Thirty years ago, in a discussion with a firearms dealer who specialized in high end rifles, I said that the RKBA will not get a full frontal assault. Instead, it has and will continue to be chewed away at the edges, be removed from those groups of firearm owners who don't have the most common guns, banning the exotic, the uncommon, the special interest arms, until the middle, simple revolvers and bolt action rifles are all that is left. Then wave after wave of leftists at the gate will be used to batter the citizenry into compliance with ridiculous and expensive and difficult rules.
Well, we're seeing it.
A bump stock does not alter the functioning of the action of the firearm it is installed on, and only makes it easier to pull the trigger in the most efficient way possible, firing one round per trigger pull. Machine guns, despite the contorted definition used to ban bump stocks, fire until the trigger is released (or ammo runs out, or the firearm malfunctions), with one pull of the trigger. Ignorance of the functioning of firearms and media-generated fear over the actions (allegedly) of one man, enabled this travesty of regulation to make five hundred thousand people instant criminals unless they surrendered or destroyed their legally purchased (legally owned prior to the rule) property without compensation--property which had been ruled to be legal by an administration openly hostile to the RKBA. That doesn't take in the losses suffered by businesses which made or stocked the accessory, which in and of itself could not discharge a single round.
I have to believe some populist sentiment factored in, reducing the amount of protest over such an egregious violation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Well, here we go again. The leviathan is back for another bite.
As I have also said before, partisan politics is the shield behind which acts are committed by 'our side' against us, acts that would have protests in the streets if the 'other' side did them.
Left foot, Right foot, down the road to totalitarianism.
Recall, it was a GOP POTUS who signed the act which limited the sale of post 1986 manufactured machine guns (full auto/select fire) to military, police, and dealers. Recall, as well, the NRA was willing to let the Hughes Amendment pass to get the rest of the "Firearm Owners Protection Act" through. They didn't do squat to stop the bump stock ban, either.
Are they going for a hat trick?
At least we recognize the Chuckie Schumers and Dianne Feinsteins as enemies of the RKBA, We need to take another serious look at those we have assumed were friends.