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Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 189

Navigating the Nonsense

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 189: Navigating the Nonsense

Trump Lets Parts of the National Firearms Act Lapse

August 13, 2026 · 5:49 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The Justice Department declined to appeal a court ruling that effectively dismantled longstanding restrictions on owning short-barreled guns and suppressors, bowing to pressure from Republicans and gun advocates,” the New York Times reports.

Gun Control, White House

Trump Rolls Back Dozens of Gun Regulations

July 5, 2026 · 5:01 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is scrapping more than three dozen firearms regulations, abandoning a crackdown on illegal sales, restoring gun rights to some people with mental illness and loosening oversight of private weapons transactions,” the New York Times reports.

“The drastic retrenchment at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the nation’s gun laws, was not entirely unexpected: President Trump campaigned as a champion of gun rights.”

Gun Control

Don Jr.’s ‘Amazon of Guns’ Could Make Millions

July 2, 2026 · 5:10 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump Jr. helped take an online retailer known as the ‘Amazon of guns’ public last year,” Reuters reports.

“Now, GrabAGun, where the U.S. president’s son is a shareholder and board member, could reap a windfall from a proposed rule change at Trump’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that would make ​it easier to ship guns directly to people’s homes.”

“If finalized, the rule would be among the most consequential changes to the U.S. gun policy in two decades, potentially driving huge growth in online gun sales.”

Gun Control

Todd Blanche Threatens Legal Action on Gun Controls

July 1, 2026 · 2:43 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche threatened lawsuits against four states that have gun restrictions similar to the Hawaii law that the Supreme Court struck down last week,” CNN reports.

“He also warned states considering laws that ‘mirror’ Hawaii’s that they could face Justice Department lawsuits as well, as the Trump administration has made challenges to firearm regulations a priority, including with two new lawsuits announced Wednesday.”

Gun Control

Supreme Court Will Review Assault Weapon Bans

June 30, 2026 · 12:41 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“A Supreme Court that has expanded gun rights will consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles, often called assault weapons, violate the Second Amendment,” the AP reports.

“The justices said Tuesday they will take up appeals asking the court to strike down bans on the AR-15 and similar semiautomatic firearms in Connecticut and the Chicago area.”

“Similar laws are in place in about a dozen states, covering major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.”

Gun Control

Supreme Court Strikes Down Strict Hawaii Gun Law

June 25, 2026 · 10:16 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law requiring people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels on Thursday, in its latest opinion backing Second Amendment rights,” the Associated Press reports.

“The high court’s 6-3 decision means people can carry guns onto privately owned property like shopping malls and gas stations, unless the owners specifically say guns are banned at their establishments.”

Gun Control, Judiciary

Justices Narrow Ban on Gun Ownership for Drug Users

June 18, 2026 · 10:22 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court on Thursday narrowed a federal law that banned drug users and addicts from owning or possessing guns,” the New York Times reports.

“The justices ruled that the law was overbroad, sweeping together recreational drug users with people addicted to drugs who posed a danger to public safety.”

Gun Control, Judiciary

Democrats Concede Gun Control Is No Longer Top Issue

June 4, 2026 · 2:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

NOTUS: “After the third apparent assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in late April and the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in September, Democratic lawmakers condemned escalating political violence. But they did not call for moving any of their gun control priorities.”

“The lack of action shows how legislating on firearms has become nearly impossible on Capitol Hill, and how both parties have dug into their own rhetoric. Republicans continue to rally their base around opposition to any firearms control, while Democrats counter that steps should be taken to combat violence but have shown little appetite for that highly politicized fight ahead of the midterms.”

Gun Control

Trump Moves to Sharply Curtail Gun Regulations

April 29, 2026 · 7:48 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a sweeping rollback of gun regulations, prompting criticism from gun control advocates who called the moves misguided and dangerous,” the New York Times reports.

Gun Control

Jeannine Pirro Threatens Jail Time for Lawful Gun Owners

February 3, 2026 · 11:18 am ET · Leave a Comment

Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, on Monday threatened jail time for anyone who enters the capital with a gun, the New York Times reports.

In remarks that could deepen a growing rift between gun owners and the Trump administration, Ms. Pirro declared that if anyone brings “a gun into the District, you mark my words, you’re going to jail. I don’t care if you have a license in another district and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else.”

Gun Control

Trump Puts Republicans In Tough Spot on Gun Rights

January 28, 2026 · 5:55 am ET · Leave a Comment

“Republican lawmakers are caught between the powerful gun lobby and top Trump officials over the deadly shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti,” Axios reports.

“The GOP has a long, mutually beneficial history with influential Second Amendment rights groups. The tragedy in Minneapolis is complicating their political messaging.”

Gun Control

Bonus Quote of the Day

January 27, 2026 · 1:07 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns. It’s a very unfortunate thing.”

— President Trump, speaking to reporters.

Gun Control

Gun Rights Groups Clash With Trump Officials

January 26, 2026 · 2:01 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“A number of Republicans have criticized Alex Pretti—who was killed by a federal Border Patrol agent Saturday—for carrying a gun during protest activity,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“They are facing pushback from an unlikely quarter: gun-rights groups that traditionally have largely sided with the GOP.”

Gun Control

Justices Skeptical of Limiting Firearms in Hawaii

January 20, 2026 · 1:46 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared skeptical of the constitutionality of a Hawaii law that sharply restricts where people can carry firearms — a case that may offer a strong indication of how far the justices will go in their push to loosen restrictions on guns,” the Washington Post reports.

Gun Control, Judiciary

Justice Department Weighs Rollback of Gun Regulations

January 19, 2026 · 8:51 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“The Justice Department is considering loosening a slate of gun regulations as it seeks to bolster support from ardent Second Amendment advocates,“ the Washington Post reports.

“Some of the changes are expected to ease restrictions on the private sale of guns and loosening regulations around shipping firearms.”

“Other changes to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulations under consideration would change the types of firearms that can be imported and make licensing fees refundable. Officials are also expected to change the form required to purchase guns to have applicants list their biological sex at birth.”

Gun Control

NRA Sues Its Own Charity

January 7, 2026 · 7:22 am ET · Leave a Comment

The National Rifle Association “is suing its own charitable wing in federal court, alleging that the nonprofit NRA Foundation, which it founded in 1990, is unfairly using the NRA logo to attract a rival donor base and undercut it,” the Washington Post reports.

Gun Control

NRA Is Selling Off Its Investments to Make Ends Meet

December 12, 2025 · 9:39 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The National Rifle Association is burning through its investment portfolio to pay its bills as legal perils increase and revenue from membership dues decline,” NOTUS reports.

“In 2024, the 154-year-old gun rights organization liquidated nearly $40 million worth of stock, fixed-income securities and other holdings. By the end of 2024, the NRA’s investment portfolio had shrunk to less than $33 million, down from more than $72 million the year before.”

Gun Control

Justices Take Up Hawaii’s Restrictions on Concealed Guns

October 3, 2025 · 10:21 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up a major new gun rights case focused on recent measures enacted in Hawaii that restrict where people with a license to carry a concealed handgun can bring their weapons,” NBC News reports.

“At issue are provisions of a law that requires people with concealed carry permits to seek permission to bring their weapons onto private properties that are otherwise open to the public unless the owner already allows it.”

Associated Press: Supreme Court will consider overturning Hawaii’s strict ban on guns on private property.

Gun Control, Judiciary

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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