The 40th Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC), was held at the Salt Lake City Marriott on September 26-28, 2025. Registration on site started on Friday, with a reception Friday night starting at 7 p.m. These receptions are always interesting. Attendees are able to hobnob with movers and shakers among Second Amendment supporters.
On Friday, before the GRPC registration, media was invited to attend a separate but related event, the AMM*Con, a Second Amendment Media Workshop. The AMM*Con is aimed at Second Amendment oriented media as a way to improve the skills of media covering firearms and Second Amendment issues.
Every presentation offered techniques and ways to improve reporting, coverage, and reach for the reporters, bloggers, Youtubers, writers, and podcasters which were present. Presentations included such topics as “Pitch Sheet & Earned Media”, “Turning Strangers into Raving Fans”, and “Rebranding an Organization”.
In this correspondent’s opinion, the star of the day was Mark W. Smith, prominent constitutional attorney, member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, Host of the excellent Youtube channel the Four Boxes Diner, and AmmoLand contributor.
Mark gave a supercharged and superbly informative one hour presentation at AMM*Con. The subject was “How to Report on 2A Supreme Court and Other Cases”. Mark explained the different types of cases which are filed in the courts. He explained what organizations look for in cases to pick for Second Amendment challenges.
Two important points were: The current Supreme Court does not like criminals or drug users. This means, in order to restore Second Amendment rights, it is better to use civil cases where the plaintiffs are law abiding citizens rather than criminal cases. It is why the Biden administration pushed the Rahimi case to the top of the list for review by the Supreme Court. Secondly, when referring to cases where Second Amendment supporters prevailed, remember our Second Amendment rights are being restored, not created.
Mark talked about the state of play in current cases, and the types of cases which were candidates for Supreme Court review. Mark made the point the Supreme Court only hears about 70 cases a year. About 7,000 to 8,000 cases are presented to the Supreme Court, asking for review. Less than 1% are chosen.
Of the 70 cases chosen by the Supreme Court for review, the Court may accept 2-3 cases involving firearms per year. This is the reality. The possibility of the Supreme Court accepting more than three firearms related cases in a year is extremely low.
Mark explained if one firearms case is taken, it means a different case will not be heard in that year. Because the Court has not been sympathetic to drug users, Mark recommended Second Amendment organizations back away from pushing marijuana cases. Multiple cases are in play. It seems AR-15 ban cases are very likely to be heard. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has said the Supreme Court will hear a case in the current term or the next term. Young adult cases involving the rights of 18, 19, and 20 year old Americans are the most likely to be heard next by the Supreme Court.
Mark W Smith’s presentation style was fact filled and useful for everyone who wishes to see the rights protected by the Second Amendment restored. If you prefer to obtain information by video, this correspondent highly recommends Mark’s Youtube channel, The Four Boxes Diner.
Michael Schwartz from the San Diego County Gun Owners and Gun Owners Radio, gave an outstanding keynote address. One of many memorable points he covered was the difference in moral “tastes” between conservatives and liberals. Liberals focus almost exclusively on caring and fairness. Conservatives include traditions and conserving what works, loyalty, sanctity, and liberty. If you are going to change leftists/liberal minds, it is more persuasive to focus on the caring and fairness aspects of the argument.
Other presenters provided excellent information. This correspondent highly recommend attending AMM*Com and the GRPC if an opportunity presents itself.
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About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
