On Wednesday, the ATF got a new director and dozens of new gun rules to boot. The bureau announced 32 new rule proposals that directly implicate firearms in one way or another. Director Rob Cekada signed those rules in front of a collection of gun-rights groups--including our guest Kostas Moros's Second Amendment Foundation (SAF).

But, as Moros explains, the gun groups didn't necessarily know the exact details of what was included in the package. Even now, we still don't have the full text of the rules. Still, Moros said the information the ATF has released looks promising to SAF.

He acknowledged that none of the proposals are the kinds of big swings that the Biden Administration had taken, such as trying to reinterpret the Firearms Owners Protection Act to authorize nationwide concealed carry. But he argued that's a good thing because the rules that were proposed are more likely to stick--unlike the Biden rules, which struggled in court. He said gun-rights advocates who had proper expectations going into the ATF's announcement should be happy with what they're seeing.

Moros walked through the rules he thought would make the biggest impact, including one that might open up gun sales that don't require face-to-face pickup. He also discussed some of the proposals SAF is keeping its eye on for the details, including one that may make it more difficult for trans or non-binary people to buy guns.

Special Guest: Kostas Moros.

To help understand the ins and outs of why gun-rights activists object to the temporary gun seizure orders, we have the director of legal operations for the group challenging Maryland's version of the law. The Second Amendment Foundation's Bill Sack joins the show to discuss the latest ruling in the case, which actually went against the group.

Sack said their Maryland case centered around a dispute between a county zoning official and a resident that saw the man's guns taken from him over what he said were false claims of a threat. Sack said the incident is an example of the flaws in Maryland's system that allow for abuse of a fundamental right.

He also said the case shows the difficulty of making a Second Amendment case against red flag laws in the wake of the Supreme Court's US v. Rahimi decision. Instead, Sack said the group is relying more heavily on Fourth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendment claims against the lower evidentiary standards the laws use. He said the judge's point about similar procedures utilized in other contexts being blessed by the Supreme Court and others wasn't persuasive, and should be reversed--even in circumstances that don't involve firearm seizures.

Sack said the Second Amendment Foundation hasn't yet decided what to do in the Maryland case, but they plan to keep fighting red flag policies that don't meet their constitutional standards.

Special Guest: Bill Sack.

Story links:
https://thereload.com/newsletter-digital-gun-designs-back-in-third-circuits-crosshairs/
https://thereload.com/third-circuit-tosses-challenge-to-new-jersey-3d-printed-gun-file-ban/
https://thereload.com/analysis-the-third-circuits-new-test-for-whether-3d-printed-gun-files-are-protected-speech-member-exclusive/
https://thereload.com/gun-accessory-maker-agrees-to-1-75-million-settlement-in-buffalo-shooting-lawsuit/
https://thereload.com/gun-sales-slow-in-january-despite-silencer-upswing/
https://youtu.be/-L9fwWdOJ50?si=qWq6ILWBi0mmJhdn
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/12/us/video/firearms-expert-analyzes-masked-subjects-gun-and-holster-in-nancy-guthrie-disappearance-lcl
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/gun-trainers-nationwide-say-women-liberals-are-taking-interest-classes-rcna258195
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/feb/9/virginia-gun-owners-dealers-unload-states-proposed-firearms-crackdown/

Adam Kraut is the Second Amendment Foundation's Executive Director. They were one of at least five groups to successfully challenge Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's (D.) order.

He said the case is simple. The order was clearly an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment, especially given the Supreme Court recently ruled that gun carry is specifically protected just last year. Governor Lujan Grisham pulled back on the total ban late this week in a potential attempt to short-circuit the case against her, but Kraut explained the legal strategy his group is using to keep the case alive.

Plus, I describe being stuck in the middle of a manhunt for an escaped murderer. And Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman discusses the political fallout from Lujan Grisham's failed order.

Special Guest: Adam Kraut.

As I promised on the previous podcast, I asked Gottlieb about the ins and out of how the two non-profits he's a director of interact with the private entities he operates and what safeguards are in place to ensure the groups aren't being overcharged. He said SAF and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) have boards that approve the contracts with the private companies he owns, and he has no say over those decisions. He noted the relationships have been disclosed on the group's financial filings for decades, as required by law.

He also attacked Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D.) for a year-long investigation into the group that has yet to produce any charges or legal action. He accused Ferguson of targeting the gun-rights groups because they have started several lawsuits against the state's gun laws in recent years. He compared the investigation to harassment and said they filed a civil rights suit against the state over the cost of compiling the documents they requested and the lost man-hours involved in complying with the AG's various demands.

He said The Wall Street Journal, which broke the news of the investigation and raised questions about the gun group's finances, was negligent in repeating some of the accusations the AG has reportedly pursued without proper context. Gottlieb said one of the groups the paper implied he was profiting off of is actually a co-op that operates at cost. He said the other company he owns that does business with SAF and CCRKBA offers services at below-market rates.

Gottlieb answered several other questions about how the groups have operated under his leadership over the years. And he gave an update on SAF's latest lawsuits against New Jersey and Maryland's latest gun-carry restrictions.

Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss the Supreme Court's decision not to issue an emergency injunction against an Illinois city's AR-15 ban.

Special Guest: Alan Gottlieb.