>> Gene: HERE IN NEW MEXICO, ALMOST SIXTY PERCENT OF HOMES HAVE AT LEAST ONE GUN.

SOME OF THOSE ARE FOR HUNTING, PERSONAL SECURITY, ALL DIFFERENT REASONS.

NOW, IN THE FACE OF AMERICA'S GROWING GUN VIOLENCE, PARTICULARLY AGAINST CHILDREN, OUR LAND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER LAURA PASKUS SITS DOWN WITH ONE NEW MEXICO SPORTSMAN WHO SAYS GUN OWNERS NEED TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION'S RHETORIC ABOUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT.

>> Laura: HI, GARRETT.

THANKS FOR JOINING ME.

>> Garrett: THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> Laura: I KNOW YOU ARE A SPORTSMAN.

WE'VE TALKED MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS ABOUT HUNTING AND FISHING ISSUES.

I'D LIKE TO TALK TODAY ABOUT THE ROLE THAT GUNS HAVE PLAYED IN YOUR LIFE.

>> Garrett: YEAH.

I MEAN, MY GRANDFATHER WAS A BIG HUNTER, AND I INHERITED HIS GUNS.

AND MY FATHER WAS A WORLD WAR II VET.

HE LIBERATED BUCHENWALD AND DACHAU.

HE WAS A VERY SERIOUS HUNTER AND VERY PASSIONATE HUNTER, AND HE PASSED AWAY AND I HAVE HIS GUNS.

SO I WAS RAISED IN A FAMILY OF GUNS.

IT WAS A BIG PART OF MY LIFE, AND STILL IS IN MANY WAYS, A BIG PART OF MY LIFE.

I'M STILL A BIG HUNTER, AND FEED MY FAMILY WITH ELK AND DEER AND OTHER GAME MEAT.

SO, YEAH, IT'S PART OF WHO I AM, FOR SURE.

>> Laura: YOU RECENTLY WROTE AN OP-ED TITLED: GUN OWNERS MUST SPEAK UP.

WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?

>> Garrett: SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK I HAD AN EPIPHANY IN THAT IF THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO CHANGE AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE REAL SUBSTANTIVE REFORM, THAT GUN OWNERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE THE ONES WHO ARE SPEAKING UP IN FAVOR OF GUN REFORM.

AND I THINK THE RECENT EVENTS, ESPECIALLY, WERE ESPECIALLY HORRIFYING AND TROUBLING, AND THE EPIPHANY THAT I HAD WAS THAT I, AS A GUN OWNER, WAS COMPLICIT IN THE BLOODSHED BY BEING SILENT.

AND I FELT AS THOUGH IT'S REALLY MY JOB AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER TO SPEAK UP AND SAY, WAIT A MINUTE, I OWN GUNS, BUT WE NEED TO REALLY HAVE SOME MAJOR CHANGES.

GUNS ARE TOO EASY TO GET.

THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM.

AND THERE IS A MANIA OUT THERE OF GUN USE AND GUN CULTURE THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE.

AND THE NRA, OF COURSE, IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLICIT MEMBERS OF THIS CONVERSATION, AND SO MUCH BLOODSHED IS RESPONSIBLE -- IT'S ON THEIR HANDS.

BUT ALSO WAL-MART.

ALSO CABELA'S.

ALSO SPORTSMANS WAREHOUSE.

ALSO EVERY SINGLE GUN SHOP.

BUT ALSO EVERY SINGLE GUN OWNER.

AND IT'S IMPORTANT AS A FAMILY MEMBER, AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, FOR ME TO SAY I'M ALL IN ON GUN REFORM.

>> Laura: IN THAT OP-ED, YOU WROTE THAT THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION HAS DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB GAS-LIGHTING GUN OWNERS LIKE ME WITH ITS POLISHED PROPAGANDA.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> Garrett: EVER SINCE I WAS A LITTLE BOY, YOU KNOW, MY DAD WAS AN NRA MEMBER, AND WE HAD THE NRA MAGAZINES ON ALL OF OUR TABLES, AND OF COURSE I CONSUMED THAT AS A LITTLE BOY, AND THEIR PROPAGANDA IS VERY POLISHED AND VERY PASSIONATE.

THEIR IMAGERY IS VERY PASSIONATE.

YOU KNOW, CHARLTON HESTON HOLDING UP THE GUN; FROM MY DEAD HANDS, OR WHATEVER HE SAID.

SO I WAS A VICTIM OF THAT, YOU KNOW, PROPAGANDA AND GAS-LIGHTING AS A YOUNG BOY, AND BELIEVED IN THE SECOND AMENDMENT'S NO WAY, NO COMPROMISE, NO GIVE.

BUT IT WAS ALL A BUNCH OF, EXCUSE ME FRENCH, #&@%.

IT REALLY IS, AND IT'S FALSE.

THEIR NARRATIVE IS FALSE.

THEIR NARRATIVE ABOUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS NOT TRUE.

NONE OF IT IS.

IT'S ABOUT PROMOTING GUN SALES, WHICH IS A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY IN THE U.S. AND IT'S ABOUT SHAREHOLDER MONEY.

THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT, AND THEY USE SPORTSMEN ALSO AS THEIR VOICE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO BE A PART OF THAT.

I WILL NOT BE COMPLICIT IN THAT.

>> Laura: GETTING READY FOR THIS INTERVIEW, I WAS DOING A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH ON JUST HOW BIG BUSINESS GUNS ARE IN AMERICA, AND LOOKING AT A PBS NEWSHOUR ANALYSIS, IN 2020, U.S.

GUN MANUFACTURERS MADE 11.1 MILLION FIREARMS, AND THAT'S ALMOST DOUBLE WHAT THEY MADE TEN YEARS EARLIER, AND IT'S JUST A SMALL NUMBER OF COMPANIES.

FEWER THAN TEN COMPANIES CONTROL THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE MARKET FOR PISTOLS AND RIFLES.

AND THIS ANALYSIS ALSO TALKED ABOUT HOW THERE'S BEEN A SHIFT IN HOW GUNS ARE MARKETED MORE TOWARD, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FEAR BASED.

HOME SECURITY, SELF-DEFENSE.

AND THEY POSITED THAT THAT SHIFT IN MARKETING HAS BEEN LINKED TO A DECLINE IN RECREATIONAL USE.

I'M CURIOUS ON YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT AND WHAT YOU'VE SEEN IN NEW MEXICO.

>> Garrett: YEAH, IT MAKES SENSE.

I WAS IN CABELA'S ACTUALLY A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, AND I WALKED IN AND THERE WAS A BLACK GUN COFFEE COMPANY STAND RIGHT IN THE ENTRYWAY, AND THEIR LABEL IS AN AK ON THEIR COFFEE.

SO THAT LABELING AND THAT MARKETING AND THAT IMAGINARY NOW IS EVERYWHERE THROUGHOUT SPORTING GOODS STORES AND T-SHIRTS AND EVERYTHING.

AND SO IT'S A CULTURAL ICON, AND IT'S CRAZY THE WAY THAT IT'S BEEN MARKETED AND PERCEIVED AND TWISTED.

ALSO, LIKE THIS WHOLE, YOU KNOW, CONNECTION TO PATRIOTISM.

BEING PATRIOTIC IS BEING COMMUNITY MINDED, RIGHT.

IT'S ABOUT TAKING CARE OF ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR FAMILIES AND OUR HOMES AND OUR COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S WHAT PATRIOTISM IS.

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, MINE.

YOU KNOW, OVER-MY-DEAD-BODY SORT OF THING.

I DON'T KNOW WHEN WE STARTED THINKING THAT WAY AS A COUNTRY, BUT IT'S REALLY DANGEROUS STUFF.

>> Laura: I'M CURIOUS IF YOU HAVE A SENSE OF, OR UNDERSTAND WHY AS AMERICANS, AND PARTICULARLY IT SEEMS LIKE AMERICAN MEN, ARE SO SUSCEPTIBLE TO THAT MESSAGING.

>> Garrett: WELL, I MEAN, IF THERE WAS EVER A DEFINITION OF TOXIC MASCULINITY, IT'S THE LONG GUN WITH -- YOU KNOW, THE TACTICAL WEAPON WITH THE MILITARY ATTIRE.

IT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING AND EMPOWERMENT.

THESE ARE SYMBOLS OF EMPOWERMENT.

I WAS READING SOMEWHERE THAT ONE OF THE GUN COMPANIES, AND I THINK IT WAS DANIEL DEFENSE, WHO PRODUCED THE GUN THAT WAS IN THE UVALDE SHOOTING, THEY HAVE A MAN CARD THAT GOES WITH YOUR PURCHASE.

SO IT IS ABOUT MASCULINITY, IDENTIFYING WITH MASCULINITY.

IT'S REALLY INTERESTING, THE MOST INSECURE MEN I HAVE MET ARE THE MEN -- I WAS OUT IN MALHEUR WITH THE BUNDY STAND-OFF, AND IT'S INSECURE MEN HIDING BEHIND THESE POWERFUL TOOLS.

THERE'S OBVIOUSLY LOTS OF GREAT GUN OWNERS, BUT WE DON'T NEED TO WEAR A GUN ON OUR HIP TO FEEL SECURE, RIGHT.

AND THEY'VE REALLY, THE GUN MANUFACTURERS AND THE NRA HAVE REALLY PLAYED OFF OF THAT.

NOW THEY'RE DOING IT WITH WOMEN, RIGHT, THEY'RE MAKING PINK GUNS.

IT'S REALLY VERY SOPHISTICATED MARKETING.

BUT I THINK THAT OFTENTIMES INSECURE MEN ARE REAL SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS BECAUSE IT MAKES THEM FEEL EMPOWERED, AND IT'S KIND OF SAD, ACTUALLY.

>> Laura: YEAH, AND IT'S SUCH A DIVISIVE ISSUE, SO I'M CURIOUS, AS A GUN OWNER, WHERE DO WE GO IN TERMS OF GUN REFORM?

WHAT DO WE REALLY NEED TO DO IN THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW?

>> Garrett: WELL, WE NEED TO MAKE IT HARD TO BUY A GUN.

IT'S INTERESTING, A LOT OF THE GUN REFORM THAT'S BEING PROPOSED DOESN'T AFFECT YOUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS AT ALL.

YOU CAN STILL BARE YOUR ARMS, IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT TO BUY THAT 15th GUN, RIGHT.

SO I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE GUNS DIFFICULT TO PURCHASE, ALL GUNS.

NOT JUST LONG GUNS, NOT JUST TACTICAL MILITARY STYLE GUNS, BUT ALL GUNS NEED TO BE DIFFICULT TO BUY.

AND I'M OKAY WITH THAT, RIGHT.

LIKE, YOU SHOULD HAVE TO PROVE THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS VERY DANGEROUS TOOL.

YOU HAVE TO DO IT WITH A CAR, YOU HAVE TO DO IT WITH PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, YOU HAVE TO DO IT WITH EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT WHY NOT GUNS?

IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

REPRODUCTIVE ISSUES, IT'S THE SAME THING, THERE ARE SO MANY LOOPHOLES AND STOPGAPS.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT FOR GUNS, AND THAT MAKES NO SENSE.

THERE NEEDS TO BE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

AND SO I THINK THE MANDATORY BACKGROUND CHECKS MAKE A TON OF SENSE.

THERE'S SOME QUICK AND SIMPLE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO.

I THINK THIS NEW FEDERAL LEGISLATION -- OF COURSE, IT'S NOT SO SUBSTANTIVE, BUT IT'S A GREAT START.

IT'S A TURNING POINT.

AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A MANDATORY IN-PERSON GUN SAFETY CLASS FOR FIRST-TIME GUN BUYERS.

YOU HAVE TO PROVE THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO SAFELY HANDLE A GUN.

AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD ALSO VET PEOPLE THAT SHOULDN'T OWN GUNS, MENTALLY UNSTABLE PEOPLE, AS WELL.

SO THOSE ARE COMMON SENSE THINGS THAT I THINK -- AND IT'S AMAZING, VIRTUALLY ALL OF MY FRIENDS WHO OWN GUNS AGREE WITH ME.

I DON'T KNOW A SINGLE GUN OWNER WHO DOESN'T THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, BECAUSE THEIR FAMILIES ARE THREATENED.

THEIR COMMUNITIES ARE THREATENED, BECAUSE THIS COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME, AND IT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I DON'T KNOW ANY GUN OWNERS WHO DON'T THINK THAT COMMON SENSE GUN REFORM IS A GOOD THING.

>> Laura: RIGHT.

WELL, THANKS FOR TALKING WITH ME ABOUT THIS, GARRETT.

>> Garrett: YEAH.

IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE, AND AGAIN, I APPEAL TO GUN OWNERS ALL OUT THERE TO WALK AWAY FROM THE NRA, TALK TO YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATES AND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND LEADERSHIP, AND URGE THEM TO SUPPORT ALL THIS.

THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY DEPENDS UPON IT.

>> Laura: THANK YOU.