The Weekly Reload Podcast

This week, we're looking at crime data and the unprecedented drop in the murder rate. That's why we have Jeff Asher from AH Datalytics back on the show. He has been following and reporting crime data for decades, and he explains how dramatic the downturn in murder is compared to the incredible spike we saw just a few years ago. He said 2023 saw a record drop in murder, and 2024 is on pace to see t...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I recap the Vice Presidential debate, where the candidates at the top of the ticket were asked substantive gun policy questions for the first time all season. We also unpack the latest monthly gun sale data showing a trend of rising sales heading into the election. We wrap up with a discussion on the Massachusetts Governor's executive action to undermine a gra...

This week, we broke a major story about Kamala Harris's record backing a total handgun ban in San Francisco. As District Attorney in 2005, Harris supported Proposition H. It banned the sale, purchase, and even possession of pistols by nearly every city resident. The measure never went into effect, but only because gun-rights activists won the court fight over it before that could happen. Chuck Mic...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about Kamala Harris' past support for a San Francisco ballot measure that banned the sale and possession of handguns during her time as the city's District Attorney and what bearing that might have in the current election. We also talk about new FEC records showing the NRA trailing the national gun rights groups in political fundraising by millions of d...

This week, we're turning our attention to the presidential race. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris seem to have found their message on guns and are sticking to it. Assassination attempts, a major school shooting, and the race tightening haven't moved voters. Neither has any of that moved the candidates themselves. So, we've got Bearing Arms editor Cam Edwards back on the show to look at where everyth...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about new polling data showing voters trust Kamala Harris more on the issue of "gun violence" despite ranking the issue low on their list of priorities this election. We also talk about the political implications of young women moving way to the left on the issue of guns. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion of a new federal bill to force the US Milita...

This week, we're reacting to the debate. That's why I've got one of the top political reporters in the country on the show. Dave Weigel is a writer for Semafor, who runs their Americana newsletter. He has been covering national politics across major outlets for decades now. He is one of the best-sourced reporters out there. He said Kamala Harris bringing up her gun ownership at the debate was a bi...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss my time in Texas covering the NRA's latest board meeting, where the group came to an agreement on a reform plan but failed to overhaul its legal strategy after a marathon executive session. We also discuss new corruption allegations against the group in a recently filed lawsuit from a former employee, as well as the group's first big election ad buy...

This week, we've got one of the nation's premier political analysts on the show. Steve Hayes, co-founder of The Dispatch, joined us to discuss the state of the 2024 gun debate. He gave his take on the path Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have taken in their respective campaigns. Then he turned to how the recent mass shooting at a Georgia High School might shake up those positions. Hayes noted guns...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the early political and legal fallout from the Georgia High School shooting, including what it could mean for the Presidential race as well as the trend of criminally charging the parents of mass shooters. We also talk about a new political ad campaign launched by gun control group March for Our Lives and Ben & Jerry's targeted at voters in swing s...

This week, we're covering the very first time since the Supreme Court handed down the Bruen ruling that a federal judge has struck down the machinegun ban. That may have implications for not just the ban itself but the law it is housed under: The National Firearms Act (NFA). That's why we've got a gun-rights lawyer who has handled NFA cases. Matt Larosiere gives his view of what the holding in US...

Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the latest federal campaign finance numbers showing gun control groups outraising the NRA and other gun rights organizations in the lead up to the election. We also talk about a pair of federal appeals court rulings, one striking down the federal gun ban for marijuana users and the other striking down Missouri's expansive Second Amendment Sanctuary law...

This week, we're talking about a major moderation issue on YouTube. It's not the first time we've discussed this. It probably won't be the last, either. But this time the platform is deleting videos and, potentially, whole channels focused on gun content after a new policy update that's only partially written out. I talked with YouTube spokespeople about the changes and got more details this week....

Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman is on vacation this week. So, Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski hosts the news update. He gives a recap of how the Democratic National Convention approached guns. From the platform, to the keynote speeches, to an entire programing block in primetime on the final day the DNC highlighted gun control. Kamala Harris also called for a "red flag" law, universal background...

The pistol brace ban just racked up another legal loss. A panel on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the ban. That puts it in legal peril in a whole new federal circuit. And this case is the one led by the company that pioneered the accessory, SB Tactical. That's why we have SB Tactical Founder Alex Bosco on the show to give his reaction to the ruling. He explains why he thinks the...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover new polling data showing that the Supreme Court's recognition of public gun carry rights is more popular than ever. We also analyze the likelihood of the Supreme Court agreeing to hear an assault weapon case later this year, as well as a new Fox News poll showing voters trust Donald Trump over Kamala Harris on gun policy. We wrap up by discussing a new...

This week saw a lot of developments surrounding guns in the 2024 presidential election. After walking back her support for a mandatory buyback of AR-15s and the like, Kamala Harris doubled down on her support for a slew of other gun restrictions by selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her VP. Then Donald Trump broke his recent silence on guns by attacking Harris and doubling down on support fo...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover Kamala Harris' VP pick and what it says about the ticket's gun policy strategy. We then turn to Donald Trump's latest attack on Harris for her gun control stances and why it stands out after months of silence on the issue. We also explain why the Fourth Circuit's latest "assault weapon" ban ruling is the strongest candidate yet for Supreme Court review...

This week, we're answering Reload Members' questions on the podcast. So much has happened in the last few weeks. The NRA's corruption just reached its end stage. Although, there are still some potentially decisive decisions for the judge to make. The Democrats just swapped out Joe Biden for Kamala Harris. Then Harris's campaign walked back her most aggressive gun policy position. Contributing Writ...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the legal consequences the NRA could face now that the remedies phase of its trial has all but concluded. We also cover Kamala Harris' latest flip flop on AR-15 confiscation as well as a federal judge's recent decision to strike down New Jersey's ban on the very same weapons. Finally, we discuss big new election spending pledges from the nation's lar...

Another week, another wild series of events in the 2024 presidential race. This time, the Democratic ticket was entirely upended, and Kamala Harris all but wrapped up her position at the top.  To discuss how this affects gun politics, we've got National Review's Charles Cooke back on the show for the first time in a while. Cooke said that Harris has been to the left of her predecessor, Joe Bi...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about Kamala Harris' new role at the top of the Democratic ticket for November and what it signals for the party's stance on guns. We also cover the latest reported fundraising totals of the major gun advocacy groups and what they say about the relative stature of gun rights vs. gun control organizations. Finally, we wrap up with a rundown of the latest...

It has been just over a week since somebody shot and tried to kill Donald Trump. In that time, the RNC has come and gone. Gun policy was nowhere to be found. What does all that mean for the short and long-term prospects of the gun-rights movement? That's the question we've brought Bearing Arms editor Cam Edwards on to the show to help us answer. He's one of the best gun writers in the country, and...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the 2024 RNC coming to a close without so much as a single mention of gun policy and what that might mean for the politics of the gun rights movement. We then turn to a recapping of where things stand with the NRA in the second phase of its New York corruption trial. Finally we wrap up with a discussion of a new appeals court ruling upholding gun carry...

This week, we're turning our attention back to the National Rifle Association. Just as the nation's largest gun-rights group heads back to a Manhattan courtroom for the final phase of its civil corruption trial, one of the leading reformers on its board has made a last-ditch effort to intervene. Phil Journey joins the show to explain why he emailed Judge Joel Cohen seeking to join the trial separa...