Hey, hey, it's Amory. Here on a different day in your feed than I normally would be because

I have something different for you. It's the first episode of a new series from WBUR,

our home station, of course, and the trace. It's called The Gun Machine, and it's an eight

part series about the history of the gun industry in America, and the industry's biggest

supporter, the government. The first episode is all about how the United States has shaped

and been shaped by the gun industry, and really about the role that we all play. It's raw,

it's surprising, it'll make you see all sides of the gun debate differently. So here you go,

part one. A trigger warning, some actual triggers get pulled in this episode. You'll hear

that, so take care. And if you dig it, the second episode is already waiting for you. Just

search for The Gun Machine, wherever you listen to endless thread. Okay, here's the

episode. WBUR Podcasts, Boston.

Hear that? That's the sound of a 30-round magazine being slammed into the well of an AR-15.

I've heard that sound thousands of times. When I think of that sound, my mind goes to

a lot of places, to the military, to home. But most of all, it goes to a sprawling suburban

wonderland just outside the flat iron rock formations of the Rocky Mountains, to a place

called Glendale, Colorado. You see, in 2013, Colorado was about to learn the hard way.

In the wake of a mass shooting at an award movie theater, the state decided it was time

to ban magazines carrying over 15 rounds. So in the eve of the prohibition, the helicopter

chartered by a Colorado-based gun company called Magpul Industries landed in a field where

thousands of spectators stood in weight. The helicopter was full of 30-round, high-capacity

rifle mags, the bread and butter product that made the company rich. The event was the

dramatic culmination of what Magpul, whose ranks included former military and law enforcement

...