The Weekly Reload Podcast

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about the NRA's New York corruption case finally coming to an end after six years. We also discuss the Supreme Court's latest rejection of a Second Amendment case, the high-profile "Spirit of Aloha" Hawaii gun carry decision. We wrap up by covering the latest reports suggesting the United Healthcare CEO shooter used a 3-D printed gun and what that might mean for homemade gun enthusiasts.

This week, we're looking ahead at the next four years of gun policy. With Donald Trump coming back into office having already promised to fire the current ATF director, it's an open question of what he might do with the agency. That's why we have George Mason University Professor Robert Leider back on the show to hear his view of what moves gun-rights activists should pursue. Leider has studied the administrative side of gun policy. He argues it would be more effective for activists to push for a competent ATF leader to institute pro-gun reforms than to try to cripple the organization. He noted it's very unlikely legislation to disband the ATF or to repeal the underlying laws it enforces could pass Congress. He said the ATF's responsibilities could be moved to another federal law enforcement agency, like the FBI, but argued they could upset activists just as much, if not more. Leider believes Trump would be better off appointing a new director who understands how the agency operates. He said there are a lot of ways to affect federal gun policy without changing the underlying laws. That's because federal law specifically provides the agency with a lot of leeway on enforcement.Special Guest: Robert Leider.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I break down what we can glean about the UnitedHealthcare CEO's assassin based on surveillance footage of his gun. We also cover President Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter and what that means for Second Amendment challenges related to his gun crimes. We wrap up by discussing the trend of Trump's law enforcement cabinet picks having a history of supporting red flag laws, the US House of Representatives' new legal brief in Smith and Wesson's upcoming Supreme Court case, and what to make of new reports that Trump's relationship with the NRA has soured. Get 20% Off a Reload Membership: https://thereload.com/membership-sales/

A lot has happened since the last time we did a Q&A episode. So, this week we're answering Reload Member questions. Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman joins me in fielding a bunch of different topics. We cover everything from the status of the legal fight over "assault weapons" bans, to what Second Amendment case the Supreme Court might take next, to what Donald Trump's next administration will look like. We do our best to give as much insight as possible into where things currently lie and where they're headed. Reload Members, as always, give us a lot of great questions to work with!

This week, we're looking back at the 2024 election and forward at the next administration. To do that, we have Semafor's Dave Weigel on the show. He joined us shortly before the election to discuss each campaign's gun messaging. Now, he's back to sort through what worked, what didn't, and where things go from here. Weigel agreed there probably wasn't enough detailed evidence to suss out exactly how well each message performed. But he said the recent downturn in Democratic support for handgun bans is probably tied to Kamala Harris emphasizing her Glock ownership. However, the fact handgun bans are so unpopular to begin with probably underscores how much her history of backing such bans drug her campaign down. He also looked ahead at the new GOP-controlled federal government. Weigel said Donald Trump may be more motivated to undo what Joe Biden has done rather than push new gun-rights reforms of his own. He also said Congress is unlikely to pass significant new legislation but will be able to confirm a lot of pro-gun judges--though, he noted the GOP majority may be more fragile than it appears at first glance.Special Guest: Dave Weigel.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I break down new gun polling data from Gallup showing a massive decrease in support for a handgun ban amongst Democrats. We also unpack Gallup data showing a shrinking gender gap, but a widening partisan gap, among gun owners. Finally, we wrap up with a pair of significant gun-related state Supreme Court rulings out of Pennsylvania and Iowa dealing with state preemption and the ability to restrict gun rights for persons with a history of being involuntarily committed.

This week, we have a new Senate Majority Leader and are getting a clearer picture of what the next Congress will look like. But what will it do on gun policy? To answer that question, we have one of the preeminent congressional reporters on the show. Punchbowl co-founder John Bresnahan has been covering Congress for decades now. He knows all of the key players in Congress, including new Majority Leader John Thune. Bresnahan said Thune had the strongest pro-gun record of the three Senators who ran for the majority leader role. He said John Cornyn's role in negotiating the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act hurt him in the race and may even have made the difference since it was a very close vote. He argued the entire Republican Senate leadership is strongly pro-gun now. Still, Bresnahan doesn't necessarily believe there are going to be a lot of opportunities for pro-gun legislation in the next Congress. With a 53-vote majority and the filibuster likely to remain, there probably aren't any significant gun bills that can make it to President Donald Trump's desk.  However, there are other ways Congress could have a big impact on gun policy over the next eight years. He said the longest-lasting impact will likely come from judicial appointments, and he noted the GOP will probably control confirmations for all eight years of Trump's term.Special Guest: John Bresnahan.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover a significant new ruling out of Illinois, where a federal judge found that the state's ban on so-called assault weapons and large-capacity magazines is unconstitutional. We also cover the growing chorus of voices calling on President-elect Trump to dismantle President Biden's Office of Gun Violence Prevention, with the gun industry's trade group formally making the request this week. Finally, we mention the Senate Republican caucus' selection of South Dakota's John Thune for Majority Leader and what that says about gun policy.

We have the topline election results, but we don't know everything for sure yet. Many House and some Senate races have yet to be called. Still, what we do have is enough to give us a pretty good idea of what will be possible for gun policy under the new Republican Federal trifecta led by Donald Trump. That's why we've brought back Cam Edwards of Bearing Arms to help dissect what's likely from what's possible. Cam said if the Republican Senate majority lands somewhere between 52 and 53, as it seems likely to, and they hold an equally slim House majority, there is little reason to think major gun bills are coming in the near future. Although, he also agreed the larger the Senate majority, the greater the odds Republicans nuke the filibuster and open up more legislative possibilities--even if he doesn't like the idea or think it's likely to happen. Instead, Cam said the biggest movement on gun policy is likely to come through executive branch action. He predicted Trump would follow through on promises to undo the rules President Joe Biden has enacted, such as the pistol-brace and "ghost gun" bans. Same for firing Biden's ATF Director. Cam was less certain about how far Trump might go with appointing a new director or pursuing his own pro-gun rules. He argued judicial appointments are likely to be the most impactful moves Trump will make when it comes to gun policy. He said Trump may end up appointing several more Supreme Court Justices, who will serve for decades. Then, Cam gives his view on Trump's wild card nature and whether that could actually lead to some new gun restrictions as well. Or whether he's given up on trying to make any kind of deal with Democrats after the past four years. Free Dispatch trial here: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utm_source=thereload&utm_medium=partnerships-podcast&utm_campaign=0924Special Guest: Cam Edwards.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I breakdown what we know so far about the results of the 2024 election, including the likely balance of power in Congress. We cover what that might mean for gun policy and how the national gun groups did in influencing that outcome with their election spending. We also cover a couple of key gun-related down ballot races that broke in favor of gun-control advocates and discussed why guns likely played a marginal role this cycle. Free Dispatch trial here: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utm_source=thereload&utm_medium=partnerships-podcast&utm_campaign=0924