The Weekly Reload Podcast

This week, I talk to The Atlantic's Adam Sewer about how guns and race interact in America both historically and in the modern-day.

He talked about his recent back and forth with Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito over Texas's new abortion law. We disagreed over whether the same tactic of deferring enforcement to civil suits brought by regular citizens rather than government actors will be tried out by gun-control advocates in some parts of the country. He thinks it won't because activists fear review by the court, but I'm not so sure.

From there, we discuss the court's upcoming gun-carry case and the racist history of various gun-permitting laws in America. He explains why a majority of Black Americans support gun-control measures despite a widespread acknowledgment those laws will be disproportionately used against members of their community.

Then we talked about Beto O'Rourke's plans to run for governor in Adam's adopted home of Texas. We discuss the political practicality of Beto's famous pledge to take everyone's AR-15s and AK-47s. 

We also discuss the rise in minority gun ownership and what it means for the future of gun politics in America.

Plus, I give on-the-ground insight into the re-election of Wayne LaPierre to run the NRA. I was the only reporter sitting outside the board meeting where LaPierre faced his first challenge in years, and I give the details of what went down. And I share the latest gun sales numbers for 2021 now that they've passed 2019's full-year total.

Special Guest: Adam Serwer.

This week, Chris Cheng of Top Shot fame joins me on the show.

After winning the title back in 2012, Chris told me his life changed forever. He used to spend most of his time doing work for leading tech companies, including Google. He still works in the tech space, but much of his time is now dedicated to the gun space--especially gun activism.

He's worked with some of the most prominent gun-rights groups, and he's even testified on Capitol Hill. Now he's an advisor to the Asian Pacific American Gun Owners Association (APAGOA). His work as an Asian-American gun-rights advocate has made him the target of gun-control groups.

We talk about how the Violence Policy Center singled him out in its newest report decrying the growth in Asian-American gun ownership. We also talk about APAGOA helping train new gun owners in the Asian-American community, and it filed its first brief at the Supreme Court.

Then we talk about Chris's foray into the intersection between NFTs and firearms. He explains what an NFT (non-fungible token) is and how it could impact the future of the gun industry. Pretty fascinating stuff.

Plus, I give an update on the latest in the David Chipman saga. And I talk to a Reload member, who just became a gun owner for the first time recently, living in New Jersey.

It's a great episode. Give it a listen!

On this episode, I talk with Wendy Hauffen of San Diego County Gun Owners. She provides insight into what it's like to run an effective gun-rights organization at the local level.

She described how her group was able to persuade the sheriff to issue more concealed-carry permits. They were able to get him to change the policy even though a court challenge was unable to change the state's law.

We also talked about how the group has been able to bring women into the gun-owning community. She said the #NotMe program they run has already helped train 500 women and Hauffen said it is continuing to grow.

I also talk with contributing writer Jake Fogelman about the NRA's upcoming oversight meetings, and why it distanced itself from CEO Wayne LaPierre in court filings this week. Plus, Jake tells us about how California is now set to share the personal information of gun owners with researchers across the country.

Special Guest: Wendy Hauffen.

This week, I spoke with National Review's Senior Political Correspondent Jim Geraghty. As you might gather from his title, Jim has a lot of experience in covering and analyzing politics. He's also spent a good amount of time covering gun politics and, in particular, the National Rifle Association.

That's why I wanted to have him on to discuss the failure of President Joe Biden's ATF Director nomination. Jim also provides some key insight into what will likely come next in President Biden's efforts to install a director as well as his pursuit of new gun-control measures.

Jim also gave us his take on what's going on with the NRA and where the corruption charges levied against it in New York are headed.

Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogelman and I talk about the latest estimates on how many new gun owners have been created this year and what that means for the long-term future of guns in America. And we discuss the last two installments of my exclusive, in-depth interview with gun activist Rob Pincus.

Special Guest: Jim Geraghty.

On this episode, Virginia Citizen Defense League's (VCDL) president Philip Van Cleave joins the show to discuss his group's defamation suit against the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV).

He talks about why the group feels CSGV falsely labeling them a "domestic terror organization" is actionable and why VCDL believes it can reach the high bar to win a defamation case. He also discusses the upcoming elections in Virginia, what VCDL is doing to elect pro-gun candidates, and why they haven't endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Younkin.

I also talk to contributing writer Jake Fogelman about President Biden's decision to withdraw his ATF nominee after a series of exclusive reports from The Reload uncovered his questionable background.

Plus, I interview Reload Member John Mcadams about what got him into big game hunting and how the pandemic has driven new people to hunting.

Special Guest: Philip Van Cleave.

This week's guest is John Correia of Active Self Protection. He gives us a deep dive into what it's like to run a YouTube business with millions of followers. He also talks about why he takes a different, less-polarizing approach to making gun content for the internet.

John has been studying and breaking down deadly-force encounters caught on video for years now. His channel has become the premier place for evidence-based advice on how best to survive an attack. And he shares some of the biggest insights he's gained doing the endless research required to build his channel and Active Self Protection's unique training courses.

Contributing writer Jake Fogelman and I also give an update on the CDC"s new push to fund gun research and just how many guns were sold in August. Plus, I talk to Reload member Cal Davis about his background with guns and why he decided to subscribe!

Special Guest: John Correia.

On this week's episode, I talked to three members of Asian American and Pacific Islander Gun Owners leadership team.

Scott Kane, Bobby Yang, and Raphael Platte joined me to discuss the new group's recent range day as well as their concealed-carry permit protest event. The three are relative new comers to the world of gun-right activism but they've identified a need in the gun owning community and are trying to fill it. They talked about their efforts to engage with Asian-Americans interested in owning guns and what they plan to do moving forward to grow the group.

We also talked a bit about why a group specifically designed to appeal to Asian-Americans is necessary and how it can offer services and a form of community other groups can't or won't.

Scott talked about his family's run in with racist intimidation that inspired him to buy a gun at the begining of the pandemic. Bobby also gave insight into how this activism plays into the greater political awakening of Asian-Americans in the wake of rising hate crimes. Plus, the three talk about their shared background in the tech world and how that informs their activism.

Give it a listen. I think you'll really enjoy it!

Special Guests: Bobby Yang, Raphael Platte, and Scott Kane.

This week, I'm joined by Philip Smith who is the head of the National African American Gun Association.

He talks about President Joe Biden's (D.) nominee to head the ATF, David Chipman, and the allegations of racism levied against him by former agents. Smith says Chipman is the wrong man for the job and talks about why the acting director is a better pick.

Smith also responds to recent assertions that the Second Amendment itself is the result of racism. He also discusses the group's Supreme Court brief calling for the end of New York's restrictive "may-issue" concealed carry law due to the historically racist use of such laws. And he gives an update on the group's growth as well as the growth in black gun ownership over the past year.

Plus, I give an update on the horrific situation in Afghanistan including new gun confiscation efforts by the Taliban. And The Reload's newest contributing writer Jake Fogleman stops by to introduce himself!

Special Guest: Philip Smith.

This week, Wake Forest Professor David Yamane joined me to talk about the fascinating history of gun carry laws in America.

Professor Yamane has turned his attention to an under-researched area: the normal use of guns. While most academics focus their time studying the criminal use of firearms, David has focused on far more common uses of firearms in America. And one area he's focused on in particular is gun carry.

Gun-carry laws have evolved tremendously since the founding of the United States. And the changes have only accelerated in recent decades. But not many books have been written on the trend. David is the only one I'm aware of who has authored a deeply knowledgable but concise guide to American gun carry laws throughout history.

We discussed how Tombstone, Arizona's gun-carry laws have changed dramatically from the days of the shootout at the OK Corral to today. And we get into where gun-carry laws are now headed.

Plus, I give an update on the new allegations of racism levied by a black former agent against President Joe Biden's ATF director nominee. And major media's perplexing silence on the matter.

Special Guest: David Yamane.

On this episode, I talk to David Harsanyi of National Review about the many recent developments in David Chipman's nomination to lead the ATF.

A firestorm has decended on D.C. and The Reload's reporting on Chipman has been at the center of it. Things have moved quickly over the past week. So, I wanted to bring on Harsanyi to analyze what's going on because he is one of the top gun columnists out there. And he knows how D.C. politics actually work in real life.

He gave some talked about how reactions from Democrats, the White House, and the media give insight into what direction Chipman's nomination is headed. And it doesn't look good for him.

I also give an update on where gun sales are at in 2021 versus the all-time highs of 2020. Are we reaching a new normal? If so, what does that look like?

Special Guest: David Harsanyi.