The Weekly Reload Podcast

This week, the ATF dropped the largest package of new gun rules in its history. On Wednesday, the ATF got a new director and dozens of new gun rules to boot. The bureau announced 32 new rule proposals that directly implicate firearms in one way or another. Director Rob Cekada signed those rules in front of a collection of gun-rights groups--including our guest Kostas Moros's Second Amendment Found...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about the Senate's confirmation of Robert Cekada to be the ATF's new permanent director and his early participation in the agency's announced package of 34 new rules largely related to loosening gun restrictions. We also discuss the ongoing confusion over the legal status of Virginia's universal background check regime. Stories: - https://thereload.com/...

This week, we're examining where the big push for new gun restrictions in Virginia has ended up. The legislature has finished its job. So, we have fellow-Virginian and gun commentator Cam Edwards from Bearing Arms on the show to go over where things stand. Lawmakers accepted seven of Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger's recommendations for changes to the gun bills they passed. However, she rej...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the Virginia legislature's rejection of Governor Abigail Spanberger's suggested amendments to increase the restrictiveness of passed "assault firearm" and magazine bans. We also discuss the Trump administration's official reclassification of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and what it could mean for legal marijuana users who wish to own...

This week, we're doing a deep dive into the gun bills that have reached the final phase of the Virginia legislative process. That process is pretty unique, with Governor Abigail Spanberger (D.) having a rare ability to change bills after they've already passed. To break down how that process works and what Spanberger is trying to accomplish, we have Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) Presiden...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the changes requested by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger to the state's pending "assault firearm" ban and other major gun control bills. We also discuss a new ruling out of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upholding New York's ban on stun guns and tasers. Stories: - https://thereload.com/virginia-governor-sends-assault-firearms-ban-back-to-legi...

This week, we're looking at how the Department of Justice (DOJ) has performed on gun policy during the second Trump Administration and why Jeanine Pirro's newest legal filing could change the review. To examine the DOJ's track record, we have the Second Amendment Foundation's Kostas Moros on the show. He has been willing to defend the administration's overall approach to gun policy and to criticiz...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover a new ruling out the First Circuit Court of Appeals which held that waiting periods for gun sales do not even implicate the Second Amendment. We also discuss a New York federal judge's recent decision to toss a lawsuit filed by a licensed concealed carrier who was wrongfully arrested by NYPD officers who were unfamiliar with the city's gun laws. Storie...

This week, we've got a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on the show. That's because the group's North Carolina affiliate has filed an amicus brief in a Second Amendment challenge that's going to be heard by the North Carolina Supreme Court. And the ACLU is on the side of the defendant who is attempting to assert his gun rights. So, to discuss the details, we have ACLU of North...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I break down the details of a new Pete Hegseth memo that seeks to expand how many off-duty military members can carry personal firearms for self-defense on military installations. We also cover a new US Postal Service proposed rule that would allow legal gun owners to ship handguns in the mail. Stories: - https://thereload.com/hegseth-moves-to-make-it-easier-t...

This week, we're taking a close look at the latest in the legal battle over "red flag" laws. To help understand the ins and outs of why gun-rights activists object to the temporary gun seizure orders, we have the director of legal operations for the group challenging Maryland's version of the law. The Second Amendment Foundation's Bill Sack joins the show to discuss the latest ruling in the case,...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about a new federal court ruling out of Connecticut where a judge upheld the ban on bringing guns into a post office, splitting with recent rulings on the same law out of Texas and Florida in the process. We also discuss my upcoming range day with the National Journalism Center internship program and the dismissal of a federal lawsuit challenging Maryla...

This week, we're talking with a New York Times reporter about his latest story that examines guntuber Brandon Herrera's run for Congress. Charles Homans has been at The Times since 2014. Unlike his co-author Thomas Gibbons-Neff, who was on our podcast last year, Homans doesn't focus on gun stories. Nor does he cover all 435 congressional races in each cycle. So, he explained why Herrera's campaign...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about a new settlement agreement this week that saw New York agree to stop requiring gun carry permit applicants to disclose all of their social media accounts to the state. We also provide an update on Canada's attempt to confiscate hundreds of thousands of recently banned firearms, an effort that to this point has seen a lot of government spending wit...

This week, we're taking a look back at some of the predictions we made about what might happen in the ammo market last year and comparing that against how things actually turned out. To help us with the deep dive, Nathaniel Boos from Black Basin Outdoors is back on the show. His company keeps charts tracking the last five years of pricing data for dozens of ammunition calibers. They also deal dire...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the new "assault firearm" and ammunition magazine ban passed by the Virginia legislature this week. We also cover the Los Angeles County Superior Court's admission that it failed to report roughly 147,000 felony convictions to the state background check system. Links: https://thereload.com/virginia-legislature-passes-ar-15-ammo-mag-sales-ban/ https:/...

This week, we're taking a deep dive into the Supreme Court's latest Second Amendment case. The Court spent nearly two hours debating the merits of US v. Hemani. They were trying to figure out whether the modern ban on drug users, even just those who smoke weed, is relevantly similar to Founding Era laws related to "habitual drunkards." The back-and-forth seemed to create some interesting splits am...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss a new ruling from the DC Court of Appeals determining that the District's ten round magazine limit violates the Second Amendment, at least as applied to a particular criminal defendant. We also cover new NSSF background check data showing a surge in gun sales in Virginia while the state weighs strict new gun control bills, plus we recap the week's Su...

This week, we're doing something a bit different. Instead of one guest, we have three. They are all members of a new initiative trying to break the decades-old logjam around gun policy. The participants from Bridging the Divide join the show to discuss how their detailed policy proposals differ from the ones our debate has centered around for years. Dr. Michael Siegel of Tufts University, Rob Pinc...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I recap President Trump's latest State of Union address, which was conspicuously light on any discussion of his administration's gun policy approach. We discuss how to interpret that omission. We also cover documents in the Epstein Files that show the convicted sex criminal's pursuit of gun rights restoration numerous times up until his second arrest. Stories:...

This week, we're taking a comprehensive look at the dozens of gun bills up for debate in Virginia. Our guest is Philip Van Cleave. He's the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), and one of the top gun-rights activists working in Richmond. He has been on the ground since the beginning of the session, and he has tracked every gun bill going through the legislature. So far, 33 gun...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I examine what the Department of Justice's released Epstein files reveal about how much contact he had with Michael Bloomberg, the top funder of the gun-control movement. We also cover Epstein's repeated interest in shooting sports and the gun industry well after his 2008 sex crime conviction rendered him ineligible to possess firearms. Links: https://thereloa...

This week, we're looking at the bleeding edge of gun-rights legal fights: 3D-printed gun file sharing. After a years-long hiatus, news just dropped in one of the major legal skirmishes. The Third Circuit threw out a challenge to New Jersey's file-sharing ban on Thursday. Just before that, California sued our guest for publishing gun files on the open internet. That guest is Florida gun-rights lawy...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss a long-awaited ruling out of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which tossed a lawsuit brought by gun-rights activists against New Jersey's ban on sharing digital gun designs. We also cover a major settlement against a gun accessory maker that gun-control advocates blamed, at least in part, for the Tops grocery store shooting in Buffalo, New York. S...

This week, we're focused on the backlash to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's recent comments about locking up "law-abiding" gun owners who travel to Washington, DC. Pirro said she would send anyone who carried a gun into the city straight to jail. Her comments came on the heels of President Donald Trump, who appointed her, saying he didn't like that Alex Pretti was carrying a gun before being shot to d...