This week, the ATF dropped the largest package of new gun rules in its history.

On Wednesday, the ATF got a new director and dozens of new gun rules to boot. The bureau announced 32 new rule proposals that directly implicate firearms in one way or another. Director Rob Cekada signed those rules in front of a collection of gun-rights groups--including our guest Kostas Moros's Second Amendment Foundation (SAF).

But, as Moros explains, the gun groups didn't necessarily know the exact details of what was included in the package. Even now, we still don't have the full text of the rules. Still, Moros said the information the ATF has released looks promising to SAF.

He acknowledged that none of the proposals are the kinds of big swings that the Biden Administration had taken, such as trying to reinterpret the Firearms Owners Protection Act to authorize nationwide concealed carry. But he argued that's a good thing because the rules that were proposed are more likely to stick--unlike the Biden rules, which struggled in court. He said gun-rights advocates who had proper expectations going into the ATF's announcement should be happy with what they're seeing.

Moros walked through the rules he thought would make the biggest impact, including one that might open up gun sales that don't require face-to-face pickup. He also discussed some of the proposals SAF is keeping its eye on for the details, including one that may make it more difficult for trans or non-binary people to buy guns.

Special Guest: Kostas Moros.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about the Senate's confirmation of Robert Cekada to be the ATF's new permanent director and his early participation in the agency's announced package of 34 new rules largely related to loosening gun restrictions. We also discuss the ongoing confusion over the legal status of Virginia's universal background check regime.

Stories:
-https://thereload.com/trump-atf-director-signs-34-gun-rule-changes-moments-after-bipartisan-confirmation/
-https://thereload.com/virginia-state-police-say-they-take-no-position-on-background-check-law-despite-alert-to-gun-dealers/
-https://thereload.com/scotus-turns-away-weed-and-guns-case-despite-doj-request/
-https://thereload.com/newsletter-atf-gets-new-director-dozens-of-new-rules/
-https://thedispatch.com/article/epstein-potential-gun-crimes/
-https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2026/04/29/maryland-supreme-court-strikes-down-local-gun-control-laws-n1232368
-https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/28/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-us/

This week, we're examining where the big push for new gun restrictions in Virginia has ended up.

The legislature has finished its job. So, we have fellow-Virginian and gun commentator Cam Edwards from Bearing Arms on the show to go over where things stand.

Lawmakers accepted seven of Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger's recommendations for changes to the gun bills they passed. However, she rejected two of her most significant changes, including one to the "assault firearms" ban. That means she will have to decide whether to sign or veto the original language she was sent.

Cam said animosity between the governor and legislative leaders may be part of the reason the House and Senate rejected her changes. However, he said it's unlikely she vetoes either bill as a result.

He also agreed the overall package is among the most aggressive any state has passed in a decade or more. Cam argued that could drag down the governor and her party's numbers, leaving an opening for Republicans to outperform in next year's elections. But he also said there's a good chance the legislature could come back and double down on even more gun restrictions before then.

Cam said the legal battle is where a lot of the short-term action in the fight over these bills is likely to happen. He noted there are real hurdles to victory for gun-rights activists, though, especially in federal court.

Special Guest: Cam Edwards.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the Virginia legislature's rejection of Governor Abigail Spanberger's suggested amendments to increase the restrictiveness of passed "assault firearm" and magazine bans. We also discuss the Trump administration's official reclassification of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and what it could mean for legal marijuana users who wish to own guns.

Stories:
-https://thereload.com/virginia-legislature-rejects-governor-spanbergers-requests-to-tighten-ammo-mag-restrictions-hospital-gun-ban/
-https://thereload.com/trump-administration-reschedules-marijuana-tells-scotus-no-impact-on-weed-and-guns-case/
-https://thereload.com/maryland-gun-dealer-to-pay-baltimore-2-million-in-ghost-gun-settlement/
-https://thereload.com/newsletter-virginia-gun-control-nears-final-form-as-legislature-rejects-governors-biggest-requested-change/

This week, we're doing a deep dive into the gun bills that have reached the final phase of the Virginia legislative process.

That process is pretty unique, with Governor Abigail Spanberger (D.) having a rare ability to change bills after they've already passed. To break down how that process works and what Spanberger is trying to accomplish, we have Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) President Philip Van Cleave back on the show.

The changes pushed legislation in both directions, but Van Cleave said VCDL was very angry with the overall suggestions Spanberger made. That's because her recommendations to moderate a few gun bills were far less significant than those to double down on other restrictions. Specifically, he argued the changes Spanberger pushed for the "assault firearm" carry and sales ban were the most significant.

He said Spanberger's language change for what constitutes an "assault firearm" is confusing and could be read to be extremely expansive. He argued even if you take the most restrictive reading, the move would effectively ban the carry of the 15+ magazines the bill bans the sale of. That would be a substantial tightening of the proposed ban.

Still, Van Cleave said some of the changes Spanberger recommended will probably face at least some pushback from the Democratically-controlled legislature. For instance, her request to convert the 18-to-20-year-old handgun ban into an emergency measure that would go into effect immediately actually requires a 4/5ths vote of both houses to pass. Even her "assault firearm" ban changes could be doomed because she removed exemptions for retired and off-duty police, a powerful political force.

The legislature can only vote up and down on the overall changes in each bill, Van Cleave said. So, if they don't like one change, they have to reject them all.

Whatever makes it into law, though, Van Cleave said VCDL would challenge in court. He said the group is likely to go to state court to challenge, and he welcomes the possibility that the Department of Justice might file suit against the new gun bans in federal court.

Special Guest: Philip Van Cleave.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the changes requested by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger to the state's pending "assault firearm" ban and other major gun control bills. We also discuss a new ruling out of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upholding New York's ban on stun guns and tasers.

Stories:
-https://thereload.com/virginia-governor-sends-assault-firearms-ban-back-to-legislature-demands-expansion/
-https://thereload.com/spanberger-requests-stricter-hospital-gun-ban-from-virginia-legislature/
-https://thereload.com/federal-appeals-court-upholds-new-york-city-stun-gun-ban/
-https://thereload.com/newsletter-virginia-governor-pushes-to-further-tighten-new-gun-bans/

This week, we're looking at how the Department of Justice (DOJ) has performed on gun policy during the second Trump Administration and why Jeanine Pirro's newest legal filing could change the review.

To examine the DOJ's track record, we have the Second Amendment Foundation's Kostas Moros on the show. He has been willing to defend the administration's overall approach to gun policy and to criticize moves he believes are likely to produce significant setbacks. He argued that the DOJ has actually been as pro-gun as any in modern history.

In fact, he said a lot of the disappointment from online gun activists stems from bad expectation setting. He argued the DOJ was never likely to stop defending all federal gun laws, nor would that move guarantee the kind of gun-rights wins some believe it would. He also said the administration's moves to sue localities over alleged violations of the Second Amendment, as well as their efforts to back gun-rights challenges, even up to the Supreme Court, create a positive case for why it has been a good ally to gun-rights activists.

Still, Moros admitted the DOJ has been pretty all over the place in its arguments at times. And he further criticized a new legal filing that stands to undermine a serious breakthrough in the gun-rights movement's fight against magazine bans. He said Jeanine Pirro, who Donald Trump appointed as US Attorney for Washington, DC, and who he is reportedly considering making the Attorney General, intervened to ask a DC court to reconsider its ruling against the city's magazine ban.

Moros argued Pirro didn't need to say anything at all, given that she isn't actively defending the law, and that her filing makes it more likely the case will be reheard. That, he noted, could undermine the all-important circuit split on the question of magazine bans. Ultimately, Moros argued, that could keep the Supreme Court from settling the question and further sour gun activists' view of the administration.

Special Guest: Kostas Moros.

Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover a new ruling out the First Circuit Court of Appeals which held that waiting periods for gun sales do not even implicate the Second Amendment. We also discuss a New York federal judge's recent decision to toss a lawsuit filed by a licensed concealed carrier who was wrongfully arrested by NYPD officers who were unfamiliar with the city's gun laws.

Stories:
-https://thereload.com/federal-appeals-court-reinstates-maine-waiting-period-law/
-https://thereload.com/judge-tosses-war-heros-suit-against-nyc-over-mistaken-gun-arrest/
-https://thereload.com/analysis-jeanine-pirro-may-have-just-fumbled-a-long-sought-hardware-ban-circuit-split-for-gun-rights-activists/