Depending on where live, when the topic of guns comes up people are generally split down the middle. It’s clear where I stand on the issue but I’m also not the typical gun owner. Catering to folks like myself, Millennials and people that may not be ready to tread unwaveringly into the tactical or hunting side of the firearms community-the NRA’s latest show, NOIR has been custom tailored to us “oddballs”.

I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the most vocal of the hosts and whom the show is named after, Colion Noir. Take a look at what he had to say:

 

After a pretty phenomenal first half of Season One, can you give us a little break down of what to expect in the second half?

What we did after the first part of season one is went into R&D mode, put out a survey and kind of asked our viewers “what would you like to see more of on the show” you know, “what are you expecting?” We took the answers to these questions into account when we started putting together part two of season one. We definitely want to get involved with the audience in as many ways and be lively as well as interactive. The best thing about it being an online show is that we have the ability to do that. We’re focusing more on the shooting aspect of it but with an emphasis on a different style of shooting that isn’t put in the forefront of most people’s minds. Since I started my firearm journey a little later in life I had developed all of these different perspectives on types of shooting, whether it be tactical, more self-defense oriented, 3-gun, those type of shooting styles, clay sporting and I’ve pulled from all of them.

 

So it’s like a culmination of all of those different shooting styles?

EXACTLY! And for the most part I was always into athletics, I’m a very restless person.

 

I think a lot of people who are fans of your social media accounts can sort of see that.

(Laughs) I always joke around and say I’m the Tom Cruise of gun reviews because I’m always running in the videos for no damn reason. But anyway what we discovered in the first part of Season One while we were doing the LaSorte segment was just kind of this competitive style shooting. Where we’re incorporating a lot of running, movements, agility, a timer. And with that, so many things can be applied to that from the tactical world but we wanted to keep it really simple, almost like playing a pickup game of basketball where you can take a group of friends, go out, have just an open field with any target of your choosing and boom there you have it. At that point, all you need is creativity on what you can come up with.

As a public figure in the firearms industry, what do you view as your most important responsibility? Entertainment, education, voicing opinions?

I’d be amiss to say that it was anything but education. You know just being responsible and pushing forward with that idea that you know we are talking about guns at the end of the day. I can run around and joke with a firearm and do it safely but the epitome is being responsible as well as educating people. What I’m realizing is a lot of people are using me as their introduction into the gun world. I didn’t realize it before, not that anything I’ve been doing has changed dramatically from before but now I understand the responsibility that comes along with handling firearms while shooting the show.

 

There was a scene in NOIR that hit home the most for me, you referenced how skateboarding was looked down on and now it’s on the X-games and widely accepted. How do we do the same for guns? Will these changes come from popular culture/Hollywood, politicians, NRA or the millions of individual owners?

Personally I look at it from a holistic approach. I’ve never really [pauses] maybe it’s because I’m an only child but I’ve never really looked at anything being exclusive. From the food I eat to the music I listen to, I’m all over the place. In my mind I saw how segmented the gun world was with the rest of the world in many respects. I don’t really think it’s our doing its people trying to push us out to the fringe. There are certain things about it that can kind of turn some people off but that goes along with any subculture.  So how do we makes guns widely acceptable? We need to change the introduction. I think the more we can change the introduction and the more we can make it less polarizing, that to me is most important. I think that’s why I lead with the fun aspect of guns.

 

All-time favorite gun if price and laws weren’t a factor? Do you think popular culture has anything to do with your choice of dream gun?

Ugh…. That’s like asking a parent which one is their favorite kid. Man all-time favorite gun [pauses] it’s kind of weird. Okay, my all-time favorite gun would be to own an SBR H&K 416. Why? I don’t know?

What’s your go-to weapon for home defense? What types of accessories does this gun have (scopes, red dots, lights, lasers, etc.)?

 I’m a pistol guy, I’ve actually changed it up a few times. I’ve thought about having a shotgun setup and I’ve setup rifles for home defense. At the end of the day, I always go back to a handgun for some reason. In my bedroom I have my H&K 45, so that’s my go-to home defense gun. I like to run 45’s indoors for home defense because of penetration issues. Usually you can get over penetration with any round but with the 45acp it’s such a slow moving round and in my mind it’s probably going to have the least amount of over penetration.

 

Do you have any lights or lasers on those pistols?

On my H&K I’m running a surefire x300 and on the Glock I’ve got the Inforce WML.

 

I have an incredible passion for guns, but your dedication is second to none. What is it that evokes so much emotion out of you for these things that go bang?

Dude, I don’t know. I do know from the standpoint that I have a very passionate personality. Anyone that meets me, they know the way I am about guns, I am about cars.  I’m a nut when it comes to cars too. The difference is that cars are awesome but there’s a level of importance that comes with firearms that really can’t be had with a car.

 

Can you dive deeper into that?

When you think about it, the gun is way more multi-faceted in its application and use. It can be used for pleasure, it can be used for convenience, and it can be used to provide you food. At the end of the day it still serves as a symbol for something as important as our constitution. The car from a practical standpoint, yes it allows us mobility, it’s changed the face of the world but so has the gun. There’s nothing written in the constitution that protects cars, there’s a reason for that.

 

Knowing that you haven’t always been a gun nut, is there a chance that you’re in the “honeymoon” phase, or is the Colion Noir we grown to know here to stay?

I though at one point that I would be in a honeymoon phase, I literally asked myself that question “am I in a honeymoon phase?” My bank account says otherwise, it just won’t stop. Literally it’s one of those things, it’s an escape for me. I got into guns in a really stressful time in my life when I was taking the BAR exam. Guns were a getaway for me, it allowed me to take my mind off of that stupid test that was giving me so much frustration. I had any other outlet at my disposal but I chose guns. To answer your question, it’s here to stay, it’s a part of me.

 

Are you dying for more NOIR? The show is set to debut part two of Season One  September 3rd at 7pm CST on NRAFreestyle.tv. In the meantime, let us know below what your favorite part of NOIR is!

 

 

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