Gun Owners Radio

Democrats won the House and the Senate. So how bad is that for gun owners, and what can you actually do about it? You'll learn who showed up and why, why the courts and the Supreme Court now matter more than ever, why the next two years depend on who shows up at hearings, and what the numbers say about San Diego County. Michael Schwartz, Alisha Curtin and Dakota Adelphia go through the 2026 midterms from a Second Amendment point of view: the turnout, Texas electing a Democrat governor, Harmeet Dhillon leaving the Justice Department, Steve Hilton's loss in California, and the local races San Diego County Gun Owners endorsed in. Then former La Mesa City Councilman Barry Jantz breaks down the San Diego numbers, including why California takes a month to count and why the late ballots broke differently this year. CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome: not as bad as it looks? 2:36 The fascism rhetoric vs. the results 6:11 A big loss and no riots 10:57 Turnout: the number that decided this election 20:23 What actually got people to vote 25:01 Why voter fraud talk hurts our side 27:11 San Diego County turnout 33:05 Blue wave, or something less? 39:29 Why it's still bad for Second Amendment policy 40:26 A letter to gun owners: your rights were never safe 45:04 Why donors and volunteers have dried up 48:40 Why local races change your life more 50:19 Harmeet Dhillon leaves the Justice Department 53:03 The Supreme Court and 2028 57:23 Steve Hilton and the California governor's race 1:06:06 What Becerra means for gun owners 1:08:49 The California propositions 1:09:48 You moved to Texas. Now what? 1:18:54 Brandon Herrera's loss 1:20:13 JD Vance blames the war 1:21:21 San Diego County races 1:29:12 Kristie Bruce-Lane vs. Mara Elliott 1:37:30 Barry Jantz on the numbers 1:38:34 Why California takes a month to count votes 1:42:55 How big was San Diego's turnout? 1:45:37 The 48th District after Prop 50 1:55:33 Democrats now hold all five San Diego seats 1:58:23 The 40th State Senate District 2:02:48 The mayors' races 2:05:19 What changed in La Mesa 2:10:51 Who did the work on each side 2:12:39 The one county race that went the other way 2:16:56 Voter ID and the billionaire tax 2:18:31 Close races and problem ballots 2:21:15 What to do now Get involved: San Diego County Gun Owners: https://www.sandiegocountygunowners.com/join Orange County Gun Owners: https://orangecountygunowners.com/join Inland Empire Gun Owners: https://www.inlandempiregunowners.com/join New episodes every Sunday. Subscribe and turn on notifications. https://gunownersradio.com #GunOwnersRadio #2A #SecondAmendment #GunRights #Election2026

Malcolm Gladwell told Oprah the Second Amendment was written to protect slavery. Was it? The founding record says no, and this episode walks through it. You'll learn where the right to bear arms actually came from, which states demanded it first and why, how slave patrols differed from militias, and how armed Black Americans protected their own communities through the Jim Crow era. Michael Schwartz talks with Stephen P. Halbrook, attorney, historian and author of The Founders' Second Amendment and America's Rifle: The Case for the AR-15, a book that matters more than ever with the Supreme Court hearing the AR-15 ban cases on December 2. https://www.stephenhalbrook.com/ Also this week: the Justice Department puts Glendale on notice over a CCW that costs about $2,000. Dakota takes six San Diego women to an all-women's 3-gun match. Michael counts every real school shooting since Columbine and gets 126, not 1,100. A man is caught on camera taking down El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells' campaign signs. How one local TV reporter covered three San Diego races. And Stump My Nephew: how many barrels did the Lancaster pistol have? Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Gun owner voter guides: San Diego: https://www.sandiegocountygunowners.com/voterguide/ Orange County: https://orangecountygunowners.com/voterguide/ Inland Empire: https://www.inlandempiregunowners.com/voterguide/ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 3:48 Welcome, with Alisha Curtin and Dakota Adelphia 6:11 The DOJ tells Glendale its $2,000 CCW is unconstitutional 10:16 Dakota and six San Diego women at an all-women's 3-gun match 25:40 Election Day is Tuesday: go vote 28:01 Malcolm Gladwell vs. Stephen Halbrook on the Second Amendment 36:19 Where the right to bear arms really came from 40:54 The first states to protect the right, and where they stood on slavery 47:23 Slave patrols were not militias 52:42 Armed self-defense in the civil rights era 1:02:12 America's Rifle and the AR-15 case at the Supreme Court 1:06:14 Judge Benitez 1:09:37 How many school shootings since Columbine? We counted 1:26:24 Caught on camera taking down a mayor's campaign signs 1:37:01 Media bias in three San Diego races 2:02:04 Stump My Nephew: the Lancaster pistol The full school shootings list: https://gunownersradio.com/school-shootings-since-1999-columbine/ New episodes every Sunday. Subscribe and turn on notifications. https://gunownersradio.com #GunOwnersRadio #2A #SecondAmendment #GunRights #ConcealedCarry

A dad with a carry permit stopped the Bend, Oregon school shooting minutes after it started, and the story left the national news almost as fast. What does that say about gun-free zones, and what would it cost to protect every school? You'll learn how the attack unfolded minute by minute, how a teacher and an armed parent ended it, and why two armed officers at every K-12 school would cost each taxpayer about $254 a year. Michael Schwartz walks through the Silver Rail Elementary attack, which killed three children and a teacher, with Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant, a combatives and armed-citizen trainer with more than 35 years of experience. Brian teaches Pistol Tactician in Alpine, California on November 14 and 15, 2026. Register: https://www.shootingclasses.com/thecompletecombatant/course/?courseId=6248 More from Brian: https://www.thecompletecombatant.com/ Also this week: Malcolm Gladwell told Oprah the Second Amendment was written to protect slave patrols, and Michael checks that against the historical record. A Maine congressional candidate answers a red flag question with a red herring. Brian Aitken of Topple, the ad network built for the gun industry (https://wearetopple.com/), on the New Jersey arrest and 7-year sentence that came from moving his own guns the way the state police told him to. And Stump My Nephew: one bolt-action rifle for everything, which caliber? CHAPTERS 0:00 Judge Benitez on why we have a Bill of Rights 3:00 Welcome, the 20K subscriber dinner, and go vote 10:02 The Bend, Oregon school shooting with Brian Hill 16:43 The teacher who fought back 17:52 The dad with a carry permit who stopped it 31:43 Why the story left the news so fast 35:51 Gun-free zones, armed guards and armed teachers 39:21 What two armed officers at every school would cost 46:19 Brian Hill's Pistol Tactician class in Alpine 49:45 In his own words: the dad who stopped the shooter 52:04 Malcolm Gladwell tells Oprah the Second Amendment was about slavery 1:10:19 A Maine candidate's red herring on red flag laws 1:23:14 Topple: ads for the gun industry, with Brian Aitken 1:34:07 Arrested in New Jersey for moving his own guns 1:54:57 Stump My Nephew: one bolt-action rifle, which caliber? Bearing Arms on Matt Dunlap: https://bearingarms.com/john-petrolino/2026/10/19/congressional-candidate-maine-backtracks-on-red-flag-law-n1234174 New episodes every Sunday. Subscribe and turn on notifications. https://gunownersradio.com #GunOwnersRadio #2A #ConcealedCarry #SelfDefense #GunRights

The Supreme Court hears Viramontes, the assault weapons ban case, on December 2. So what does the other side actually argue? Michael plays an interview with Everytown Law's top Second Amendment litigator and answers her point by point: "weapons of war," the six appeals courts that upheld bans, history and tradition, and a common-use argument that ends up making our case for us. Then Navy veteran Tate Adamiak, sentenced to 20 years after the ATF called his inert replicas and movie props machine guns, on the Sten replica the ATF lab rigged to fire one round, the raid with no warning, and the frozen accounts that left him "too rich" for a public defender. His full, uncut interview is on our channel as a Magnum Show episode. And Kostas Moros of the Second Amendment Foundation on the settlement that ends Contra Costa County's ban on red dots, weapon lights and single-action pistols like the 1911 for CCW holders. Also this week: what the ATF's new NFA guidance does and doesn't mean in California, Alisha on the difference between owning a gun and being ready to use it, Stump My Nephew on the FN Auto-5, and Sam on US v. Miller, the first big NFA case. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:38 What's that ring around a bullet? 1:05 Welcome, and the 20K Celebration Dinner 2:53 Friends of NRA Gun-A-Palooza, October 27 4:29 Inland Empire and Orange County voter guides are up 5:37 A mother and daughter on the San Diego ballot 7:00 The ATF's NFA guidance: what it means in California 8:53 This week on the show 10:27 The assault weapons ban case: what the other side says 26:48 Alisha: owning a gun isn't the same as being ready 28:31 Tate Adamiak: 20 years for replica guns, then a pardon 33:05 A collection of inert replicas 35:41 The Denix Sten the ATF lab forced to fire 37:47 Held at gunpoint on the way to work 40:05 The warrant: a cut-up barrel shroud 43:39 Assets frozen, then too rich for a public defender 48:58 What is a receiver? The rule changed four days after his arrest 51:45 Why did the ATF do it? 55:00 Kostas Moros: red dots, lights and 1911s back in Contra Costa 1:03:26 "It's not the courts, it's elections" 1:06:41 Viramontes on December 2, and what comes next 1:11:52 Stump My Nephew: the FN Auto-5 1:18:09 Sam Lichtman on US v. Miller, the first big NFA case THIS WEEK'S GUESTS Tate Adamiak, Navy veteran, pardoned September 2026 Kostas Moros, Second Amendment Foundation: https://saf.org Sam Lichtman: https://gunownersradio.com/blog MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE 20K Celebration Dinner, Wed Oct 21, 6 PM, Elijah's, Clairemont Mesa. $20: https://gunownersradio.ticketspice.com/20k-celebration-dinner San Diego Gun-A-Palooza (Friends of NRA), Oct 27, 4 PM, BNS Brewing & Distillery, Santee. $20. Voter guides: https://sdcgo.org | https://orangecountygunowners.com | https://inlandempiregunowners.com Alisha Curtin, firearms instructor: https://sandiegoconcealedcarry.com Everytown interview we react to: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/supreme-court-takes-up-assault-weapons-ban-gun-control-attorney-predicts-a-win/vi-AA2dmhn4

At a Nebraska rally, President Trump said "let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego," and Governor Newsom called him deranged and dangerous. We read the full quote line by line. Michael says it was about gas prices and the media knows it. Dakota agrees on the meaning but says he still owes San Diego an apology. You decide. Then Lee Williams, the Second Amendment Foundation's investigative reporter, on Navy sailor Tate Adamiak. Tate was serving 20 years when Lee took his first call. Lee says he knew in two minutes Tate was innocent. Sixty stories later, Tate walked out with a presidential pardon, and Lee is now working through a list of about 20 more names. Also this week: blank ballots on a road in Alpine. John Petrolino on AMM-Con and GRPC. A dad, two daughters and a stranger at the froyo shop, and what the comment section got wrong about using force. The crew's best president debate, which you get to judge. And Stump My Nephew. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 3:44 Welcome, and the road to 20,000 subscribers 8:32 San Diego Gun-A-Palooza, October 27 10:05 Blank ballots on the road in Alpine: is it voter fraud? 20:44 Trump's "let them take out San Diego," in context 32:25 Dakota: he still owes San Diego an apology 55:05 Lee Williams: the reporter who got Tate Adamiak out 1:03:37 "I knew in two minutes he was innocent" 1:10:43 The toy Sten they called a machine gun 1:12:16 "The ATF is a predatory agency" 1:16:53 Two years of pressure, and a presidential pardon 1:25:56 20 more names 1:28:14 Lee Williams on journalism and AI 1:42:01 John Petrolino: AMM-Con and GRPC recap 1:59:14 Best president debate: Madison, Roosevelt, Coolidge, Eisenhower 2:26:13 A stranger at the froyo shop: what the dad got right 2:31:56 Pepper spray: between a harsh word and a gun 2:39:41 Pulling a gun to scare someone is brandishing 2:42:21 Don't comment anything you wouldn't show a jury 2:47:35 Stump My Nephew: the Vickers jungle mag THIS WEEK'S GUESTS Lee Williams, The Gun Writer, investigative reporter for the Second Amendment Foundation https://thegunwriter.substack.com https://saf.org Know of a case like Tate's? Lee's cell (call or text): 941-284-8553, or [email protected] John Petrolino, The Pen Patriot https://thepenpatriot.com MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE AMM-Con: https://amm-con.org Gun Rights Policy Conference: https://saf.org/grpc/ Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms: https://ccrkba.org Chuck Haggard Brian and Shelley Hill, The Complete Combatant: https://thecompletecombatant.com San Diego Gun-A-Palooza (Friends of NRA), Oct 27, 4 PM, BNS Brewing & Distillery, Santee. $20. Voter guides: https://sdcgo.org | https://orangecountygunowners.com | https://inlandempiregunowners.com

Gun control groups spent years saying the best gun data didn't count. So a Georgetown professor ran his survey again, addressed the complaints they made, and the numbers came back even worse for them. Amy Swearer of Advancing American Freedom joins us to explain what the 2026 National Firearms Survey found, what was done to the man who ran it, and why 26.4 million Americans owning an AR-15 matters to the Supreme Court in December. Also this week: a Glock is back on the California roster, the ten gun bills Newsom just signed, what it actually costs to carry a gun in San Diego from scratch, Dan Wos on the fake "child gun death" statistic, and the Gun Owners Radio crew's recap of GRPC in Dallas. CHAPTERS 0:00 Dakota named a KUSI Community Champion 4:48 Welcome, and the road to 20,000 subscribers 9:51 Is printing illegal in California? 13:50 IPSC World Shotgun in Corinth, Greece 22:23 Virginia's voluntary "do not sell" gun list 25:34 Amy Swearer: they demanded better data 37:03 What they did to Professor English 40:59 Strict gun laws really do suppress gun ownership 45:12 Hawaii 14.5%, Alabama 47%: the state numbers 52:26 After the interview: 26.4 million AR owners 1:00:04 Dan Wos on GRPC and the "child gun death" statistic 1:18:51 GRPC recap: Judge Benitez's keynote 1:21:49 The ATF director at GRPC 1:35:58 Should the NRA shrink its board? 1:42:52 What self defense costs in California: $1,365.63 1:57:10 Newsom signs 10 new gun laws 2:29:14 A Glock is back on the California roster: 43X CA THIS WEEK'S GUESTS Amy Swearer, Senior Legal Fellow, Advancing American Freedom Her op-ed: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gun-control-activists-demanded-better-data-what-they-got-surprised-heck-out-them Dan Wos, author of Good Gun Bad Guy and host of The Loaded Mic https://www.loadedmic.com https://www.goodgunbadguy.com MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE 2026 National Firearms Survey, William English, Georgetown University (free on SSRN) Second Amendment Foundation, Gun Rights Policy Conference https://saf.org/grpc/ Not Me CA, self defense training help for women https://notmeca.org Dakota Adelphia and A Girl and A Gun San Diego https://dakotaadelphia.com San Diego County Gun Owners https://sdcgo.org

Dick Heller's name is on the case and he would rather you called it something else. He gave Dakota two hours in a hotel lobby in Washington and told the parts nobody prints. The tenant who turned out to have a trunk full of guns in a city where that was a felony. The postcard sitting in an otherwise empty desk drawer. The form he talked a police officer into signing, which is the only reason he had standing at all. And the four hundred cough drops he handed out on a freezing sidewalk the night before his own Supreme Court argument, without telling a single person in that line who he was. Also this week, the rest of Dakota's Washington trip: her rally speech on why the small seats decide everything, and three Women for Gun Rights state directors on what New York, Maryland and Colorado are doing to gun owners right now. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 1:02 GRPC Dallas and the Dakota takeover 4:53 The rally speech: the small seats decide everything 9:54 Lauren Hartnett, New York: the 30 day permit trap 24:42 Charneta Samms, Maryland: On Deck and getting women into competition 35:27 Barb Miller, Colorado: permission to buy a gun 53:24 Dick Heller: "I call it the Scalia decision" 1:02:39 "It's not a kind. It's a trunk full." 1:09:12 The form that gave him standing 1:28:28 The card that stops the argument 1:33:30 400 cough drops and McDonald v. Chicago 1:55:08 Tyler Yzaguirre, Second Amendment Institute THIS WEEK'S GUESTS Dick Heller https://gundude.org https://www.hellerfoundation.org Lauren Hartnett, New York State Director, Women for Gun Rights Athena Defense Training https://athenadefensetraining.com https://www.facebook.com/AthenaDefenseNY Charneta Samms, Maryland Honeybear Tactical https://www.honeybeartactical.com https://www.facebook.com/HoneybearTactical Barb Miller, Colorado State Director, Women for Gun Rights High Calibre Gear [email protected] Tyler Yzaguirre, Executive Director, Second Amendment Institute https://www.sainational.org ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED Women for Gun Rights https://womenforgunrights.org A Girl and a Gun https://www.agirlandagun.org Second Amendment Foundation, Gun Rights Policy Conference https://saf.org/grpc/

Can they ban your gun? Michael drew a four question chart that walks you through it, and question three is the one the Second Amendment community has had backwards for twenty years. If your argument is that your AR is not a weapon of war, you have just conceded it can be banned, because that is exactly what the Supreme Court said about short barreled shotguns in 1939. The honest answer is better than the comfortable one. Also this week: the man who got the $200 suppressor tax killed explains what the Texas ruling actually means for you, and why California is still on the outside. CCW renewals in this state just went up by at least $93 as of September 1, and nobody is going to call and tell you. A 19 year old carrying illegally stopped a shooting at a Michigan mall, and the judge told him bringing a gun there was poor judgment, so we played his entire statement instead of the clip going around. Plus what a juror can actually do once the door closes, and a revolver that fires four calibers, all of them badly. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome, and Dakota is back from Washington DC 5:17 Can you ban my gun: the four question chart 14:15 How Good Are You, and the Echelon sweepstakes 15:40 Dakota wins KUSI Community Champion 17:40 What is on the show today 20:49 CCW renewals just got more expensive 33:58 Knox Williams on the end of the suppressor registry 1:02:41 The calculations women make 1:17:36 The mall shooting the judge called poor judgment 1:51:04 The four boxes of liberty, and what a juror can actually do 2:04:30 Stump My Nephew: the Phillips and Rogers Medusa Model 47 If you own an AR, carry in California, or have ever been told your rifle is not a weapon of war, this one is for you. Links from this episode: American Suppressor Association: https://americansuppressorassociation.com America First Policy Institute: https://americafirstpolicy.com "The Calculations Women Make" by Robyn Sandoval: https://www.agirlandagun.org/the-calculations-women-make/ Measure your handgun skills with us at gunownersradio.com Join San Diego County Gun Owners at SDCGO.org/join Win a Springfield Echelon at SDCGO.org/sweepstakes

If your California CCW expires in the next year, the renewal you did last time is gone. As of September 1, every renewal needs a fresh set of Live Scan fingerprints, a passport-style photo, and another $25. Michael and Dakota walk through what AB 1078 actually changed, why the author of the bill matters more than the bill does, and the piece almost nobody has explained: the new rule runs your renewal on two separate clocks, and the one that finishes last is the one that decides when you get your permit back. Also this week: two dozen new handguns just landed on the California roster (yes, including a biometric smart gun), where the Glock ban stands now that it has been folded into Renna v. Bonta, a straight-talk conversation about socialism and fascism that neither host fully agrees on, and Senate District 38 candidate Laura Bassett on the one Democrat seat Cal Matters called vulnerable. Chapters: 0:00 Cold open and intro 1:00 Welcome, Labor Day weekend, and Dakota's ladies-only match 3:06 The clip going around: the Minneapolis officer's carry-handle AR 8:54 How Good Are You: Dave Reed's measured-performance class, September 23 in Alpine 10:31 Judge Benitez dinner (now $99), the SDCGO Echelon sweepstakes, and what's on today 13:17 California handgun roster: two dozen new models, the Biofire smart gun, Renna v. Bonta and the Glock ban 25:12 The SDCGO voter guide: supervisors, treasurer, assessor, city councils, school boards 33:53 Socialism and fascism: the definitions, the spectrum, and why gun owners should care 1:05:24 AB 1078: new Live Scan fingerprints, the 90-day window, and the two-clock renewal trap 1:22:24 Laura Bassett, Senate District 38: running at the only vulnerable incumbent in Southern California 1:54:01 Stump My Nephew: the pistol maker that built five side-charging handles If you carry in California, if you are staring down a renewal, or if you just want the law explained by people who are actually going through it too, this one is for you. 🔔 New episodes every Sunday. Subscribe and turn on notifications. 🌐 gunownersradio.com #GunOwnersRadio #CCW #CaliforniaGunLaws #SecondAmendment #ConcealedCarry

The Supreme Court just took a case about assault weapon bans, and the whole fight turns on four words from Heller: dangerous and unusual. Attorney Alan Beck, who won Wolford at the Supreme Court, wrote an amicus brief arguing that courts have had those words backwards for years. Unusual never meant rare. It meant carrying a weapon in a way meant to terrify people, and the distinction goes back to English common law in 1328. Also this week: a retired Navy SEAL says 18 year olds cannot be trusted with a firearm off duty, and we take that apart. Anti gun groups demanded better data on defensive gun use and got a number more than twice what they expected. A school board candidate in South San Diego County gets attacked for our endorsement, and her reason for carrying is one nobody bothered to ask about. Plus the Dixie Chicks, and a straight answer on which home defense shotgun to buy. Chapters: 0:00 Cold open: soldiers are not allowed in my home 0:48 Welcome, and why the voter guide matters 4:31 Michael gets Judge Benitez to sign a 60 round magazine 10:34 The Madison quote that stuck with Alisha 14:14 What is on the show today 14:47 How Good Are You: the September 23 training day with Dave Reed 15:44 Win a Springfield Echelon at SDCGO.org/sweepstakes 17:41 Attorney Alan Beck on what dangerous and unusual really means 19:31 Where the phrase comes from: English common law and the 1328 Statute of Northampton 24:42 Common use, and the forty million AR-15s in circulation 26:12 Why counting up guns is the wrong test 28:43 Unusual never meant uncommon 30:26 The dagger at the market versus the battle axe in armor 33:18 Whatever happened to the bazooka argument 35:50 Leland Yee, California's biggest anti-gun voice, and the Stinger missiles 38:11 Parity with the average foot soldier 40:44 Which of the forty five amicus briefs are worth reading 44:53 Guns for me but none for thee: Eddie Gallagher on 18 year olds 48:29 If the standard is emotional regulation, where is the line 53:28 The cases fighting for 18, 19 and 20 year olds 58:39 The Second Amendment is not a second class right 1:01:00 Anti gunners demanded better data and got it 1:04:24 1.67 million defensive gun uses, and why that was an undercount 1:04:56 The new number: 2.2 million a year 1:07:23 What the survey did to the female ownership claim 1:14:54 Dixie Chicks: anti self defense, pro revenge 1:17:38 Goodbye Earl worked through the other options first 1:24:05 Delia Dominguez Cervantes attacked over an SDCGO endorsement 1:24:51 They doctored our voter guide before sharing it 1:31:39 Why she got a CCW, in her own words 1:38:12 Stump My Nephew: Eddie from Lakeside wants a home defense shotgun 1:42:53 Mossberg 500 versus Remington 870 1:46:52 The budget answer: Mossberg Maverick 88