The Weekly Reload Podcast

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the GOP's first new platform in 8 years dropping almost all of the party's gun policy promises and what that means for the future of gun voters. We also discuss newly released NRA documents revealing the true extent of the group's membership decline and the ongoing arguments surrounding its attempts to avoid punishment and further reform in the wake...

In Rahimi, the Supreme Court recently handed down its first application of the Bruen test for Second Amendment cases. With the Court passing on new Second Amendment cases and remanding several in its final conference of the term, its opinion in Rahimi will be the thing most lower courts look to for guidance during at least the near future. That's why we had pro-gun scholar David Kopel on the show...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the Supreme Court’s refusal to take up any new Second Amendment cases ahead of next term. We then turned to a discussion of whether the demise of the Chevron doctrine makes any difference in gun rights lawsuits. Finally, we wrap up by covering a pair of novel California gun laws that went into effect this week. Click this link for your free trial fro...

This week, we've got a guest coming to us straight from the middle of a war zone. Tim Mak joins the show from Kyiv, Ukraine. He's an experienced war correspondent who has worked for leading news outlets and founded his own independent publication just over a year ago to cover the war in Ukraine on the ground. The Counteroffensive publishes original reporting from inside the country and recently pr...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the lack of discussion on gun policy during the first Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. We also cover the ongoing fallout from the Supreme Court's Rahimi decision, including Justice Thomas' dissent and the DOJ's request for more clarity from the Court on gun rights for felons. Finally, we discuss the NRA's improved political fun...

The Supreme Court handed down its first Second Amendment ruling in two years on Friday. It's also the first case where The Court applied the test it developed in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. Those facts alone mean US v. Rahimi will hold a great deal of influence on gun cases across the nation. So, we've got one of the top pro-gun scholars in the country on the show to brea...

I detail the latest Supreme Court Second Amendment ruling on this week's episode of the News Update. Then I talk about President Biden's new gun control ad and the risk vs. reward of his strategy in centering his call for new firearms restrictions as the election nears. I also go over an on-the-ground report from The Counteroffensive out of Ukraine about a new effort to bring the war-torn country...

This week, a jury found the President's son guilty of federal gun felonies. We've got one of the country's best and most prolific gun writers on the show to discuss that development. Cam Edwards is the editor of Bearing Arms and the host of Cam and Company. He said he wasn't surprised by Hunter Biden's conviction but wasn't necessarily celebrating it. He said the evidence against Hunter was formid...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I walk through the Supreme Court's ruling striking down the ATF's bump stock ban as unlawful. We also discuss what the ruling might mean for President Biden's gun executive orders and what it might say about the Justices' appetite for striking down machine gun bans. Plus, we cover the interesting politics of a gun tax ballot initiative set to go before Colorad...

This week, we're discussing the new restrictions YouTube has put on gun content. That's why we've got the head of one of the largest gun channels on the platform. John Correia runs Active Self Protection, which has generated over 1.8 billion views on videos analyzing real-world self-defense encounters. He's also spent nearly a decade dealing with YouTube's varied and often vague moderation guideli...

This week, we saw the first felony conviction of a former president. Obviously, the verdict will have all sorts of complications and consequences for Donald Trump. One of them is the fact he'll now be a prohibited person. He won't be allowed to buy or even possess guns. To discuss the details of what that will look like, we have federal litigator and legal commentator Gabriel Malor on the show. He...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss Donald Trump’s 34 felony convictions and what they mean for his position as the gun rights candidate in the 2024 Presidential election race. We also talk about the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in favor of the NRA’s free speech claims against New York officials. Plus, we cover the narrow loss of a prominent guntuber who tried to unseat an incumben...

This week, we're talking to one of the men who led the effort to reform the NRA from within. Phillip Journey has been an outspoken critic of the corruption that unfolded at the gun group during Wayne LaPierre's tenure, and he's been trying to fix the problems from within for nearly half a decade now. That work appears to be coming to fruition now. He and other reformers propelled alternative candi...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss my time in Dallas covering the 2024 NRA Annual Meeting, where reformers had major success in getting their preferred candidates into top leadership positions. We also discuss what the leadership turnover says about the group's ability to reform itself moving forward, especially in light of its latest financial reports showing continued budget and fun...

This week, we have one of the most successful Second Amendment litigators on the show to talk about the surprising outcome of his latest case. Hawaii legalized the possession and open carry of most bladed weapons a few days ago. That came as a bit of a shock to Second Amendment activists in the state, including our guest Alan Beck. While he had already won a ruling against the state's butterfly kn...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss my upcoming trip to Dallas to cover the 2024 NRA Annual Meeting and what signs to look for to determine if the group will make substantive reforms or stay its current course. Plus, we discuss the latest in the Dexter Taylor case after a Brooklyn judge sentenced the engineer to 10 years in prison for his hobby of self-manufacturing firearms. We also c...

This week, we're doing a guest swap. I was on The Dispatch Live with Kevin Williamson a few days ago. So, he graciously agreed to join me on The Weekly Reload Podcast. We covered some ground on where the gun-rights movement stands today on his show, but there was a lot left to get at. Will Trump turn away from gun-rights activists like he did with pro-lifers? What does it say about that movement t...

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss The Reload's exclusive reporting on NRA President Charles Cotton's private jet travel. We also talk about Hunter Biden's federal gun charges being upheld by a federal appeals court. Plus, we cover the failure of an "assault weapon" ban in Colorado, a bill going after Glock handguns in New York, and the latest in a Texas congressional primary soaked i...

This week, we're talking about a new effort to reduce gun suicides.  That's why we have shooting champion Chris Cheng on the show. The winner of Top Shot season four is trying to raise money for mental health screenings and treatment. He is matching up to $5,000 of small-dollar donations in an effort to raise $100,000 for Walk The Talk America (WTTA). WTTA is a grassroots effort to try and re...

Host Jake Fogleman and I discuss the Biden administration's new rule to restrict firearms exports. We also talk about the Fifth Circuit's ruling upholding enhanced background checks for 18-to-20 year olds and why the results of the latest NRA board elections suggest the members are pushing for change. Plus, we cover my new piece in The Dispatch and my appearance on CNN talking about Tennessee's ne...

The Supreme Court has decided to take up another gun case. Although, it's another one that doesn't touch on the Second Amendment. This time, the Court will decide if the ATF's rule restricting unfinished frames and receivers is an unlawful overreach of the agency's power.  Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, joins the show to give us his insight into this case...

Host Jake Fogleman and Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski discuss an NRA board member pitching Donald Trump Jr. to become the group's new leader. Meanwhile, FEC records show the group continues to be outraised by gun control advocates. Plus, they cover the ongoing permitless carry push in North Carolina and the continued spread of gun store MCC bans in red states.

The murder rate is falling again, and mass shootings have been absent so far this year. This is good news, but it's also a bit confusing. Why is the murder rate dropping after several years of increasing? Is the same effect happening with mass shootings? Does the data show the two are connected? That's why we've got data analyst Jeff Asher back on the show. He runs AH Datalytics and collects his o...

Host Jake Fogleman and Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski discuss Maine's new waiting period and background check laws, a new Iowa Bill allowing armed teachers, and an update on Colorado's push to ban "assault weapons." They also cover a new industry study showing the popularity of so-called large-capacity magazines, and why the government of Washington D.C. just settled its lawsuit against the NRA.

This week, we're doing something a bit different. I've been working with the National Journalism Center for a long time. They have a great program to train up and coming reporters. And we've been doing a range day as part of that training in recent years. So, the program's director T. Becket Adams joined me on the show to discuss what our gun reporting lesson looks like. He also gave his assessmen...