at T.Rex Arms and the perfect first guest for the Open Source Defense podcast. We talk about the beginnings of T.Rex, whether guns actually prevent tyranny, and future tech in the civilian defense industry. Timeline: 0:00 - Intro and Background 2:44 - Milestones and Growth of T.Rex Arms 9:51 - Challenges of Growth as a Company 17:45 - Hiring for Passion and Mission Alignment 25:55 - Transparency and Honesty in Marketing 32:58 - The Evolution of Gun Culture 38:56 - Gun Culture 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 51:44 - Do Guns Prevent Tyranny? 1:02:33 - The Future of Gun Culture, Body Armor, and Night Vision 1:21:47 - Lightning Round on Upcoming Gun Tech