On Gun Owners Radio, host Michael Schwartz opened the segment by explaining that this whole idea started as a simple conversation with his nephew, Sam the Gun Man, about presidents and the Second Amendment.
Schwartz said they were talking about “who were the best” on gun rights, and quickly realized something awkward.
According to Sam, once you actually look at policies instead of campaign slogans, there weren’t even five truly pro–Second Amendment presidents in the last 50 years.
Sam told the audience that the list was supposed to be a “top five,” but he had to cut it down to four because not enough presidents actually did anything good for gun owners.
Right up front, Sam clarified his rules.
He said he was ranking presidents only on what happened during their administration in terms of policy, not on what they said in speeches or on the campaign trail.
In other words, words don’t count. Actions do.
That alone is a big gut punch to how most people think about “pro-gun” politicians. And Schwartz, along with co-hosts Alisha Curtin and Dakota Adelphia, leaned into that discomfort on purpose.
They openly admitted they were “rage baiting” a little, trying to get people to stop judging by party labels and start judging by results.
Reagan: Hero Image, Complicated Record (#4)
Sam started the countdown at number four with a name that shocked a lot of listeners: Ronald Reagan.
Schwartz joked that this was already a controversial choice at the bottom of the list, since Reagan is still treated like a hero by many conservatives.
Sam gave Reagan credit where credit was due.
He pointed to the Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986, which Reagan signed, as the big reason he makes the list at all.
Sam explained that FOPA cracked down on ATF harassment of gun dealers, limiting repeated audits that could shut down shops for days with no violations ever found.
He also noted that FOPA made it easier to legally transport firearms across state lines and rolled back some older, “nonsensical” restrictions on gun owners.
Schwartz summed that part up by saying Reagan’s administration did pass a major law that protected dealers and owners from abusive enforcement.
But then Sam turned to why Reagan ranks only fourth.
He called out the Hughes Amendment, which was added to FOPA and closed the machine gun registry for new transferable machine guns after 1986.
Sam said this effectively banned new machine guns for civilians without using the word “ban”, and that Reagan still signed the bill.
To Sam, that set a dangerous legislative precedent: lawmakers learned they could restrict guns by controlling registration and supply instead of openly outlawing them.
He also reminded listeners that, as governor of California, Reagan signed the Mulford Act, and publicly said there was “no reason” for civilians to carry loaded guns on the street.
Schwartz and Sam agreed that when you put all that together, Reagan’s record is deeply mixed, which is why he’s “the least of the best” on their list.
It’s a useful reminder that image and reality can be worlds apart. A patriotic photo with a flag and a red tie doesn’t erase bad policy.
George W. Bush: The Power Of Doing Nothing (#3)
At number three, Sam named George W. Bush.
Not because Bush aggressively fought for gun rights, but basically because he didn’t make things worse.
Sam and Schwartz both said the best thing Bush did for the Second Amendment was allow the 1994 federal “assault weapons” ban to expire in 2004 without renewing it.
Sam pointed out that Bush’s campaign messaging in 2000 was not strongly pro-gun.
He noted that Bush’s website at the time claimed he supported the assault weapons ban and a ban on importing so-called high-capacity magazines, even while opposing other gun control ideas.
But when it came to actual policy, Sam said, Bush didn’t push new major federal gun restrictions and let the AWB sunset on schedule.
Schwartz remembered gun owners back then joking that the NRA would basically “set up a desk in the White House” because Bush was a former Texas governor and NRA favorite.
Then he contrasted that hype with reality: eight years went by, a lot happened in the world, and yet no big positive federal gun reforms appeared.
The only real win, they both agreed, was that the assault weapons ban quietly died instead of being extended.
In their ranking system, that kind of benign neglect still beats active damage, but it also shows how low the bar has been.
My take: it’s wild that simply not renewing a bad law is what passes for third place in 50 years. That says more about Congress and the culture than it does about Bush, but it’s still telling.
Obama As #2: The Shocking Pick That Starts Fights
The real shock came at number two.
Sam calmly announced that the second most pro–Second Amendment president of the last 50 years – using his policy-only standard – was Barack Obama.
Schwartz immediately leaned into the outrage, joking about “how dare you” and admitting he was practically shaking his fist at the mic.
Co-host Dakota Adelphia had to double-check what she heard.
Curtin said she already knew some of the history, but even she seemed to appreciate how strange it sounds when you first hear it.
Sam backed it up with specifics.
He explained that, despite Obama’s aggressive anti-gun rhetoric and constant attacks on gun culture, the actual, concrete policies his administration put in place in this area were pro–concealed carry in federal spaces.
Sam said Obama signed the law that allowed concealed carry in national parks, aligning carry rules there with the laws of the host state.
He also noted that Obama’s administration opened up concealed carry on Amtrak trains, expanding where ordinary people could legally carry defensive firearms.
Schwartz said he hadn’t realized that national park carry came from a law Obama signed.
He added that while it was buried inside a larger bill, Obama knew it was in there and even spoke about it publicly.
Sam also pointed out that Obama earned a failing grade – an “F” – from the Brady gun control group, and even quoted Obama saying that the Second Amendment “guarantees an individual right to bear arms” and that his administration had “expanded” those rights.
Sam was very clear that he’s not a fan of Obama overall, and the Gun Owners Radio crew definitely is not “pro-Obama.”
But Sam said the whole point of this exercise is to force people to re-evaluate politicians based on actions, not party labels.
He urged listeners to stop obsessing over whether someone has an R or a D next to their name and instead ask: “What have you done to protect my rights?”
From a commentary standpoint, this is uncomfortable but valuable.
You can hate Obama’s speeches, his tone, and his base politics, and still admit that specific policies about carry in parks and on trains were steps in the right direction.
That doesn’t make him a gun hero. It just proves that reality is more complicated than slogans.
Trump Takes The Top Spot – But Not For His Tweets
Finally, Sam named Donald Trump as the most pro–Second Amendment president of the last 50 years, again strictly based on policy outcomes.
He admitted it “pains” him to say it, because he doesn’t like a lot of Trump’s positions on other issues.
Sam also stressed that he did not factor in Trump’s infamous quote, “take the guns first, due process second,” because rhetoric isn’t part of the scoring system.
Instead, Sam focused on judicial appointments and structural changes.
He said one of the biggest reasons Trump scores so high is that Trump appointed federal judges – especially Supreme Court justices – who have delivered major pro-2A rulings, including the landmark Bruen decision (which came after Trump left office, but relied on his appointees).
Sam mentioned that Doug Hamlin of the NRA has pointed out how much recent 2A progress comes from courts reshaped during the Trump years.
He also brought up how Trump’s Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi has, in his view, been more responsive and less hostile on gun issues than past administrations, even if far from perfect.
Sam noted that Trump asked Bondi to compile a report on all anti-2A actions coming from the department and send it to him, something Sam said you would never expect from Biden, Obama, or Bush.
Schwartz said he thinks we are living in a time where, at least at the federal level, gun owners can be more optimistic than they’ve been in decades, largely because of the courts.
To be fair, the show also didn’t ignore Trump’s flaws.
Schwartz reminded listeners that they don’t love everything Trump said or did, and they weren’t pretending his record is perfect.
But if the measuring stick is “What actually happened that helps gun owners?”, then Sam argues Trump’s judges and the resulting court landscape put him in the top spot.
Lessons From The List: Stop Falling For Rhetoric
After running through the four presidents, the Gun Owners Radio crew zoomed out and talked about the bigger picture.
Sam said gun policy over the last century has felt like a cake analogy.
He explained that gun owners started with the “whole cake” of their rights, then were told they needed to “compromise” by giving up a slice, then another slice, then another – always in the name of being reasonable.
Over time, he said, compromise stopped being mutual and turned into slow surrender, with gun owners constantly giving ground while being told it was fair.
Schwartz agreed and said the old standard – “I won’t ban your guns” – is no longer good enough for 2025 and beyond.
He argued that simply standing in the way of new bad laws isn’t enough anymore. Politicians should be pushed to roll back bad policies and restore lost rights.
Curtin and Adelphia also pointed out how some politicians try to signal to both sides – joining the NRA or saying nice things to gun owners, while quietly supporting restrictions that please gun control advocates.
Schwartz said that’s why gun owners need to judge politicians on their actions, not their branding.
He gave the example of future reforms, like letting military bases follow state concealed carry laws the same way national parks do, as concrete things Congress could actually do right now.
In the end, Sam’s closing advice was blunt: “Don’t trust politicians – especially the ones you like.”
That might be the most pro–Second Amendment message of all.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
