The Weekly Reload Podcast

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 Writer Jake Fogleman and I got several questions on those fronts. Plus, a few on my time as a CNN contributor. We did our best to answer as many as we could.

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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 largest gun control groups.

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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 Biden, on firearms restrictions. He noted she supported a more assertive approach to using executive power, and she backed a mandatory buyback of AR-15s.

However, Cooke argued Harris probably wouldn't track further left on guns during the campaign. He said the incentive is to either stick with the already aggressive platform, centered on an "assault weapons" ban, or try to moderate. He said Harris is likely going to have to combat her image as a very liberal California politician if she wants to beat Donald Trump.

He said he was less concerned about Trump backing away from gun policy in recent weeks. He argued Democrats are highlighting the issue to try and excite voters they're concerned won't show up to the polls whereas Republicans don't have to worry as much about that because they've already accomplished a lot of pro-gun priorities in recent years.

Oh, and we talked a little bit about rollercoasters at the end for those interested lol.

Special Guest: Charles Cooke.

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 public remarks from the NRA's new executive vice president, a federal judge's decision to block the ATF's ban on Forced Reset Triggers, and a novel AI-based gun detection technology set to make its debut in the New York subway system.

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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 he brings a complementary but unique view of where this is all headed.

Cam argued the silence on the Second Amendment at the RNC was evidence the gun-rights movement's continued reliance on a single party for its influence is a real risk. However, he also said Trump's assassination attempt may not drive new gun restrictions like some others in American history have. And he argued the GOP's newfound skittishness toward gun politics could actually reverse if the race tightens than the other way around.

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Special Guest: Cam Edwards.

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 rights for young adults, Massachusetts' new omnibus gun control bill, and the Ninth Circuit's decision to vacate yet another Second Amendment ruling.

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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 separately from the NRA and the Attorney General's office.

He argued that neither the NRA's lawyers nor the AG truly represented him or the NRA's membership. He said the judge should remove the Brewer firm from representing the group, and he should listen to what NRA members want over what the AG wants. Journey said he had been encouraged when candidates he backed won most of the leadership elections a few months back, but he grew disillusioned with how things have played out since then.

Journey admitted the intervention request is a long shot, but he felt it was still the best way forward. He accused new NRA President Bob Barr of withholding committee appointments to try and control reformers--something Barr and the NRA deny. He argued the best path forward is for him to be able to argue his own point of view in court.

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Special Guest: Phillip Journey.

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 of the New York corruption verdict. Finally, we wrap up with a quick discussion of a new ruling striking down the gun ban for illegal immigrants, a gun rights challenge to New York's body armor ban, and the advent of ammunition vending machines in grocery stores.

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 two weeks ago to give his interpretation of what the opinion means for future gun cases. It's also why we have Bruen critic and Pepperdine University law professor Jake Charles on the show this week to give his take. We think it's important to give you guys insight from several different perspectives on important developments like this. That way, you're best informed about what's going on and can make up your own mind.

Like Kopel, Charles's writing seemed to have a direct impact on the Rahimi ruling itself. Charles has been critical of the Bruen test's reliance on analogizing historical laws to modern regulations since the Court handed it down back in 2022. One of his primary complaints is that the lack of a certain regulation for a societal issue faced during the Founding Era implies that regulation is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Some of the justices, including Amy Coney Barrett, appeared to agree with that critique in Rahimi.

Charles also agreed with Justice Clarence Thomas on how the majority seemed to be rejecting the Bruen test--at least to some degree. But he wasn't sure how much of a seachange the ruling would create in the lower courts. And he argued the Court will probably have to take up more Second Amendment cases to answer many of the questions Rahimi left unanswered.

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Special Guest: Jake Charles.

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.

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