The Weekly Reload Podcast

The midterm elections just returned a sweeping victory for Democrats. On this episode, we're going to examine what that means moving forward--especially for gun policy. To do that, we have Semafor's Dave Weigel on the show. He's one of the most connected and insightful political reporters in America.  He said the midterms were a bigger win for Democrats than even competent political analysts expected. The gun-money fight was more lopsided than expected, too. And the outcome puts the political influence of the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the gun-rights movement writ large, further in doubt. Weigel argued the NRA was partially a victim of its own success, though. He said Democrats may support measures like "assault weapons" bans, but they are unlikely to have the ability or even political will to enact them. He said guns are a policy area where, without a major mass shooting to motivate action, Democrats are likely to put little emphasis. Still, he agreed that they may push for the same sort of measures Republicans managed to pass over the last two years. Weigel said he wouldn't be surprised if Democrats tried to push to raise the National Firearms Act taxes through budget reconciliation--the same way Republicans cut them. But a lot will come down to how Trump and Democrats actually work with one another, or, more likely, don't. Weigel also looked ahead at the next elections. Just as he was bearish on the prospects that Democrats pass a lot of new gun restrictions, he was bearish on the prospects that Trump regains popularity or that Republicans recapture Congress in two years.Special Guest: Dave Weigel.

Reload Reporter Julie Miller and I examine the outcome of the midterms, especially the key gun races. We discuss how badly the gun-rights movement got outraised and outspent by the gun-control groups and how much success the latter had on election night. We also cover the departure of two key Department of Justice officials and why it's harder to predict the future of gun policy in the Trump Administration. Links: -https://thereload.com/analysis-the-future-of-federal-gun-policy-just-got-a-whole-lot-murkier-member-exclusive/ -https://thereload.com/midterm-blowout-sees-gun-control-advocates-win-nearly-every-race-they-spent-in/ -https://thereload.com/democrats-flip-five-state-governments-expanding-control-in-gun-policy-battlegrounds/ -https://thereload.com/analysis-with-atf-chief-counsel-leaving-will-gun-rules-stall-member-exclusive/Special Guest: Julie Miller.

We're right up on the eve of the 2026 midterm elections. The fundamentals of the races are locked in. All that's really left to do now is sit back and watch what happens. To figure out exactly where gun owners should be looking, especially as the votes are counted, we have Bearing Arms editor Cam Edwards on the show. He said there are several key East Coast races he's going to be following as potential indicators for how the night will unfold. Cam pointed to his own congressional district, Virginia 5, as an example of one--an interesting pick since it's a R+15 district. Cam argued the party dynamics of gun politics didn't change much during the midterms. Republicans nearly universally ran as pro-gun, and Democrats ran on more restrictions. He agreed that many swing or even red state Democratic candidates, like James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed, are running on surprisingly strict gun-control positions but doubted that was out of line with other recent elections. Cam also argued the gun-control groups outspending gun-rights groups was important but the culmination of a long-term trend. He noted that the spending hasn't made guns the top issue in many races, and even Democrats who've stood on further left gun positions haven't made the issue a prominent one in their races. In fact, he said there are very few races that center gun politics. He primarily pointed to the handful of direct ballot questions on guns and the Texas congressional race that guntuber Brandon Herrera is running in. Cam said those will be perhaps the most straightforward read on what the election tells us about gun politics.Special Guest: Cam Edwards.

Reload Reporter Julie Miller and I discuss a new Department of Justice filing that says they plan to send some ATF personnel to monitor elections on Tuesday. Then we look at new election fundraising and spending numbers from the gun groups. Everytown continues to dominate thanks to new cash infusions from billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Links: -https://thereload.com/doj-says-atf-will-help-monitor-midterm-elections/ -https://thereload.com/everytown-banks-millions-more-as-bloomberg-boosts-texass-talarico-through-big-gift-to-another-group/ -https://thereload.com/analysis-everytown-outraises-even-previous-presidential-cycles-member-exclusive/Special Guest: Julie Miller.

This week, we're taking a deep dive into the murky waters of National Firearms Act (NFA) mirror laws. While an injunction has blocked enforcement of much of the NFA for a lot of people and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has voluntarily decided not to enforce those parts for anyone, state laws may still make NFA registration necessary for many. People in states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, and many others who want to buy silencers, short-barreled shotguns and rifles, as well as Any Other Weapons (AOWs) are directly impacted. So, we have a firearms lawyer practicing in several of those states on the show to explain the situation. Gilbert Ambler runs a law firm that practices across several East Coast states and specializes in firearms law. He also runs The Commonwealth's Gun Rights channel on YouTube. He's handled cases involving NFA mirror laws, and he sees several issues people in states with them will face if they want to buy any of the affected NFA items. First, Ambler said these mirror laws have historically been pretty dormant. But he agreed that they'd taken on new importance given the movement at the federal level. He said there's no clear count of how many NFA mirror laws exist since states tend to only regulate some NFA items and don't always regulate the same ones--although, he said some estimates put the number around 15. Ambler noted that states also differ in how they word their mirror laws. Some, like Virginia, simply refer to owners needing to comply with federal law while others, like Pennsylvania, specifically say they need to comply with the NFA. But he argued the most important difference isn't necessarily in wording, but in the legal status of the owner: those directly covered by the Silencer Shop v. ATF injunction are on firmer ground when bypassing NFA registration than those only covered by the ATF's voluntary non-enforcement decision.Special Guest: Gilbert Ambler.

Reload Reporter Julie Miller and I look at the biggest donation Everytown's Super PAC has ever received. Unsurprisingly, it came from billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The $22 million drop put Everytown into record fundraising territory. But we also looked at how polling indicates guns aren't dominating these midterms and another billionaire is putting far more money into the election. Then we discuss a new ruling striking down New York's first-of-its-kind body armor ban. Links: -https://thereload.com/bloomberg-pours-tens-of-millions-into-everytown-as-it-announces-another-3-million-midterm-ad-buy/ -https://thereload.com/analysis-everytown-blows-past-previous-midterm-fundraising-record-gun-rights-rivals-member-exclusive/ -https://thereload.com/home-stretch-polling-suggests-gun-policy-a-low-priority-headed-into-election-day/ -https://thereload.com/federal-judge-strikes-down-new-york-ban-on-civilian-body-armor-sales/Special Guest: Julie Miller.

This week, we're previewing how gun politics may impact the upcoming midterm elections. To do that, we have Semafor's Burgess Everett back on the show. He serves as the publication's congressional bureau chief. And he's one of the most knowledgeable political reporters out there. He also broke news of the most recent Giffords $10 million ad buy. He said they're going after vulnerable Republicans, but not necessarily all of them. Everett said the group plans not to attack some of the remaining Republicans who backed the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, like Maine Senator Susan Collins. He said guns aren't playing a major role in the election on either side of the aisle, though. Democrats are focused on opposition to President Donald Trump, and many purple state candidates don't seem to feel pressure to moderate on issues like gun policy. Trump hasn't done much to tout the pro-gun accomplishments of his second term either and skipped the issue entirely during his midterm convention. Still, the issue could tip some key races. And Everett said it's sure to get some focus in the next Congress. If Democrats do control both houses after the election, he said there's an underrated chance that they and Trump could strike a deal on some kind of gun bill--they almost did back in 2019 after all.Special Guest: Burgess Everett .

I detail Florida's decision on how it plans to enforce, or not enforce, its National Firearms Act (NFA) mirror law. Then I discuss the National Rifle Association's new ad in the Texas Senate race. And I discribe how a new filing from the Department of Justice in a different gun-rights case says about its thoughts on the scope of the NFA injunction. Links: -https://thereload.com/florida-announces-residents-dont-need-atf-approval-for-silencers-short-barrel-shotguns/ -https://thereload.com/analysis-dojs-attempt-to-moot-under-21-handgun-case-implicates-nfa-injunction-member-exclusive/ -https://thereload.com/podcast-atf-director-chief-counsel-explain-new-guidance-on-silencers-sbrs-member-early-access/

This week, we have the first interview with ATF Director Robert Cekada and Chief Counsel Robert Leider on their new guidance for how the agency will now handle the National Firearms Act (NFA). Director Cekada and Chief Counsel Leider laid out what the process will look like for legally buying, selling, and making things like silencers, short-barrel shotguns and rifles (SBR), and Any Other Weapons (AOWs) in the wake of Silencer Shop v. ATF. They said the ATF will treat all law-abiding Americans the same under the new guidance and won't enforce the enjoined sections of the NFA against anyone regardless of whether they are technically covered by the injunction. They said for most people, depending on the state they live in, buying a silencer or SBR would now be effectively identical to buying a gun that isn't regulated by the NFA: just pass a background check and pay. The pair also discussed what ATF expects from licensed gun dealers who sell the impacted NFA items. They said the ATF will also treat all dealers the same regardless of whether they are technically covered by the injunction. But they also said dealers will still need a Special Occupational Tax (SOT) designation to sell the items, even though they no longer need to fill out all of the traditional sales paperwork. Cekada and Leider cautioned that neither the injunction nor the ATF's guidance impacts state law, more than a dozen of which require ATF approval for residents to possess NFA items. They said the ATF doesn't have an alternative process for granting permission to possess NFA items, but will allow people to voluntarily continue registering NFA items in order to comply with state law. Cekada also published an open letter, and ATF released a frequently asked questions document that detail how ATF plans to handle the situation. Leider encouraged people to read those documents before reaching out to ATF for more information, but the pair also said they would be fielding more questions down the line.Special Guests: Robert Cekada and Robert Leider.

Reload Reporter Julie Miller and I dig into the latest Federal Election Commission filings that indicate the gun money race has gotten out of hand. Then we talk about how 1.1 million silencers have been sold in 2026. And we cover the Department of Justice throwing in the towel on handgun sales to adults under 21. Links: -https://thereload.com/gun-control-groups-dominate-midterm-fundraising-spending/ -https://thereload.com/silencers-sales-soar-past-1-1-million-in-2026/ -https://thereload.com/doj-moves-to-moot-under-21-pistol-sales-challenge-after-agreeing-with-gun-rights-plaintiffs/Special Guest: Julie Miller.