There was a significant poll released this week.
The Associated Press asked Americans a number of gun-related questions. It found further evidence that millions more of them own guns since the onset of the pandemic and the 2020 riots. But it also found Americans are more supportive than ever of tightening gun laws in the wake of the Uvalde massacre.
In a member-exclusive piece, explain why the all-time high may be worse than it seems for gun-rights advocates.
The federal courts delivered a loss for those advocates this week as well when a judge denied a preliminary injunction against President Biden’s “ghost gun” kit ban. So, the regulation is now in effect. Unfinished gun frames and receivers will now be regulated the same way as working firearms when sold alongside the tools needed to complete them.
However, the courts also delivered a win for gun-rights activists when a federal judge said Texas must extend its gun-carry law to 18-to-20-year-olds. That represents another win for the activists in the immediate wake of the Bruen decision.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D.) comments on how the state plans to use social media examinations to determine if it can deny gun-carry permits to those they’ve deemed “radicalized” means they might get another one in short order too. After all, the provision is just as subjective as the one the Supreme Court just finished striking down.
Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman also takes a look at how Bruen is impacting the fight over state preemption laws for Reload Members.
Plus, the Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb explains his group’s approach to the post-Bruen legal landscape.
Poll: Spike in Reported Gun Ownership, Support for Gun Control
By Jake Fogleman
Yet another poll has identified a sizable jump in the number of people who report having a gun in the home.
42 percent of Americans report having either a handgun, pistol, revolver, shotgun, or rifle in their home. That’s according to a survey conducted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the end of last month but released on Tuesday. The number reporting a gun in the home represents a seven-point jump from the last time the same pollsters asked in March of 2019.
The findings are just the latest to identify a boost in reported gun ownership following the nearly two-year sustained period of record-level gun purchasing in 2020 and 2021. A separate survey conducted just by NORC in March of 2022, using a similar polling sample but asking a slightly different polling question, found that 46 percent of Americans report having a gun in the home.
But while that survey documented an emerging consensus against stricter gun control laws, the new UChicago/ AP-NORC poll finds 71 percent of respondents are now in favor of stricter gun laws. That marks an all-time high for the survey and a 10-percentage point increase since the Associated Press and NORC began polling the question together in October 2017.
Click here to continue reading.
Analysis: A Trend That Should Worry Gun-Rights Advocates [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
71 percent of Americans want stricter gun laws.
That’s bad news if you’re a gun-rights proponent. But it’s not the worst news out of the latest Associated Press poll. What’s worse is the trend that brought about that all-time high.
Between December 2013 and August 2022, the number of Americans who say they want stricter gun laws has increased by 19 points. That’s a massive swing.
If you’re a Reload Member, click here to read more. If not, consider joining today to get exclusive access and support our journalism!
Biden ‘Ghost Gun’ Kit Ban Goes Into Effect After Federal Judge Denies Injunction
By Stephen Gutowski
Unfinished firearm frames and receivers can no longer be sold alongside the tools used to complete them.
President Joe Biden’s “ghost gun” kit ban went into effect on Wednesday after a federal judge declined to block the regulation. The suit, brought by Gun Owners of America, was backed by 17 Republican Attorneys General. Chief U.S. District Judge for the District of North Dakota Peter D. Welte, a Trump appointee, said on Tuesday the plaintiffs failed to show a preliminary injunction to prevent the rule from going into effect was necessary.
“[I]n this Court’s view, the Final Rule was and remains constitutional under the Second Amendment,” Judge Welte said in his opinion.
Federal Judge Rules 18-to-20-Year-Olds Have Right to Carry Guns
By Jake Fogleman
Young adults in the Lone Star State may soon be able to carry a firearm for self-defense.
A federal judge on the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Texas ruled on Thursday that a Texas law prohibiting 18-to-20-year-olds from carrying handguns for self-defense was inconsistent with the Second Amendment.
“Based on the Second Amendment’s text, as informed by Founding-Era history and tradition, the Court concludes that the Second Amendment protects against this prohibition,” Judge Mark Pittman wrote in his order. “Texas’s statutory scheme must therefore be enjoined to the extent that law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds are prohibited from applying for a license to carry a handgun.”
Click here to read the full story.
New York Governor Claims Social Media Check Law Will Flag ‘Radicalized’ Gun Owners
By Jake Fogleman
New York’s new concealed-carry law will use social media to determine if a person has become “radicalized” before granting them a permit.
At least, that’s how it will work according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D.). She made those remarks during a press conference on Wednesday held to tout the work performed by the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns thus far in 2022.
“I have called upon and am working closely with our Attorney General to identify what’s going on on social media, and those questions are now part of our background checks,” Hochul said. “So, just like in the old days, you’d talk to someone’s neighbor. Now you can talk to their neighbors online and find out whether or not this person has been spouting philosophies that indicate that they have been radicalized.”
“And that’s how we protect our citizens as well,” she added.
Click here to read the full piece.
Podcast: The Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb on Filing Gun Cases After Bruen
By Stephen Gutowski
The Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen is going to have a monumental impact on the nation’s gun laws. So, we’ve spent quite a lot of time talking about it on the podcast. We’ve talked to analysts and experts, including National Review‘s Charles Cooke and Duke’s Andrew Willinger.
But we haven’t talked to anybody who is directly involved in the legal fight. That’s why Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is joining the show this week.
We also have a new members segment this week featuring Douglas Jefferson!
Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about New York’s shocking court filing where they compared their gun laws to bigoted historical gun bans.
You can listen to the full show on your favorite podcasting app or by clicking here. You can also watch the episode on our YouTube channel. The episodes go public every Monday and Reload Members get exclusive early access on Sundays.
Analysis: Preemption Fight May Become Increasingly Moot After Bruen [Member Exclusive]
By Jake Fogleman
It was with great interest that both gun-rights and gun-control proponents watched as Colorado became the first state in the nation to broadly repeal state preemption over gun regulation in 2021.
The impetus for the move was simple. Despite Colorado trending blue in recent years, gun control remains a politically perilous issue at the state level, particularly when it comes to aggressive policies like categorical weapon bans. By repealing state preemption, cities and counties in more liberal regions of the state would be free to shoot for the stars when pursuing new gun-control laws.
And that’s exactly what happened. Since last year’s preemption repeal, the City of Denver has been able to ban “ghost guns” and restrict which areas even licensed carriers can go. Additionally, four cities in Boulder County—Boulder, Louisville, Superior, and Lafayette—plus the County itself have all passed a broad array of gun restrictions that go far beyond what the state has imposed.
Enter the Supreme Court.
If you’re already a member, click here to read the rest. If not, consider joining today for exclusive access!
Outside The Reload
She Can Shoot: The Rise of Female Gun Ownership | Discourse Magazine | By Stephen Gutowski
N.Y.’s Gun-Carry Social Media Rule Tests Free Speech | Bloomberg Law | By Christopher Bopst
At least 20% of Congress own guns, highest in Senate | Washington Examiner | By Paul Bedard
That’s it for this week in guns.
I’ll see you all next week.
Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload
