Regal Products and Walk the Talk America Sharing Resources to Promote Firearm Safety
- Jan 21
- 6 min read
Walk the Talk America (WTTA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that was created to bridge the gap between mental health and the firearm industry. In this case study, Regal Products interviews Mike Sodini, WTTA's founder, to discuss various aspects of how the two companies are partnering together to make a difference.
WTTA and Regal Products
Regal Products: How did WTTA's relationship with Regal Products come about, and what does it mean to you?
Mike Sodini: My relationship with Regal Products came about through my relationship with Kenny Barlow (Regal Products Sales Executive). It was a natural fit. They make products that help our mission, which is to reduce negative outcomes of firearms.
Kenny had always been helping out in the background with Walk the Talk America as a volunteer. He would do our podcast, so it just made perfect sense to see how we could work together because, basically, it’s Regal Products' mission as well. When you sell locking devices, or gun safety products, you're trying to reduce the total negative outcomes of firearms.
So, Kenny contacted me asking ways that Regal Products can help support us, and support each other. It goes both ways.
Putting Resources Together to Make a Difference
Regal Products: I know Kenny and Shawn Kitchell, our CEO, have been talking to you about incorporating some of WTTA's resources … in fact, a lot of your resources, into an online toolkit we're developing. What's your perspective on that?
Mike Sodini: Oh I'm excited about it. Regal Products is stepping to the forefront and wanting to be the face of it (firearm safety) in the industry. That takes time to build trust and they're doing it. Walk the Talk America has been here since 2018, kind of beating this drum and earning the trust of gun owners. So it's a perfect fit for Regal Products to feature some of the resources that our website has to offer, like the Mental Health Plan or the free and anonymous mental health screenings.
Our Mental Health Plan is a tool we created to get people to talk about the subject of suicide. It's used by firearm owners to get them to think about what the plan is for a specific situation. So, let's say somebody in the house owns a firearm and has dementia. What is the plan of action in that scenario? The Mental Health Plan helps families develop that plan together.
And our mental health screenings can play a huge role in getting someone to think about their mental health and understand that guns and mental health are not mutually exclusive, and you don't have to be in crisis to start the conversation.
Spreading the Word
Regal Products: You've been going out into the public sector to teach about firearm safety, and in doing that, talking about Regal's safe storage products. Please talk about that.
Mike Sodini: In one of my brainstorming sessions with Regal Products, this concept kind of came up called ROOTS. It stands for Responsible Ownership Outreach, Technology, and Safety. We wanted to start a consortium of companies that design safety products that are driven by technology, with Regal Products being one of them.
ROOTS is a perfect fit because I go out into the private sector and I speak at a lot of conferences for behavioral health, gun violence prevention - healthcare in general. And to be able to feature Regal Products at these conferences is awesome. For example, the new biometric lock. A lot of people think that locks only come with a key, or with a combination, which a lot of gun owners are not comfortable with because of speed and safety. And then Regal came out with this biometric lock and it's just been an eye-opener for a lot of people that never would have known this product existed. And it's because it's featured and sitting on the ROOTS table, along with the SecureMe products that Regal offers.
Regal Products: Is that sort of counterintuitive to your mission, though, to give quicker access to the firearm?
Mike Sodini: No, because this type of product can be used as something that creates time and space. The message that Regal pairs with this product is just as important as the lock. So this could be used as a deterrent for theft, and it could also be used as a suicide prevention tool. It's got both features, and it's just how you describe what the use is for the end user.
Regal Products: How does a biometric lock work as a suicide prevention tool?
Mike Sodini: You're locking up your firearm, right? And let's say you have a suicidal teen in the house, where originally you didn't lock up the firearm, or maybe you gave that teen access to it. Now, you can specifically program who you want to have access to this firearm. So maybe you say to your son, "Look, I'm not really comfortable with you having access to it right now. I'm gonna put my lock on it because I love you. When you're feeling better, I'll take it off."
Regal Products: And because only your fingerprint can actually gain access to the firearm, it's hugely helpful to you as a deterrent in addition to having super quick access for defense.
Mike Sodini: Exactly. And that's why I say the message that comes with the reason why I'm giving you this lock is could be more important than the lock itself. One day I'm sitting with Shawn and Kenny and it's like, yeah, every product should come with an instruction manual where it's says how you can use it. Scan QR code for a quick video.
So it's suicide prevention, it's unauthorized access, or it's speed to go get your firearm in a defensive situation. Now you can pair it with three different videos, all showing you how important and versatile this product is.
New Technologies Raise the Bar on Firearm Safety
Regal Products: What new innovations and technologies can be applied to these kinds of problems? What else are you seeing out there beyond what we're doing?
Mike Sodini: I would say that there are a lot of solutions out there. There's one called BOS Lock, which I find really interesting. I like to say it's where speed and necessity meet. A lot of people want faster access to their firearm, but they don't want other people to have access, or they want to keep one in the chamber. Even though everyone always tries to tell them, hey, you shouldn't keep a firearm loaded. So how do you do that in a safe manner?
And you have companies like Vara Safety that have created locking devices that are all biometric for quick access. And Kinisium, that has a movement sensor that if your firearm or your safe is touched, it'll text you immediately. So, I have one on my safe, no one in my family ever touches it.
I have one on my refrigerator in my office here. I have Cokes and stuff in there. I just put it on there as the first place I tested it. And it's so funny, because sometimes I'll be on the road for business, and literally, I'll get a text that my refrigerator moved, and I'll text my daughter. Who's in my office? (laughs) So, things like that can notify you.
And then another one is Gun Alert, which of course Regal Products makes. That one, if you break into my house and steal my gun, and this is attached to my gun, it lets me know you're on 57th and 7th Street, for example.
Regal Products: How is Regal Products positioned competitively against some of these other tools and products that are available in terms of gun safety? Is it not competition? Are they just different?
Mike Sodini: I think they're just different right now, and I think that's why ROOTS works. Because there isn't straight-up competition. Every product is unique and can serve a different purpose. For example, if someone says, I want a biometric cable lock, then Regal Products is a clear winner, and everybody else drops off. So, I think the products are different enough to where we can all get along in harmony.
Regal Products: So it sounds like the takeaway is that there is plenty of opportunity to, as you say it, deliver the right message, at the right time, and have the right technology to support it in order to save lives.
Mike Sodini: That’s exactly what this is about. And we look forward to working with Regal Products as they develop their resource center, and in any other ways we can collaborate to make this world a safer place.
About Regal Products
Based in Fairport, New York, Regal Products provides safe storage solutions and accessories to firearm manufacturers, public safety programs, training organizations, and law enforcement professionals nationwide. For more information about Regal Products, contact Kenny Barlow, Regal Products Sales Executive, at 585-398-1290 or email kenny@unlockregal.com
