Rep. Max Miller’s CNN sit-down with Jake Tapper was less a mea culpa than a calculated re-introduction of a pro-Second Amendment freshman who refuses to let personal drama sideline him. Miller, who has earned an “A” rating from the NRA and co-sponsored the Hearing Protection Act, framed the allegations as a “coordinated hit job” timed to coincide with the House’s upcoming markup on national reciprocity. By staying in the race he keeps a reliably pro-carry vote on the Judiciary Committee at a moment when Democrats are again pushing the Biden-era pistol-brace rule through the regulatory backdoor. For grassroots gun owners, the takeaway is simple: if Miller survives the primary, the margin for error on pro-2A legislation narrows by one; if he doesn’t, Ohio’s 7th could easily flip to a candidate who treats the right to bear arms as a bargaining chip rather than a birthright.