Our Founding Fathers - JT

From Humble Roots

Growing up in the suburbs of a small town in Indiana, I was brought up in the blue-collar lifestyle. My dad was a union worker in a factory working 16 hours a day to put food on our plate. Most of my extended family lived in trailer parks, but we were the lucky ones who had a small 800 sq ft house. I still remember times when the electricity would be shut off because we couldn’t afford to pay the bill. Times were hard, but we didn’t complain or ask the government for a handout.

My grandmother was an immigrant who fled socialism in Europe after WWII, and my grandfather was a decorated Korean war veteran. My other grandfather was a WWII veteran who served in the South Pacific. Most of my friends joined the Army or Marines after high school. I didn’t join up, but I have always had a deep respect for our service men who risk their lives to defend our country.

A Revelation

I left home at 18 years old for college, and despite my college’s constant preaching of socialism, I became fascinated with the philosophy of our founding fathers and this great American experiment. After leaving college, I started business after business, failing time and time again. I learned how truly great capitalism is, not from my successes, but from my failures.

Now some 20 years later, I look back on my humble beginnings, and I thank God I was born in such an amazing country where I could go from a struggling working-class family to being a business owner — where it’s easy to start a business, where we the people have the freedom to worship God, to own a home, to choose our careers, to own and carry a gun, and to live our lives without subjugation.

My Dream

I always wanted to start a business that puts Americans first — an honest business with emphasis on quality and customer service, where the products are made in USA, where customers come first, and where we can spread the wonderful word of God and freedom through our products. And Liberty & Arms has given me that opportunity. And I hope to give back by supporting American workers and veterans any way I can.

- JT