With most of the country is in some form of lockdown or self-quarantine due to the unfortunate coronavirus-19 (COVID-19), there has been something else sweeping across the United States in its wake: the Tiger King. You may or may not have heard of the Netflix special “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” but it is everything a Hollywood reality TV show producer could ever dream of!

Tiger King has EVERYTHING – Tigers, Lions, Murder, Alligator Arson, Mullets, Pizza made from expired Wal-Mart Meat, a Zoo based Sex Cult, a Crazy Cat Lady, and Country Songs about Tigers. – (Facebook Meme, Origin Unknown)

The main character of this crazy train is Joseph Allen Schreibvogel aka Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, or most affectionately known as “Joe Exotic.”  Joe Exotic, the Tiger King, was the owner of G.W Zoo (Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park) based out of Wynnewood, Oklahoma dubbed the “World’s Largest Big Cat Park.” While being the owner and chief operator of G.W. Zoo, he was a tremendous showman that would be fit for a circus or Las Vegas show, but his stage was his zoo of 200+ big cats varying from tigers to lions to ligers (that is a real thing) and smaller breeds of animals; both cats and other unique exotic species.

Aside from the fact that he is now at the center of the world’s most popular Netflix special, he has lead a very colorful life. He has had multiple husbands over the years (sometimes at the same time) which is the reason for his change in name as well as lots of other notable experiences:

• Dropped 2 Country Music Albums (28 Songs and 16 Music Videos)
• Ran for President of the United States as an Independent in 2016
• Ran for Governor of Oklahoma as a Libertarian in 2018
• 22 Years in Prison (17 Federal Charges of Animal Abuse & 2 Counts of Murder-for-Hire)

At the moment, he is serving out his 2019 sentence of 22 years in prison. As fascinating of a guy the Tiger King is, being this is The Firearm Blog, we are interested in his guns though. If you have watched the show he always carried around a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver on his hip at all times. This was not necessarily protection against the big cats he worked with on a daily basis; it was protection against the  two-legged enemies he has made in his life. During the “Tiger King,” Joe Exotic is quoted as saying:

When I leave this park [G.W. Zoo], I wear a bulletproof vest. That is how bad this has gotten.

So, in this TFB Exclusive Look that you will not find anywhere else, we were able to coordinate a phone interview with Joe Exotic, the Tiger King, at the Grady County Jail in Oklahoma to ask him what comprises his personal gun collection. Some of it may surprise you while others may not at all. Without further ado, this is the Gun Collection of the Tiger King!

Gun Collection of the Tiger King – Beretta: Bobcat, tomcat, and Cheetah

We contacted Joe Exotic several days ago on a foolish whim thinking there is no way we would be able to get ahold of him, but to our extreme surprise, we did! So, being unprepared for that good fortune, we jotted chicken scratch notes as he shared his time with us. He stated that some of the first firearms he ever had “were them Berettas.” Unsure of what he was referring to, we pressed him by asking what ones? He responded, “You know, the kitties. That cheetah, duh, hmm, Bobcat! And… Bobcat... TOMCAT! You know, the kitties.” Completely baffled by his answer of the kitties because that is not gun jargon or lingo people use at all we let him explain himself further.

When I was rehabbin’ from my car crash that laid me up for a long time and I fell in love with cats, I was also turned onto firearms. Me not knowing nothin’ about what I was doin’ I was told to try a Bobcat. From there, it sort of took off wit dem Berettas.

Understanding that Joe Exotic is now the world famous Tiger King this is not surprising anymore when he paints a picture like that. It is a pretty eclectic crew of cartridges he has to buy if he can ever step foot in a gun store again. Since most of these pistols are discontinued, he might have started a whole new set for collectors to chase after: “the kitties.”

[Pictured: Left to Right] Beretta Bobcat .22 LR, Beretta Tomcat .32 ACP, Beretta Cheetah .380 ACP

Gun Collection of the Tiger King – Kimber Super Jägare

Now that we got the ball rolling with the kitties and began to believe we are going to hear more about cats than we anticipated today, we asked what else he had? His response: “Well, the jaguar, of course.” I consider myself an encyclopedia when it comes to firearms, but he literally stumped me again. Confused, I reiterated his words: “The jaguar?” Now sounding insulted and getting irritated by my questioning of his knowledge of the guns he owns he barked back:

Yes! The Kimber Jaguar, dummy! I thought you was some gun guy, and you come callin’ me not knowin’ what the hell all these guns are. I’m a pretty damn popular man. I ain’t gotta be talkin’ to you, ya know.

I began to profusely apologize not wanting to lose him and have him hang up on me, but I finally understood that he meant the Kimber Super Jägare in 10mm. That is a $2,600 gun so I pulled him back in by complimenting him on his taste in firearms. For everyone at home, Jägare is Swedish and means “one who hunts game,” and has nothing to do with jaguars like the Tiger King likely believes.

[Pictured] Kimber Super Jägare 10mm

Gun Collection of the Tiger King – Magnum Research Desert Eagle

Moving on, I asked one more time, “Is there anything else noteworthy that you have in your gun collection?” He began to state he had several AR-15s that he had bought for some of his most recent husbands to mess around with on the zoo property for fun, but those did not really excite him, personally. Then, there was a long pause… too long… unsure if I lost our phone call, I almost started in asking if he was still there when he blurted out:

Oh yeah! Then there’s my baby! That Desert Eagle!

Finally getting caught up to speed to the Tiger King, I made the safe assumption of stating, “So, you have the titanium gold, tiger-stripe Desert Eagle?” He chuckled and snorted while cheerfully exclaiming, “You goll damn right I do!” I finally felt a smile come through the phone. He then went on and on about how pretty it was. It is a pretty gun, but I was smiling because I finally knew a gun he owned without triggering an explanation out of him.

[Pictured] Magnum Research Desert Eagle Mark XIX .50 AE Titanium Gold Finish w/ Tiger Stripes

I knew when our conversation started I had only 5 minutes of his time and although I did not start a stopwatch or anything, I could feel our time drawing short. As our interview came to a close, I shifted the conversation away from firearms to ask how he was spending/passing time in prison other than typical activities normal readers might guess? One thing he said he loves was his new found fame because of the “Tiger King” Netflix series. Being in prison he has not been able to watch the series itself, but they do occasionally get television time and can watch the local news, and he is “the talk of the town!” He is enraptured in his new found fame.

He also said being stuck in prison has made him listen to other forms of music (other than the Country genre he has made albums in). Some of the other inmates have turned him onto a newer artist named Post Malone.

If I ever get out of this hell-hole, I’m gonna look that boy up. I like him.

Very interesting words because Post Malone, although very interesting and flamboyant in his own right, is a pretty big lover of firearms and exotic animals as well. With that last remark, I thanked Joe Exotic, the Tiger King, for his time. He simply replied, “You, too,” and that ended the most odd and fascinating interview I have ever done in my life.

That interview is a lot to take in for it being so brief, but what do you guys and gals think? Are you genuinely surprised that he owns all of the “cat firearms” of the gun world? Or was I stupid for not guessing he owned the kitties, the jaguar, and a titanium gold tiger-striped Desert Eagle? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

Famous rapper Post Malone shooting a Machine Gun

(Parody Alert – April Fools)