It’s good to see that some/any Democrats can see the writing on the wall for new gun control legislation. Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) called the civilian disarmament proposals—rumored to be under contemplation by Senator Joe Biden’s [Gun] Death Panel—“way extreme.” As suggested on this site, a federal national database to track all assault weapons would run smack into the face of the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA) which forbids a national database to track ANY firearm. The chances of repealing FOPA are smaller than the chances RF will date Natalie Dadon. Which leaves . . .
an Executive Order directing the ATF to re-classify “assault weapons” as Title II firearms (e.g., machine guns and suppressors). Owners would have to register the guns under the NFA and pay a tax. Currently, that ticket’s $200. Raise it to say $500 and voila! A de facto assault weapons ban without all that messy business of Congressional approval.
Remember: that’s the way Chicago went after the Heller decision knocked down their handgun ban. Led by former White House Chief of Staff and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.