The Weekly Reload Podcast

This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a first-of-its-kind civil rights lawsuit against the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department over gun-carry permitting delays. So, we have a man at the center of the case on the show to discuss it. Kostas Moros is a gun-rights lawyer who works at the Second Amendment Foundation, which is involved in a private suit against the department. He has also been d...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about the Supreme Court announcing its decision to hear a new Second Amendment case dealing with Hawaii's so-called Vampire Rule for gun carry this upcoming term. We also talk about the practical impact its decision last term related to gunmaker liability protections is having in the lower courts thus far. Finally, we cover the Trump administration's on...

This week, we're looking at potential fallout for gun owners from an unexpected area: immigration. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a stay on an emergency basis in Noem v. Perdomo. Justice Brett Kavanaugh's statement in that case inspired UC Law Professor Rory Little to write a piece for SCOTUSblog on its potential implications in areas beyond immigration...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss a recent ruling out of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld New York's "sensitive places" restrictions for licensed gun carriers. We also cover a Ninth Circuit ruling that sided with a Montana gun owner fighting against a charge for carrying a shotgun in a school zone. Finally, we talk about a new letter campaign from a coalition of gun ri...

This week, we have another episode on our nation's recent struggles with horrendous violence. However, this time we're looking at potential solutions to that struggle. That's why we have Let's Talk to Them director Jordan Estrada back on the show. His organization attempts to adapt lessons from research into the causes of mass shootings, such as work from The Violence Project, and apply them to re...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I provide an update in our attempt to gain clarity from the DC Metropolitan Police Department regarding the nature of its enforcement of the city's strict gun control laws during Trump's federal takeover. We also discuss the California legislature's passage of a first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of Glock handguns in a bid to crack down on illegal machine gun...

This week, we're discussing the murder of political commentator Charlie Kirk. To do that, we have Cam Edwards from Bearing Arms on the show. While the full details and precise motivations of the killer are not completely known, the political nature of the attack--coming in the middle of one of Kirk's public debate events--is especially concerning. Cam agreed that the vast majority of people have r...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I unpack the latest information about the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, including details suggesting troubling parallels with other recent acts of political violence. We also cover a pair of federal appeals court rulings upholding gun-free zone restrictions in Illinois and New Jersey.

This week, we're looking at the dueling reactions to the Annunciation school shooting. On the left, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D.) is calling for a special session of the legislature to pass a gun-control package likely to include an AR-15 ban. On the right, the Department of Justice is reportedly considering an effort to ban all trans people from owning guns. The Second Amendment Foundation is...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I break down the ongoing political fallout from the Annunciation Catholic school shooting in Minnesota that has now prompted both Governor Tim Walz and the Trump DOJ to explore possible gun restrictions. We also analyze what the latest monthly gun sales data says about the ongoing state of the industry.

This week, we're taking a look at the AR market. There has been a rash of bankruptcies and acquisitions among AR-15 makers in the past year. Some of the largest producers, like Anderson Manufacturing, have shut down their operations. To explain what's going on, we have KE Arms director Russell Phagan on the show. Phagan has been selling AR-15s and parts for over 20 years. He said the market has sh...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the Air Force Global Strike Command's recent decision to bring back the Sig M18 pistol for active service. We also talk about the 5th Circuit's re-decision in a case challenging the constitutionality of the NFA's restrictions on suppressors. We wrap up by discussing a new ruling upholding Connecticut's AR-15 ban, as well as the continued lack of clarit...

This week, we're zooming out a bit and looking at the state of the federal judiciary. To help us understand what's going on, we've got William & Mary law professor Jonathan Adler back on the show. He recently wrote a piece that laid out just how few judicial appointments President Donald Trump has actually made since the beginning of his second term. Not only that, but just how few opportuniti...

Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I look at the growing discontent among gun-rights groups with the deployment of the ATF and emphasis on gun possession arrests under President Donald Trump's federal takeover of Washington, DC's policing. We also cover the odd legal manuevering in the Third Circuit that may lead to a new circuit split on the constitutionality of so-called assault weapons bans....

This week, President Donald Trump federalized policing in the nation's capital. He deployed the National Guard and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The move has been met with mild pushback from some gun-rights activists. Karl Kasarda from InRangeTV joins the podcast to explain why he thinks there should be more. The prominent GunTuber, who...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about my time as a CNN contributor coming to an end after three years with the network. We also discuss why 18-20 year olds still can't buy handguns in states like Texas and Louisiana despite a Fifth Circuit ruling that says they have a constitutional right to purchase them. Plus, William Kirk from the Washington Gun Law Youtube channel joins me to give...

After Congress slashed the National Firearms Act (NFA) tax on silencers and short-barreled firearms, nearly every gun-rights group in the country promised to sue in an effort to overturn those sections of the law outright. Now, a few weeks later, those groups have nearly all sorted into two coalitions, and they've both filed suit. One coalition, led by Gun Owners of America (GOA), filed in the Fif...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover new data showing monthly gun sales have dropped below one million for the first time since 2019. We discuss the headwinds facing the industry and why the sales slide is likely to continue. We also unpack a pair of dueling rulings out of Minnesota on the legality of unserialized firearms and a federal court ruling upholding "may-issue" gun permitting fo...

Sig Sauer's premier pistol has faced a flood of bad news this week. After a recent fatal incident on Warren Air Force Base that involved the M18, commonly sold to civilians as the P320, the Global Strike Command joined a rash of law enforcement and civilian training groups that have paused the use of the gun. Active Self Protection is also among those groups. So, we have its president, John Correi...

Reload Reporter Ben Owen and I explain the changes the National Rifle Association wants to see to the Department of Justice's proposed rights restoration process. We also discuss a federal court giving the green light to Buffalo mass shooting victims' suit against a gun accessory maker. And we look at how the NRA is using a recent DOJ brief to boost its lawsuit against New Jersey's silencer ban.

This week, we're checking back in on one of the biggest stories of the year: the murder rate's record decline. So, we've got the nation's most widely-cited crime data analyst on the show to explain what's going on. Jeff Asher of AH Datalytics runs a crime database that updates weekly, but manages to track closely to the FBI's reports. However, he's able to report crime trends months or even years...

Reload reporter Ben Owen and I discuss the new Department of Justice gun-rights restoration rule they proposed late last week. We also look at its decision not to appeal a Fifth Circuit ruling against the pistol brace ban. And Ben talks about his time at the National Journalism Center as well as our recent range day.

There has been a ton of gun news over the past week. So, we figured it would be a good time to have another Q&A podcast. I think we judged that correctly because we had enough great questions on enough interesting topics sent in by Reload Members to fill up one of our longest podcasts of the year. We discussed everything from the impacts of the National Firearms Act tax cut to the future of th...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I break down the key gun policy provisions included in House Republicans' new Department of Justice funding bill. We also unpack a new Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruling tossing the NRA's free speech case against a New York official that pressured financial companies to cut ties with the group over its politics.

Last week, we talked about the political implications of the National Firearms Act (NFA) tax cuts in the budget bill. This week, we're talking about the market implications. To do that, we've got the co-founders of Open Source Defense back on the show. In addition to running a smart publication on gun culture and politics, Kareem Shaya and Chuck Rossi also run a firearms business investment firm....