The Weekly Reload Podcast

Stephen Gutowski
  • 4.8 (89)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast from The Reload that offers sober, serious firearms reporting and analysis. It focuses on gun policy, politics, and culture. Tune in to hear from Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski and special guests from across the gun world each week.

  1. 12h ago

    Where SCOTUS Has Come on Guns and Where It's Going in the AR Ban Case (ft. Stephen Halbrook)

    The Supreme Court has taken up a Second Amendment challenge to a pair of AR-15 sales bans. It's one of the most consequential in the Court's history of gun cases. To discuss it, we have someone who has been around for that entire history and played a major role in shaping the Court's Second Amendment jurisprudence. Lawyer Stephen Halbrook joins the show to explain that history and provide insight into how it will likely rule in the AR case. Halbrook said the legal landscape was very different when he first started studying the issue. At that time, the idea that the Second Amendment protects much of anything was out of favor with the lower courts. Instead, he said, the collective-right formulation was the most widely accepted. He noted it was a fairly small cohort of lawyers and academics that changed the legal landscape on the Second Amendment. He said the individual-rights formulation caught on quickly and culminated in the 2008 DC v. Heller decision. From there, the Court incorporated the Second Amendment right to own guns to the states in McDonald v. Chicago and then recognized the right to carry outside the home in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. Halbrook said the Court added to its pro-gun precedents in the two cases it decided this year, and he expects it'll do the same again when it decides the AR-15 ban. He also provided some specific insight into why he believes the Court will go that direction and which justices are the ones to watch. Special Guest: Stephen Halbrook.

    52 min

  2. 3d ago

    SCOTUS Takes AR-15 Ban Challenge as Virginia Ban Goes Into Effect

    Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the US Supreme Court finally agreeing to review the constitutionality of bans on AR-15s and similar rifles next term. We also provide a status update on Virginia's new ban on those same weapons, which officially went into effect despite multiple court injunctions. Plus, we hear from a Reload Member with a fascinating background! Stories: -https://thereload.com/supreme-court-to-decide-constitutionality-of-ar-15-bans/ -https://thereload.com/experts-expect-supreme-court-to-strike-down-ar-15-bans/ -https://thereload.com/virginia-assault-firearms-ban-takes-effect-amid-murky-legal-situation-soaring-gun-sales/

    1h 4m

  3. Jun 29

    The Lawyer Who Slayed the 'Vampire Rule' Explains SCOTUS Gun Ruling (Ft. Alan Beck)

    This week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) struck down Hawaii's broadest gun-carry restriction. To discuss the outcome of the case, we have the lawyer who won it on the show. Wolford v. Lopez was Alan Beck's first case at SCOTUS, and it turned into his first win. He said he was very happy with where the Court came down and sees it opening several new avenues for Second Amendment challenges. Beck said the majority sided with his view of Hawaii's requirement that anyone carrying a gun get explicit permission to enter publicly accessible private property, which he explained critics have dubbed the "Vampire Rule" because vampires also need permission to enter. He said the Court performed the Bruen test the way he asked and expected, by treating step one as a simple filter rather than an exhaustive historical review. Then they examined and rejected Hawaii's use of anti-poaching laws (and even a Black code) as historical analogues for its modern law. He rejected the contention from several justices and outside commentators that the majority significantly changed the Bruen test, especially at step one. He said the Court did the test in line with how it had previously done it. Although, he argued many lower courts had been misapplying that step, and the Court walking through step one in more detail than before could be in response to that. Beck said, even without the Court changing its test, further clarifying how to do step one could upend several recent lower-court cases. He noted how new the Court's Second Amendment jurisprudence is, and said people shouldn't expect every new case to make massive new updates to its test. Instead, he said it will likely take decades for the Court to fully flesh out the Second Amendment, just as it did with the First. He also revealed what direction and new cases he plans to pursue in the wake of the Court's latest Second Amendment holdings. Beck said he's already started working on getting Hawaii to change some of its other gun restrictions. Special Guest: Alan Beck.

    1h 1m

  4. Jun 26

    SCOTUS Stakes Hawaii ‘Vampire Rule,’ Judge Blocks Virginia AR-15 Ban

    Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I cover the Supreme Court's new ruling in Wolford v. Lopez, where the Court held that Hawaii may not legally ban licensed gun carry on publicly accessible private property by default. We also discuss the new injunction issued by a Virginia judge against the state's AR-15 ban just days before it was set to take effect.  Stories: -https://thereload.com/supreme-court-strikes-down-hawaii-vampire-rule/ -https://thereload.com/state-judge-blocks-virginia-assault-firearm-sales-ban/ -https://thereload.com/doj-sets-sights-on-california-glock-ban-handgun-roster/ -https://thereload.com/federal-judge-allows-nra-to-continue-trademark-suit-against-its-foundation/

    1h 3m

  5. Jun 22

    NRA Faces New Financial Peril (Ft. OSU's Brian Mittendorf)

    This week, we're taking a look at the state of the National Rifle Association (NRA) as it faces what may be its biggest challenge yet. The NRA has survived 150 years, a corruption lawsuit, and a bankruptcy filing. But it is now staring down a potential crackup with the group's foundation attempting to split off. Ohio State University accounting professor Brian Mittendorf joins the show to explain just how much of a threat to the group's financial stability. Mittendorf said the battle between the foundation and the NRA membership organization, which recently escalated when the foundation's leadership dropped the NRA moniker from the group's name, could be catastrophic for both. The NRA houses most of the actual operations people associate with the group, but the foundation has long served as a key financial backstop. He argued that without it, the NRA could be back on the path to devastation, and without the NRA name, the foundation could struggle to raise new funds. He explained the complex, though not uncommon, financial setup behind the consolidated NRA, which actually involves seven different legal entities. Mittendorf said the foundation's large endowment and low expense structure have long been able to paper over some of the financial struggles of the membership organization. The NRA's latest report indicates the foundation houses nearly 70 percent of the combined organization's net assets and cash. Mittendorf noted that the NRA is still much larger than all of the other gun-rights groups combined, despite losing huge sums of members and revenue over the past half-decade. He said the group's latest annual report shows the NRA has also managed to staunch some of the bleeding and put itself on a more sustainable path. But, ultimately, he said the foundation fight threatens to undo any progress the group has made. Special Guest: Brian Mittendorf.

    50 min

  6. Jun 18

    SCOTUS Rules 9-0 on Gun Rights for Marijuana Users

    Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I break down the US Supreme Court's first major Second Amendment decision of the year in US v. Hemani, where the justices unanimously upheld the gun rights of a regular marijuana user. We also discuss the Court's rejection of several additional gun cases and cover the latest litigation against Virginia's "assault firearm" ban. Stories: -https://thereload.com/supreme-court-unanimously-rules-in-favor-of-pot-smoking-gun-owner/ -https://thereload.com/scotus-declines-two-second-amendment-challenges-against-new-york-relists-25-other-gun-case/

    52 min

  7. Jun 15

    Florida Waves White Flag on Gun Waiting Periods (Ft. Matt Larosiere)

    This week, we're talking about a new legal agreement that would end Florida's waiting periods on gun purchases. To discuss the ins and outs of the agreement, we have the gun-rights lawyer who negotiated it on the show. That's Matt Larosiere. He filed a Second Amendment suit against the law alongside Mountain States and the National Rifle Association. Larosiere said Florida's waiting periods, which can range up to five days in parts of the state and apply to all kinds of gun sales, are unconstitutional. He argued there is nothing in the historical record that looks like modern waiting periods, as required by the Supreme Court's Bruen standard. He also said the state can no longer justify them on the idea that they give law enforcement space to complete a background check. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R.) apparently agrees. Instead of defending the law, Uthmeier offered to agree to a judgment blocking its enforcement. He doesn't think there's a viable path to defend the law's constitutionality. That's been a bit of a trend for Uthmeier recently, as he also recently declined to appeal a ruling against the state's open-carry ban. Larosiere agreed the moves are symbolic of Florida's odd gun politics. After all, the state still has a number of gun restrictions rare in red states despite Republicans controlling the government for years and years. Special Guest: Matt Larosiere.

    55 min

  8. Jun 12

    Virginia Denies Individual Right to Arms in AR-15 Ban Case; DOJ Investigates Philly Over Gun-Carry Permit Revocations

    Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss a new filing from Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones in defense of the state's new "assault firearm" ban, where he claimed the Virginia state constitution does not protect an individual right to bear arms. We also cover the DOJ's latest Second Amendment investigation into the city of Philadelphia's pattern of subjective gun-permit revocations. Stories -https://thereload.com/analysis-how-virginia-is-defending-its-new-ar-15-ban-in-court-member-exclusive/ -https://thereload.com/doj-opens-second-amendment-investigation-into-philadelphia-police/ -https://thereload.com/supreme-court-turns-down-doj-appeal-in-non-violent-felon-gun-case/ -https://thereload.com/texas-senate-candidate-talarico-says-hed-break-with-democrats-on-guns-offers-no-specifics/

    1h 9m
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4.8
out of 5
89 Ratings

About

A podcast from The Reload that offers sober, serious firearms reporting and analysis. It focuses on gun policy, politics, and culture. Tune in to hear from Reload Founder Stephen Gutowski and special guests from across the gun world each week.

Information

  • Creator
    Stephen Gutowski
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    368
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Stephen Gutowski
  • Show Website
    The Weekly Reload Podcast

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