Episodes

  • SCOTUS Sidesteps More Gun Cases; How Chevron’s Demise Impacts Firearms Litigation

    SCOTUS Sidesteps More Gun Cases; How Chevron’s Demise Impacts Firearms Litigation
    Jul 3 2024
    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 from our sponsor The Dispatch: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utmsource=newsletter&utmmedium=email&utm_campaign=reload0624
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    50 mins
  • The Push to Codify Ukrainian Gun Rights (Ft. The Counteroffensive's Tim Mak)

    The Push to Codify Ukrainian Gun Rights (Ft. The Counteroffensive's Tim Mak)
    Jul 1 2024
    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 profiled the man behind an effort to install gun-rights protections in the nation's law. Mak said the effort has made significant progress. Legislation to legalize civilian gun ownership has already made it through a first read in the Ukranian parliament. He said it has a lot of support within President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's party. Much of that support is driven by Maryan Zablotskiy, who talks a lot like American gun-rights activists and has cultivated relationships inside the American conservative movement. But Mak said he's not the only one in Ukraine whose opinion on gun ownership has been changed after facing the brutal reality of the Russian invasion. Still, he noted not everyone agrees, and there is an active debate over what regulations on civilian guns should remain. Click this link for your free trial from our sponsor The Dispatch: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utmsource=newsletter&utmmedium=email&utm_campaign=reload0624 Special Guest: Tim Mak.
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    38 mins
  • First Presidential Debate Skips Gun Policy; More Fallout From SCOTUS Second Amendment Ruling

    First Presidential Debate Skips Gun Policy; More Fallout From SCOTUS Second Amendment Ruling
    Jun 28 2024
    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 fundraising numbers, its tone shift on gun rights for felons, the ATF's improved approval times for suppressors, and a Georgia jury's decision to find gunmaker SIG liable for negligent discharges. Follow this link for your free trial at The Dispatch: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utmsource=newsletter&utmmedium=email&utm_campaign=reload0624
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    47 mins
  • 2A Scholar David Kopel Reacts to Major Supreme Court Ruling

    2A Scholar David Kopel Reacts to Major Supreme Court Ruling
    Jun 24 2024
    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 break down what The Court did and didn't hold. Independence Institute's David Kopel has been at the forefront of the Second Amendment fight for decades, with citations in federal court decisions coast to coast and at the Supreme Court itself. He also filed a brief in Rahimi that appears to have significantly influenced the majority's thinking. Kopel lays out the good, bad, and ugly of the ruling that upheld the domestic violence restraining order gun ban. He said he wasn't surprised The Court upheld Rahimi's conviction, given a lower court found him dangerous. He also agreed with some of the warnings about how the majority loosened the standard for the Bruen test that Justice Clarance Thomas included in his lengthy dissent. However, Kopel said he was overall pleased with the Rahimi decision's outcome. He argued it gave credence to future challenges to the same law by defendants who don't have the same lengthy criminal record as Rahimi did. He also predicted how the case might impact other Second Amendment cases pending in the lower courts. Follow this link for your free trial at The Dispatch: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utmsource=newsletter&utmmedium=email&utm_campaign=reload0624 Special Guest: David Kopel.
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    46 mins
  • Supreme Court Upholds Domestic Violence Restraining Order Gun Ban; Biden Bets on Gun Control

    Supreme Court Upholds Domestic Violence Restraining Order Gun Ban; Biden Bets on Gun Control
    Jun 21 2024
    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 its own version of the Second Amendment. Follow this link for your free trial at The Dispatch: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utmsource=newsletter&utmmedium=email&utm_campaign=reload0624
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    31 mins
  • Hunter Biden's Gun Convictions and the NRA's New CEO (Ft. Bearing Arms' Cam Edwards)

    Hunter Biden's Gun Convictions and the NRA's New CEO (Ft. Bearing Arms' Cam Edwards)
    Jun 17 2024
    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 formidable and noted the vast majority of federal charges that make it to trial end in a guilty plea or conviction. Still, he questioned the underlying law that Hunter was convicted on. He said the First Son has a real chance at a successful Second Amendment challenge. Cam also gave us insight into his recent interview with new NRA CEO Doug Mills. It was one of Mills's first long-form interviews, and Cam said the venue sent as much of a message as anything they discussed. That's because Cam has been a vocal critic of the mismanagement and corruption of the gun group's previous leadership. Still, Cam said he was also encouraged by what Mills did say about his commitment to transparency and change. But he is also hoping to see more concrete signs of movement from the NRA before fully returning to the fold. Special Guest: John Correia.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Supreme Court Strikes Down Bump Stock Ban

    Supreme Court Strikes Down Bump Stock Ban
    Jun 15 2024
    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 Colorado voters this fall and recap my experience at the National Journalism Center's range day. Follow this link for your free trial at The Dispatch: https://thedispatch.com/join-offer-reload/?utmsource=newsletter&utmmedium=email&utm_campaign=reload0624
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    40 mins
  • YouTube Further Restricts Gun Videos (Ft. Active Self Protection's John Correia)

    YouTube Further Restricts Gun Videos (Ft. Active Self Protection's John Correia)
    Jun 10 2024
    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 guidelines. The new rules primarily target creates who build their own firearms or use automatic fire in video. But they also affect anyone who uses "high capacity" magazines in their videos, without explaining what meets that standard. Correia said he's not sure how much of an impact the new rules will have on his channel, which already sees its content age-gated on a regular basis. But he argued they would probably have a significant effect on some of the largest gun channels on the platform. He also argued YouTube has a right to police its website as it pleases, but the company bowing to pressure from gun-control groups and politicians made the move more concerning. He explains how Active Self Protection deals with the constant problem of social media moderation, given its incredible impact on the business. Correia said the company has spent more time and effort building out its own operations to supplement the revenue it brings in from YouTube. He argued that was the only practical way forward for many creators who focus on topics social media companies tend to be squeamish about. Special Guest: John Correia.
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    55 mins