Pro gun groups in the United States are ramping-up their campaigns, seizing the initiative while they have a friend in the White House, and pressing Congress to pass a series of measures that critics warn would increase America's already high rates of gun violence.
Gun advocates who found themselves on the defensive during the presidency of Barack Obama are now enjoying a spectacular turnaround, and remain confident that with President Donald Trump at the helm, a number of their biggest wishes will be granted.
In the lead up to the 2016 election, Trump impressed pro-gun groups by making a number of radical commitments, vowing to end gun-free zones, appoint pro-gun judges, and broaden the ability of citizens to carry a concealed weapon.
While legal experts say some of those commitments will be impossible to keep, gun lobby groups have been pleased with the progress they've seen since Trump was inaugurated in January.
In April, Trump became the first president since Ronald Reagan in 1983 to address the National Rifle Association (NRA), the goliath lobby group that donated millions of dollars to his campaign and endorsed his bid for the presidency.
"Trump has the markings at this point of becoming the most pro-gun president in modern times but we're going to have to wait and see," says Alan Gottlieb, founder of the pro-gun Second Amendment Foundation. "So far, we're extremely impressed."
Gun advocates like Gottlieb point to a number of changes since Trump became president as promising signs. Top of the list was Trump's appointment of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, as well as scores of other appointments to lower courts.
With well over 100 judicial positions to be filled by the Trump administration, Gottlieb and the Second Amendment Foundation have been keeping a close eye on each pick.
Gun advocates were also pleased when Trump signed legislation that undid an Obama-era policy making it harder for people with a severe mental illnesses to buy a gun.
With both houses of Congress under Republican control, pro-gun groups are now focused on achieving their major goal: the passage so-called "concealed carry reciprocity" laws.
As things stand, US states have different rules about who can carry a concealed weapon in public, and what they need to do to get permission.
But the new laws, if passed by Congress and signed off by President Trump, would mean an individual can carry their weapon in any of the 50 states that allows concealed carry, so long as they are permitted to in their home state.
For gun advocates, this is a commonsense reform that would avoid confusion and bring in a nationally consistent scheme.
They say law abiding citizens have been caught out by carrying their guns across jurisdictions.
But anti-gun violence groups see it as a disaster waiting to happen. There are currently 11 states that do not require residents to get a permit before they can carry a concealed weapon.
"In these states, it is easier to legally carry a handgun than it is to legally drive a car," according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
The passage of concealed carry laws in Washington would mean states with the weakest restrictions would effectively set the national standard, according to critics, allowing people to carry guns without a permit across the country.
Feelings are running high on the issue. A senior NRA figure recently dubbed the changes the organisation's "number one legislative priority", while one District Attorney in New York said the legislation would be supported by ISIS, citing the group's encouragement of followers to purchase guns in America.
President Trump has previously indicated support for concealed carry reciprocity, meaning the major task for the gun lobby is to motivate Congressional Republicans to get moving.
That's where people like Larry Pratt come in.
Pratt is the executive director emeritus of Gun Owners of America (GOA), an organisation that describes itself as the "no compromise" gun lobby.
GOA has been applying the blow torch to Republicans, pushing them to get moving on concealed carry, and helping members write in to their representatives.
"Our legislative approach is somewhat modelled after the late Senator Everett Dirksen who was fond of saying, 'When I feel the heat, I see the light'," says Pratt.
"They need to feel the heat sufficiently that they will hopefully then take action."
The House Bill proposing concealed carry reciprocity currently has an astounding 200 co-sponsors, including three Democrats. Pratt is confident it will pass, and thinks it is close to having enough support to overcome a filibuster by Democrats in the Senate.
Groups that support tighter gun laws aren't throwing the towel in just yet, however.
They say that since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, the national conversation has changed.
"I've gotta tell you, since December 2012, this issue has only been gaining momentum, and I include the election of Donald Trump as part of that forward progression," says Christian Heyne, legislative director at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Recent polling by the Pew Research Center found 44% of Americans know someone who has been shot. Heyne is one of them: in 2005, both his parents were both shot while leaving a friend's house. His mother died as a result of the wounds.
Heyne sees positive movement at the state level, and said some Democratic Senators who previously supported concealed carry have backtracked after pressure from anti-gun violence groups and their constituents.
Lindsay Nichols, federal policy director at the Law Centre to Prevent Gun Violence, also believes that a string of high-profile shootings in recent years have changed the game.
"The gun violence prevention movement has become much more organised, there are many more resources, and it's much more politically savvy than it has ever been before," she says.
That hasn't dampened the enthusiasm or energy of gun advocates and concealed carry is far from their only goal.
With a path to legislation open at the federal level, Pratt wants to see the abolition of gun-free school zones, though change on the issue would depend on state reforms as well.
Pratt believes many Republicans in Congress "intellectually agree" with this cause but need to become more "emotionally invested" in order to put pressure on the Republican leadership.
"They just need more encouragement and we're certainly going to provide it," he says.
In the meantime, Congress is also considering legislation that would rescind longstanding restrictions on firearm silencers. Supporters say silencers can help prevent hearing injuries for shooters. Opponents counter that if the law passed it would enable ambush style killings.
Trump has indicated he'll support it.
As the debate goes on, Alan Gottlieb is happy with what he sees from President Trump. For his efforts to date, he gives the president a grade of 9/10.
"So far, so good," says Gottlieb. "We can't complain at all."
At the NRA conference in April, President Trump vowed to deliver.