Billionaire philanthropists Laura and John Arnold have bankrolled the fifth installment of RAND’s infamous Gun Policy in America report, and if the headlines are any indication, it’s doubling down on the same tired anti-2A playbook that’s defined the previous four editions. Released with the glossy sheen of evidence-based research, this latest opus from the Santa Monica think tank pushes for mandatory gun locks, the repeal of stand-your-ground laws, raising the minimum age for purchases, instituting waiting periods, and—drumroll—universal background checks for private sales. It’s like they dusted off the 2018 original, slapped on some fresh stats, and called it progress, all courtesy of the Arnold Ventures’ deep pockets, which have funneled millions into RAND’s ongoing crusade against American gun rights.

But let’s peel back the layers: RAND’s reports aren’t neutral science; they’re advocacy dressed as analysis, cherry-picking studies that align with billionaire agendas while downplaying mountains of contradictory data. Take stand-your-ground repeal—their evidence ignores robust defenses like Florida’s post-2005 crime drops and peer-reviewed analyses (e.g., from the Crime Prevention Research Center) showing these laws deter crime without spiking homicides. Age limits and waiting periods? Decades of real-world evidence from states like California and New York reveal they do zilch for suicide prevention or mass shootings, yet inflate black-market premiums for criminals who bypass them anyway. And private sale checks? RAND admits the data is inconclusive at best, but they recommend them anyway, echoing Michael Bloomberg’s failed Proposition Z playbook. The Arnolds, with their hedge-fund billions, aren’t funding this for kicks—they’re scripting the narrative for lawmakers eyeing post-2024 midterms, where gun control polls as a loser but persists via elite funding.

For the 2A community, this is a wake-up call: RAND’s recidivism proves these reports are less about policy evolution and more about relentless narrative laundering. As red states fortify constitutional carry and SCOTUS mulls cases like Rahimi, expect this fifth edition to fuel blue-state bills and media spin. Arm yourself with counter-facts—share John Lott’s breakdowns, cite FBI NICS data debunking gun show loophole myths, and hit back hard. The billionaires can buy reports, but they can’t buy the Second Amendment. Stay vigilant; the fight’s just heating up.