I believe Senator Feinstein's comment on "60 Minutes" (Feb. 5, 1995); to still be operative:
"If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them . . . Mr. and Mrs. America, turn 'em all in, I would have done it. I could not do that. The votes weren't here."
Arguably, in the next election cycle, the votes could be there. There's more than one way to skin a cat...says the savvy public relations consultant.
Other posters have mentioned some of the legislative ploys that effectively will amount to a ban. Expect them all, sugar coated in some socially-redeeming pretext, to convince the uninformed:
* Normal capacity mag ban, with no grandfather clause, for obvious safety improvements.
* Prohibitive ammo tax will fund emergency rooms.
* Lead ban will prevent environmental destruction.
* Ammo tagging/firing pin microstamping will revolutionize crime tracing.
* Gun owner licensing, combined with comprehensive (improved) mental health screening will be the only way to keep guns out of the hands of "undesirables". Guess what improvements will mean? Strident posts on internet forums?--> "NO GUNS FOR YOU"
* Comprehensive import ban will harmonize with UN, NAU policies.
* Permit/licensing fees will be self-funding, so as not to burden the non-gun owners. Administrative cost estimates will be platinum-plated.
* "Armor piercing" ammo ban, will prevent cop-killings. All legal ammo will have to prove it doesn't defeat police vests, prior to sale. Reloaders will be licensed, to insure compliance.
* California drop-test will be expanded and go nation-wide, to insure no unsafe guns.
* Ample (and mind-numbingly complex) exemptions "for sporting purposes", will give courts an escape clause on constitutional violations; "because of the overriding safety concern". Chief Justice Roberts issues an opinion citing "stare decisis"; and the DWI checkpoint decision as precedent...everyone swoons, including most legal experts on internet gun forums.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I could go on, but you get the point. In the wake of a high-profile shooting incident, load up an omnibus crime bill will all of these provisions and more, and discard even half through the process of legislative compromise**, and we end up with nothing more than single shot pellet guns, done up all nice and legal.
:barf:
BOHICA
**ETA: NRA, and "pro-gun legislators", take credit, and get political cover for killing a couple of provisions, in
"a hard-fought battle to preserve your rights", according to later ad campaigns.