Alexis Wilkins: Guns, Music, and Freedom: Alexis Wilkins Unfiltered | DSH #1450

Summary

Digital Social Hour: Alexis Wilkins Unfiltered – Guns, Music, and Freedom (DSH #1450)
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Alexis Wilkins
Release Date: July 16, 2025

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Introduction

In episode #1450 of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly engages in an in-depth conversation with Alexis Wilkins, a country artist and political activist. The discussion navigates through the intersections of music, gun rights, feminism, and the evolving political landscape in America. Alexis provides a candid look into her personal journey, the challenges she faces in the music industry, and her unwavering advocacy for the Second Amendment.

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1. Alexis Wilkins: Bridging Music and Politics

Background in Music and Politics

Alexis Wilkins shares her unexpected journey into the music industry, highlighting how her passion for country music organically led her into a platform for political expression.

[00:45] Alexis Wilkins: "I joke that it all happened as an accident, but that's country music. I started writing and didn't really realize that it could be a career and just ended up pursuing it."

Academic Experiences Influencing Activism

Her academic background in business and political science at a private Christian university shaped her perspectives, especially after facing academic challenges that she attributes to ideological differences.

[01:45] Alexis Wilkins: "I was given an F in a political class just by a teacher that didn't like me or what I believed. It was clear that I wasn't being indoctrinated."

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2. Challenges in the Music Industry

Navigating a Liberal-Dominated Space

Alexis discusses the predominantly liberal environment of both universities and the music industry, emphasizing the difficulty of maintaining her conservative values within these spheres.

[03:09] Alexis Wilkins: "Country music is, you know, people think it's the safe haven of conservatism... you don't get a lot of reprieve from the labels."

Independence vs. Label Control

She highlights the struggle between maintaining creative freedom as an independent artist versus the restrictive nature of traditional music labels.

[04:15] Alexis Wilkins: "With social media and connectivity, you can release music without a middleman. Labels can shut you down or shelve your work if they disagree with your message."

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3. Advocacy for the Second Amendment and Feminism

Guns as a Feminist Issue

Alexis posits that advocating for gun rights is inherently a feminist stance, enabling women to protect themselves and challenging stereotypes about feminism and gun ownership.

[08:17] Alexis Wilkins: "It's kind of a feminist issue. If you can protect yourself as a woman, why wouldn't you want to advocate for that?"

Critique of Gun Control Advocacy

She criticizes organizations like Moms Demand Action for their stance against gun rights, arguing that their opposition undermines personal responsibility and constitutional freedoms.

[09:58] Alexis Wilkins: "Advocating against guns is kind of an anti-feminism thing. It's kind of racist to say that people can't have access to the Second Amendment unilaterally."

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4. Political Climate and Gun Laws

Federal vs. State Regulations

Alexis believes that the Second Amendment should remain federally protected but acknowledges the complexity of state-specific laws that often confuse and penalize law-abiding gun owners.

[10:08] Alexis Wilkins: "Federally, I believe that the Second Amendment should be unilateral... but it's so individual, the different issues, state by state."

Personal Safety and Legal Rights

She shares poignant examples of how current laws fail to protect individuals even in dire situations, such as self-defense during home invasions.

[11:03] Alexis Wilkins: "Someone breaks in, there's really not a debate there. It's hard because people are so passionate about it."

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5. Tour Experiences and American Insights

Connecting with Diverse Audiences

Alexis reflects on her touring experiences across America, appreciating the opportunity to engage with both large cities and small towns, gaining a deeper understanding of the nation's heart.

[07:14] Alexis Wilkins: "With tours, you get to see the little towns in between the big cities. It really enlightens you to see what America is made of."

Economic and Social Observations

She observes the economic struggles of small towns and the resilience of communities, underscoring the need for systemic changes.

[07:14] Alexis Wilkins: "You hear these stories from the underbelly of America and it gives you a whole new perspective on what matters and how all that needs to be fixed."

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6. Interactions with Advocacy Groups

Clash with Moms Demand Action

Alexis details her professional and ideological clashes with Moms Demand Action, criticizing their approach and funding sources.

[08:33] Alexis Wilkins: "They have so much money from Bloomberg... they don't like anyone who's standing up and creating attention for the Second Amendment in a common sense way."

Role with the NRA

Her active role on the NRA board showcases her commitment to Second Amendment advocacy and her efforts to promote responsible gun ownership.

[08:33] Alexis Wilkins: "I'm on the NRA board and just honored to work on all that stuff with them."

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7. Political Figures and Current Events

Views on Gavin Newsom and Political Shifts

Alexis critiques Governor Gavin Newsom of California, suggesting his political maneuvers have backfired and weakened his standing among even traditionally supportive voters.

[12:13] Alexis Wilkins: "I feel like even left-leaning Californians hate Gavin Newsom. He really has some issues to resolve out west."

Discussion on Kash Patel

The conversation touches on her acquaintance with Kash Patel, highlighting their political alignment and mutual respect despite the unexpected nature of their meeting.

[13:05] Alexis Wilkins: "We definitely agree on things. Even though his position now is pretty politically agnostic, which is a good thing."

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8. Closing Thoughts

Looking Forward

As the conversation winds down, Alexis expresses optimism about her upcoming tour and the continued support from her dedicated audience.

[14:04] Alexis Wilkins: "Thank you so much."

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Notable Quotes

• On Feminism and Gun Rights:
  "Advocating against guns is kind of an anti-feminism thing. It's kind of racist to say that people can't have access to the Second Amendment unilaterally."
  [09:58] Alexis Wilkins

• On Music Industry Independence:
  "There’s freedom in being independent as well as the challenges."
  [04:18] Alexis Wilkins

• On Touring America:
  "You get to see the little towns in between the big cities. It really enlightens you to see what America is made of."
  [07:14] Alexis Wilkins

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Conclusion

In this compelling episode of Digital Social Hour, Alexis Wilkins eloquently intertwines her musical journey with her staunch advocacy for the Second Amendment and feminist principles. Her insights shed light on the complexities of navigating a liberal-dominated music industry, the importance of independent artistry, and the critical need for balanced gun legislation. Alexis’s authentic dialogue challenges listeners to reconsider preconceived notions about feminism, gun rights, and the role of music in political activism.

For those seeking a deeper understanding of the nuanced relationship between music, politics, and personal responsibility, this episode serves as an enlightening listen.

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Connect with Alexis Wilkins

• Social Media: [Links to Alexis's social profiles]
• Upcoming Tour Dates: [Links to tour information]

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This summary encapsulates the rich discussions and critical insights shared by Alexis Wilkins on Digital Social Hour, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the episode's key themes and takeaways.

Transcript

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Responsibility issue, and some might even call it, and this is where people started to get irritated is it's kind of a feminist issue. If you can protect yourself as a woman, why wouldn't you want to advocate for that? You know, advocating against guns is kind of a anti feminism thing. It's kind of racist. You know, to say that people can't have access to the Second Amendment unilaterally is pretty terrible.

[Alex Stein]

Okay, guys, at Student Action Summit, it's going to be a fun event here with Alexis Wilkins, who is singing the anthem today. Thanks for coming on.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah, happy to be here.

[Alex Stein]

You excited to do that?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

I am.

[Alex Stein]

It's probably one of the bigger crowds for you, right?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

It's Turning Point. Crowds are always so fun because you sing the anthem for them and they're actually genuinely excited about what it means. So it's, it's, it's pretty great.

[Alex Stein]

It's interesting that you're an artist and in politics at the same time. Usually the artists avoid that.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah, no, absolutely. I, I joke that it all happened as an accident, but that's, you know, country music. I started writing and didn't really realize that it could be a career and just ended up pursuing it. And then you end up on tour and suddenly you look around and you go, oh, I'm doing this full time. That's fun. And then the political thing happened because it was just at a really heightened time. It was in, you know, kind of the range from 2018 to 2020. And I was in college from 2016. Anyway, it was business and political science. Was going to a private Christian university and kind of thought that that would protect me from, you know, some of the things that were going on in universities. And that wasn't the case. I was spare a long story short, I was given an F in a political class just by a teacher that didn't like me or what I believed. And I wasn't even that vocal. It was just clear that I wasn't being indoctrinated.

[Alex Stein]

Wow.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

And so between that and having to fight that and going through that process and wanting to help other people that I knew were also probably going through that with that process. And then also that music was very left leaning. We were encouraged to either be silent or to endorse, you know, the other candidate. And I was even told at one point, you know, you need to take the American flag out of your Instagram bio.

[Alex Stein]

Wow.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Like, things that trivial. And I work a lot with veterans organizations. I was told that, you know, you need to dial that back a little. Bit. And so for the American flag, the flag under which we all live in this country, and veterans causes, which should not be partisan, and they are very close to my heart. My grandfather served in the Korean War, and I have a lot of family in the military. Means a lot to me. The sacrifice is huge, and I recognize that it just wasn't an option. So I ended up leaning into it instead of stepping away from it as a. As a country artist.

[Alex Stein]

Well done. Yeah. Similar story for me. I grew up in Jersey and kind of avoided politics. Politics my whole life. But then when I got to Rutgers, like, college, I was like, wow, this is really, like, liberal. Like, I don't know how they're teaching this to everyone and just didn't vibe with me, you know?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

And now looking at all these universities, I think, what, 90% of them are liberal. Yeah, something like that. Same with the music industry.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

So it's like, damn, we're really a minority out here.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

That's true. It's true. And country music is, you know, people think it's the safe haven of conservatism, and it's only marginally better than pop. It's still the same labels. It's still the same, you know, kind of grandfathered and executive. So you don't get a lot of reprieve. You at least get the audience with you, which is, I think, the big part and why I'm so passionately passionate about connecting directly with the audience, because that's. That's ultimately who goes, yes, I like your patriotism, and I will still read your papers and watch your show and listen to your music.

[Alex Stein]

Respect. Yeah. It's tough being independent, though, right, Without.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

A label, you know, sometimes. But with social media and with some of the connectivity that's happened in the past few years, as you can probably understand, too, you have a relationship directly with people who consume your media instead of having to go through a middleman or being told, when you can release music, you know, if something happens, you're inspired, you write a song about it, you know, hypothetically, you can just put that out. You don't have to ask anyone. Whereas a label, if you say something that they don't like or do something that they don't like, you know, depending on who's in management in that label, they can. They can shut you down. They can shelve you.

[Alex Stein]

Right.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

And ultimately control what you put out.

[Alex Stein]

So that's true.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

It's tough being independent, but it's also. There's freedom in it as well.

[Alex Stein]

Yeah, it's you got to kind of pick if you want freedom or if you want to be signed to someone, be told. Similar with podcasts, actually.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Really?

[Alex Stein]

Yeah. So, like, you start a podcast wanting freedom, I think, but then you get to a certain point where you start signing to organizations and then you kind of lose that freedom.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Interesting.

[Alex Stein]

Over time. So I would. I would say it's a little similar, but music industry is definitely more controlling, I'd say.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

I had Mike Posner on and he said he got shelled for three years. He couldn't drop any songs, Poor guy. Three years.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

That's crazy.

[Alex Stein]

And all you want to do is create music, right?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

Put it out there.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Especially with his journey or what I've heard of it. I can imagine so.

[Alex Stein]

And you hear a lot of horror stories with labels.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

So something needs to change.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

It's bad.

[Alex Stein]

Especially in the rap industry. I don't know about country, but, you.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Know, like I said, country is a little bit of a safe haven in some ways. But from the label executive side, you're still going to the same exact labels, so you're still getting some of that LA in flux. You're still getting executives that have been there for years upon years upon years. And, you know, it's. It's when you're unwilling to compromise with what you're saying and what you're representing, and then you're also unwilling to compromise. Especially, like, Just gotta say it, as a female in the music industry, you go into rooms that you feel as though you would be farther if you did things that were expected from you. And it's. It's. You can feel it, you know, and you don't make those sacrifices. You don't bend the knee. You stay true to who you are. And you can. You can definitely sense it interpersonally as well. And it's. Honestly, it's fascinating, especially when it's not even on the table. It's just very interesting to feel the dynamic in that way.

[Alex Stein]

I bet. Do you incorporate a lot of political stuff into your music?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

I do some. I do very. Just pro America, pro patriotism. I have a song called Stand that's honoring veterans. I have a song called Country Back that basically just said, especially last year, I want my country back. And. And that was a thing all throughout campaign season. And so the rest of my music is regular country music, but where I can tie in, you know, pro. Pro values, pro patriotism, really just pro music that you can listen to in the car with your kids. You know, I feel like even country radio starts to Get a little dicey. Just fine. But it was always something that you could just throw on and feel good about. And so I'd like to keep that nice country back.

[Alex Stein]

I bet that one crushed when Biden was president.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

You know what it was, it was hard because people were so like passionate about it and I felt bad because I was right there with them. But it was, there was an element that was really fun to go in crowds. I was touring with Aaron Lewis last year. I'm touring again with Aaron this year. And I wonder that's. That tour starts this weekend and I wonder how different it's going to be singing it this weekend versus the tour last year.

[Alex Stein]

Yeah, I wonder if people will be as passionate about it. Right?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah, I hope so.

[Alex Stein]

Any crazy tour stories? You've probably been all over the country. Maybe. I know you've lived in some other countries too.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah, you've been. Been all over. And the US is still my favorite. And I was born in Massachusetts, didn't live very long, Moved to England and then Switzerland. My dad's job took us all over, back to the states, straight to Arkansas again for his job and then California for a brief minute. My grandparents lived there and then Tennessee. So just kind of all over the place. And then with tour, it's fun because you get to see the little towns in between the big cities. You get to see like really what America is made of. And not that I needed a change in my perspective, and I wouldn't even call it a change, but it just really enlightens you to see, you know, the small main streets that have shut down because of economic choices, you know, how coal towns work and how the general stores didn't pay people in money but paid them in store credit. Worked when those shut down, like you kind of hear these stories from the underbelly of America and it's, it gives you a whole new perspective on, on what matters and how all that needs to be fixed. Really.

[Alex Stein]

That's important. Right. Because they call D.C. a bubble.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

They're making all these laws, but they're not on the, on the streets like you are witnessing what daily people are going through. Right?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

So that's really important perspective. You had a clash with Moms Demand Action. What happened with that?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

So with Moms Demand Action, I feel like who hasn't had a little bit of a clash with Moms Demand Action in the two way space? I work a lot in second Amendment advocacy and I'm on the NRA board and just honored to, to work on all that. Stuff with them. Mom's man action just kind of. They have so much money from Bloomberg, like by the hundred of million. And so they just send their people everywhere. And it's not to take away from the original thought of people who wanted to protect their kids, but it's not that it's funded by big companies that just don't want second amendment to stay uninfringed, honestly. And so really just, they don't like anyone who's standing up and creating attention for the second amendment and explaining things in a common sense way and saying, you know, hey, you don't, you don't have to be someone who loves guns and has them everywhere, but you can be someone who understands that it's a response. It's a personal responsibility issue and some might even call it. And this is where people started to get irritated is it's kind of a feminist issue. If you can protect yourself as a woman, why wouldn't you want to advocate for that? You know, advocating against guns is kind of a anti feminism thing. It's kind of racist, you know, to say that people can't have access to the second amendment unilaterally is, is pretty terrible. So that's where they, they didn't, they don't like common sense. And so that's where we are.

[Alex Stein]

Guns do level the playing field, you know, can't deny that.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Exactly.

[Alex Stein]

If you could change any gun law in America, would you change any or would you just keep it as is?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

You know, it's interesting. It's so obviously the Constitution is federal and I believe that it should be unilateral. Of course, it is a state thing as well. And so I think that case by case and state by state, it's so individual, the different issues. You know, we have problem states that I think deserve an influx of attention and you know, bodies going in there, there are people going to do those work on and finding the minutia and the small wording that changes someone's rights and turns a law abiding citizen into a criminal just because they def. Defended themselves. You know, they find the nuance. And so those are really the laws that I have problems with or ones that are confusing for your average American citizen or American gun owner to understand what their rights are. But it's really in general because federally I believe that the second amendment should be unilateral.

[Alex Stein]

Yeah, I'm the same way like depending on the state, if you're in Cali, if they break in your house, but they turn around and you shoot them you get in trouble.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Right, right.

[Alex Stein]

Which is crazy. Like they literally broke in your house. They're causing harm. They're probably having a weapon themselves and you can't shoot them if they turn around.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Exactly. You know, and I've heard so many stories firsthand from women who have had a gun in the house, have been able to defend themselves and it's been life saving. It's completely saved their, their lives, caused them to protect themselves from bodily harm, all these horrible things. And the fact that in certain states that the law would actually be turned on them is just mind blowing to me.

[Alex Stein]

Yeah. Like it shouldn't even be a thought that you could get in trouble in your own house.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

No.

[Alex Stein]

Like you should just be reacting, you know?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Right. Someone breaks in, there's really not a debate there.

[Alex Stein]

But not to me. Cali's going through their issues right now.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

They are.

[Alex Stein]

They just got hit with the Title 6 lawsuit.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Oh, man, they are.

[Alex Stein]

That's a big one.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

It's huge. You know, I think it's finally, what do they call it, finding out time with kind of owning up for all the things that have been going on for the last, I'd say four years. But it's been longer for California. I mean, I feel like even left leaning Californians hate Gavin Newsom. So he really, really has some issues to resolve over there out west.

[Alex Stein]

His ratings dropped a lot from his.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Podcast, I heard, which is so interesting. I think he thought from the Trump campaign that that would be just a whole slam dunk and it has not been.

[Alex Stein]

Well, it worked for the right, so I could see why he tried it.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

You know what I mean? Podcast crushed it for Republicans, but yeah, it did not work for him. No. And he made the first move on Trump. He sued him first. So he's kind of just getting what he asked for, I guess.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah. Is that. It is.

[Alex Stein]

We'll see what happens.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Absolutely.

[Alex Stein]

How did you and Kash Patel meet?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

We met in Nashville at a friend's house at a feeling it was a true social or rumble like some kind of event that we were going to. It's one of those funny things where I wasn't even going to go and you know those things that you end up going to that you weren't going to go to. And we met that was almost three years ago now. And that was, that was kind of that.

[Alex Stein]

Wow, that's dope.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah.

[Alex Stein]

Do you agree with him on politically wise? On most things?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah. No, we're. We're definitely, we're definitely aligned. Like, even though his position now. It's. It's. It's pretty politically agnostic, which is a good thing for America and for the government. Ultimately. That's. That's the best way to do it. You can definitely tell from before. From before that. That we. We definitely agree on things.

[Alex Stein]

Was that a huge life change when he took. I bet it was crazy, right?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah. You can't really prepare, honestly, for something like that, too. Yeah. How do you. How do you really prep?

[Alex Stein]

Yeah, I saw he was on some podcasts. I forget which one. He said the. The house got swatted like his own house, and he's the head of the FBI. It's just, like, crazy to me that stuff like that happens. Right?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Yeah, it's wild. It's really wild.

[Alex Stein]

Can't believe that. Well, thanks for coming on. Good luck with the anthem today. Anything else you want to close off with here?

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

No. Anything else? I'm good.

[Alex Stein]

No, we're good. We'll link your socials below. Good luck with your upcoming tour as well. We'll put that in the video.

[Kaitlyn Bennett]

Thank you so much.

[Alex Stein]

Yeah, check her out, guys. Thanks for watching. Hope you have a good one.