Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about the Senate's confirmation of Robert Cekada to be the ATF's new permanent director and his early participation in the agency's announced package of 34 new rules largely related to loosening gun restrictions. We also discuss the ongoing confusion over the legal status of Virginia's universal background check regime.
Stories:
-https://thereload.com/trump-atf-director-signs-34-gun-rule-changes-moments-after-bipartisan-confirmation/
-https://thereload.com/virginia-state-police-say-they-take-no-position-on-background-check-law-despite-alert-to-gun-dealers/
-https://thereload.com/scotus-turns-away-weed-and-guns-case-despite-doj-request/
-https://thereload.com/newsletter-atf-gets-new-director-dozens-of-new-rules/
-https://thedispatch.com/article/epstein-potential-gun-crimes/
-https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2026/04/29/maryland-supreme-court-strikes-down-local-gun-control-laws-n1232368
-https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/28/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-us/