The Weekly Reload Podcast

This week, we're taking a close look at the state of the gun industry and the potential impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs. That's why I'm interviewing the head of the gun industry's trade group. National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) general counsel Larry Keane is back on the show to detail where the industry is at today and where it's headed. Perhaps the biggest question to answer is...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss Colorado Governor Jared Polis signing the most sweeping and restrictive gun bill in the state's history into law and what that says about gun politics in the Democratic Party. We also talk about major new developments at the ATF, both in terms of potential gun policy changes, as well as the announced shakeup in the top two leadership positions of the...

This week, we're doing a deep dive into the history surrounding Americans under 21 buying guns. That's why we've got gun-rights lawyer Alan Beck on the show. He's currently representing a client who is fighting Hawaii's age restrictions. In the wake of the Eleventh Circuit upholding Florida's gun sales ban for those under 21 by pointing to how contract law limited the same age group's ability to b...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the potential fallout from President Trump's sweeping tariff announcement on the gun and ammunition market. We talk about why the potential cost increases come at a precarious time for an industry already facing some headwinds, including another month of declining gun sales based on newly released figures. Plus, we discuss a pair of opposite rulings...

This week, we're taking a close look at the Supreme Court's ruling in Bondi v. VanDerStok. To do that, we have the Independence Institute's David Kopel on the show. Kopel has written extensively on gun policy and been cited repeatedly at the Supreme Court. So, there are few people better qualified to dissect what the VanDerStok ruling means. Kopel argued the decision upholding the ATF's "ghost gun...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about the Supreme Court's 7-2 decision to uphold the ATF's ability to treat unfinished firearms parts kits as completed guns and what that means moving forward. We also talk about the new financial troubles hitting the gun-control group March for Our Lives. Finally, we cover an outlier federal ruling on New York City's stun gun ban before highlighting D...

This week, we're looking at a few actions the Trump Administration just took on gun policy. To wade through those moves and navigate where the signs point, we've got Cam Edwards of Bearing Arms back on the show. We look at different stories from Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). As Cam noted, some w...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I recap the en banc Ninth Circuit's newest decision upholding California's ban on magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds and its much-discussed video dissent from Judge Lawrence VanDyke. We also talk about a separate Ninth Circuit panel's ruling striking down Hawaii's unique restrictions on handgun sales. Finally, we cover a long awaited en banc Ele...

We've been highlighting the fact that The New York Times, the largest paper in the country, has finally hired a gun-beat reporter. So, this week, we invited him on the show to talk about his approach and goals. Reporter Thomas Gibbons-Neff has started consistently doing gun stories for The Grey Lady, as The Times has long been known. It's not his first assignment. I also wouldn't call it his most...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about a ruling out of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals that found short-barreled rifles aren't "arms" as considered by the Second Amendment. We also talk about a pair of state court rulings, one out of Oregon upholding the state's purchase permit requirements and magazine ban, and another out Massachusetts that upheld the state's requirement that ou...

This week, we've got a longer episode than usual. That's because we're doing a deep dive into oral arguments for the Supreme Court's latest gun case, Smith & Wesson v. Mexico. Most observers, including me, thought Mexico faired poorly in its attempt to move forward with liability claims against American gunmakers over cartel violence south of the border. However, Professor Dru Stevenson, who s...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I break down the latest national gun sales data for February and discuss why they suggest trouble ahead for the gun industry. We also talk about Trump's latest omission of his gun policy priorities in a major public address, this time in his first joint address to Congress. Finally, we briefly recap this week's Supreme Court oral arguments in Mexico's lawsuit...

This week, we're looking at the first-of-its-kind move to make the FBI Director the Acting Director of the ATF. To do that, we've got Reason Magazine's J.D. Tuccille back on the show. He recently wrote about what Kash Patel's appointment might mean for the gun agency. He argued it could send a signal the administration plans to merge the two law enforcement arms, if not officially, at least effect...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the Supreme Court's latest remand of a case concerning whether convicted felons have any Second Amendment rights. We also discuss major gun manufacturer Daniel Defense's decision to wade into the ongoing efforts to reform the NRA through board elections. We then briefly touch on the Trump administration's decision to tap Kash Patel as acting ATF direct...

This week, we're taking a closer look at how the Trump DOJ might change its approach to gun litigation. We've got Andrew Willinger of Duke University's Firearms Law Center on the show to give us a different perspective from the one we got last week. He argued the administration is likely to move to reverse a lot of the Biden-era ATF rules currently tied up in court. Although, he said it might not...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the Trump administration's current freeze on processing new export licenses and how it is hitting the firearms industry particularly hard. We also talk about a federal judge issuing a preliminary injunction against Maine's 72-hour waiting period for gun sales, an Arizona state judge tossing a local gun control ordinance under preemption, and we wrap up...

President Donald Trump issued an executive order that reviews federal gun policy with the aim of implementing some changes. However, it's unclear exactly what changes might come from the order. So, we've got Second Amendment scholar David Kopel on the show to try and give some clarity to what's possible. Kopel walks through each section of the order and explains what kind of actions they could lea...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss a ruling out of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals where a panel once again decided that a single mother who wrote a bad check 17 years ago can be disarmed for life. We also discuss a Trump-appointed judge out of Hawaii who ruled that the Aloha state can continue to deny adults under the age of 21 access to firearms. Finally, we wrap up with coverage...

The gun industry just finished up its trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Even though I was in the Philippines with my fiance during the show this year, I wanted to make sure we all stayed updated on the big storylines of SHOT Show 2025. So, I invited one of the best gun reviewers out there to come on the show and give us his view from the floor. David Blanton is a competitive shooter turned gun revi...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss David Hogg's election for a Democratic Party leadership position and what it says about the party's approach to gun politics. We also talk about Trump's attorney general nominee Pam Bondi getting confirmed despite concerns raised by gun rights groups and unpack one of her first actions with regard to the ATF. Finally, we break down a recent ruling fr...

This week, we've got one of the most prominent and longest-running Guntubers on the show.  InRangeTV's Karl Kasarda joins the podcast to discuss his view of the Second Amendment and the backlash his advocacy has generates from other sections of the gun owning community. He argues gun rights belong to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Not everyon...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss new claims from the gun industry about the ATF continuing to enforce its controversial "zero tolerance" policy despite Trump's promises to reverse it. We talk about Trump's lack of gun policy action so far and why some gun-rights groups are starting to speak out. We also cover a significant new ruling out of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals where a...

We are about one week into President Donald Trump's new term. So, we've got Kevin Williamson from The Dispatch back on the show to go over what happened. Or, perhaps more accurately, what didn't happen. Williamson said Trump's first week was relatively light on gun action, especially compared to other issues. He said that may not tell us where Trump, who he described as transactional on most issue...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I recap the Trump administration's first week back in power, including how gun policy was left out of his flurry of new executive actions. We also cover his pardoning of the January 6 rioters, many of whom will once again have access to firearms despite being convicted of violent offenses. Finally, we break down a few new developments at the ATF and provide a...

This week, we're looking ahead at what Republicans want to do on gun policy headed into their new trifecta. To do that, we have the man who has been at the center of their legislative efforts for years now. Representative Richard Hudson from North Carolina's Ninth District joins the show. He has sponsored most of the top-priority gun bills in recent years and just introduced a new version of natio...