Financial privacy measures have quickly become one of the fastest-spreading policy successes of the gun-rights movement.
The Supreme Court has decided to take up another gun case. Although, it’s another one that doesn’t touch on the Second Amendment. This time, the Court will decide if the ATF’s rule restricting unfinished frames and receivers is an unlawful overreach of the agency’s power. Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, joins the show to give us his insight into this case and the Court’s recent uptick in gun cases. He argued that the Court’s acceptance of two cases challenging ATF administrative power alongside an NRA First Amendment case and an actual Second Amendment case should be read as an increased appetite for gun cases. He noted that the Supreme Court has actually been taking fewer and fewer overall cases in recent years but more and more gun-related ones. He doesn’t think that can be brushed aside, even if most of the cases don’t deal with Second Amendment claims. Still, Professor Adler said he isn’t confident the Court will side with the gun-rights plaintiffs in the so-called ghost gun case. He argued the way they intervened in the lower court case to issue stays on multiple rulings against the ATF should be read as tell for where the justices plan to go on the merits. He said a move like that might be more predictive of intent than most stays issued by federal courts. You can listen to the show on your favorite podcasting app or by clicking here. Video of the episode is available on our YouTube channel. An auto-generated transcript is available here. Reload Members get access on Sunday, as always. Everyone else can listen on Monday. Plus, on the news update, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss an NRA board member pitching Donald Trump Jr. to become the group’s new leader. We also talk about FEC records showing the group continues to be outraised by gun-control advocates, the ongoing permitless carry push in North Carolina, and the continued spread of gun store MCC bans in red states. Audio is here. Video is here.
Plus, law professor Jonathan Adler joins the podcast to explain the new Supreme Court ‘ghost gun’ case.
As the NRA searches for new leadership in the wake of Wayne LaPierre’s resignation, one board member suggests a big-name replacement: Donald Trump Jr. After longtime leader Wayne LaPierre announced his resignation, Bill Bachenberg emailed his fellow NRA board members to suggest fixes for some of the group’s problems. One of those problems is who could fill LaPierre’s shoes. Bachenberg, a prominent Pennsylvania Trump supporter who has been accused of trying to fabricate evidence Joe Biden stole the 2020 election and helped arrange a Trump 2024 rally earlier this month, told the other board member’s Trump’s eldest son has previously expressed interest in a leadership role at the NRA. He offered to pitch Jr. on stepping into LaPierre’s place. “A couple of years back Don Trump Jr contacted me if NRA was looking for a National Spokesperson, he saw the need,” Bachenberg wrote in a February 26th email obtained by The Reload. “He did preface, ‘I don’t want to deal with any of the operational bullshit.’ I’m not sure what he would say today, but when the time is right I can ask him if he might be interested if requested by the board.” The Trump takeover suggestion comes as the beleaguered gun-rights group struggles to determine a path forward after years of fighting financial corruption allegations culminated in LaPierre quitting just before a New York jury found the NRA failed to safeguard its charitable asserts and the former leader is liable for millions in damages. The group is now searching for new leadership even as the sentencing phase of that trial and the possibility the court could appoint financial and operations monitors hang over it. The chaos and court fight, which the NRA has decried as politically motivated, have led to a huge decline in membership. However, it hasn’t broken the close relationship between the group and former president Trump, who spoke at the NRA’s outdoor show in January. The NRA has enjoyed a strong bond with the former president ever since it was the first significant group to back his successful 2016 presidential bid. Trump’s sons, who are avid hunters and gun collectors, were instrumental in creating that connection. Trump Jr. has attended many NRA events and worked closely with Chris Cox, who headed the NRA’s lobbying arm during most of the Trump presidency. It’s unclear if Trump Jr. is still interested in replacing LaPierre as NRA Executive Vice President (EVP) and CEO, though. Andrew Surbian, his spokesman, did not respond to a request for comment. Trump Jr. also formed his own competing gun-rights group called the Second Amendment Task Force in 2022. However, that group doesn’t appear to have any operations in 2024. The group’s website claims it is a 501(c)4 non-profit, but it doesn’t list any tax filings on its website. It lists Trump Jr. as its chairman and the only member of its team. The donate link on its website redirects to a WinRed page, a popular fundraising platform among Republicans, but it only contains
The Supreme Court is set to consider a challenge to the ATF’s unfinished frames and receivers rule, and there are some clues as to how they might rule.
Plus, data analyst Jeff Asher joins the podcast to examine the continued downturn in murder and mass shootings.
The country’s largest gun rights group continues to fall behind its ideological opponents in political fundraising in 2024, new federal records show.
The nation’s highest court will decide if the ATF exceeded its power by trying to ban the sale of unfinished firearms parts.
Illinois may have just increased the odds the Supreme Court takes up an “assault weapons” ban case sooner than later.
A new industry study provides clear evidence that magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds are ubiquitous in the United States. Whether that finding affects magazine ban lawsuits moving forward is less clear.
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