Reload founder Stephen Gutowski was announced as the recipient of the Second Amendment Foundation’s (SAF) 2021 Journalist of Year award on Tuesday.

“No pun intended, journalists of Stephen Gutowski’s caliber just aren’t found in very many newsrooms,” Alan M. Gottlieb, SAF founder and Executive Vice President, said. “He knows how to dig out the facts, present them in attention-grabbing stories and hold a reader’s interest.”

This marks the second time he has been honored by the organization for his writing and reporting. He is a previous recipient of the SAF Journalist of the Year award, in 2016.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Gutowski said in response to the news of his SAF award. “It is always really rewarding when other people take notice of your reporting and acknowledge your accomplishments. I’m thankful.”

In its press release, SAF praised Gutowski’s move to start The Reload and the reporting the outlet has done thus far.

“Gutowski founded The Reload early in 2021 because he wanted more flexibility to broaden his news coverage with an independent publication,” the group said. “As he explained the move, it has become easier for people with a track record for quality reporting to start their own media outlet, and he is making the most of it.”

Since starting The Reload, Gutowski has broken several influential stories on events ranging from the controversies surrounding David Chipman’s nomination to head the ATF, to the latest developments at the NRA.

Gutowski has been writing about guns and politics since he founded his first publication back in 2009. Before starting The Reload in 2021, he spent almost 7 years as a staff writer at The Washington Free Beacon. His work has also been published by The Atlantic, The Dispatch, National Review, Ammoland, and The Washington Examiner Magazine.

His reporting has been featured in publications that span the ideological spectrum including CNBC, Fox News, The New York Times, Bearing Arms, The Washington Post, NPR, The Drudge Report, ABC News, and many more.