Sons of Guns is a about a custom gunsmith shop in Louisiana. It follows owner Will Hayden; his daughter and office manager, Stephanie; head gunsmith, Vince; shop apprentice and toady, Kris; and the various others who work with or buy from the shop.
If you like guns, especially military-style weapons, this is the show for you. Discovery's rival, the History Channel, has had a variety of gun-related shows, such as "Tales of the Gun," though that show felt compelled to have a disclaimer at the beginning stating that "guns have had an important role in history, sometimes for good and sometimes for evil," or something to that effect. This show doesn't pretend to be anything other than gun pornography, which helps keep it fun. Instead, at the beginning it simply says, "Guns can be dangerous. Don't be an idiot." This is more in keeping with the audience who will watch this show: They're here to see cool guns, not be lectured about how Nazis used them for evil. As much as I liked "Tales of the Gun," it's refreshing to watch a show in which there's no stigma for having an interest in guns, and we don't get bogged down in any moral debate or historical perspective as an excuse to show guns on mainstream TV.
This show splits screen time between the shop employees and the guns they work on. It's set up much like "Pawn Stars" or the myriad other similar shows on TV these days. The characters are entertaining enough, though it sometimes feels as if we're guests at a dinner party watching the hosts argue family issues. Will, as easy-going and nice as he can be, can also get a bit intense. He probably makes a great business owner, but this doesn't always translate well to making a good show. Comparing it to "Pawn Stars," even when shop owner, Rick, gets mad at his employees, we see that he still has affection for them. Will seems much more willing to get rid of people without a second thought. Even so, they still seem to have a lot of fun at the shop, and make interesting guns in the process.
The show is mostly about the guns, but the characters are interesting enough, too. It makes for quick, fun summer TV.
