@proffesor
Agreed but supporting an assault weapons ban and supporting the realization of gun confiscation is a jump across a chasm of different degrees.
I really don't mean to derail this thread, but:
No, it's not. You're thinking like a sane, rational individual, not a hoplophobe.
Let me put it this way, and this IS how I think it will happen.
It will be done in two Presidential Directives. The first one is to destroy gunshows. The BATFE is directed to prosecute any transfers or sales of firearms by licensed dealers at any location other than that which is on their license. This means, they cannot sell or transfer outside their shop or place of business. Bam. In one stroke of the pen, gun shows are gone.
The second Directive is that any semi-automatic firearm, or firearm that takes a detachable magazine, or any firearm that holds more than five rounds of ammunition, be declared a title II (or even III) device. Now, initially, there won't be a confiscation. First, there will be a "grace period" of six months to a year in which anyone with the aforementioned firearms will be required to submit the appropriate forms and documentation for licensing of said firearms.
During this grace period, as part of the directive, the BATFE will be required to locate all firearms which meet the criteria and which were sold in the past, say, 50 years. Initially, existing FFL's will be required to submit copies of the information in their bound books in electronic or paper format for any sales of aforementioned firearms. Failure to do so will result in severe punishment (i.e., no burning of 4473's or bound books. . .think your FFL is a super patriot? Watch what happens when he or she is faced with sharing a cell with a hairy-backed guy/gal named "Sweet Meat.).
Eventually, not immediately, there will be intentional raids and seizures of firearms. No door-to-door stuff will be necessary.
For, you see, the average gun-owner is a law-abiding citizen by nature. They won't rise up to fight the system. They'll try to work
within the system to fix the problem. . .in other words. . .they'll try to elect another President or have their elected officials figure out a way to overturn the directive.
In the mean time, Mr. Average Gun Owner will either turn the weapons in, or go through the paperwork. Put this into place and, in 10-15 years, you'll see no private sale/transfer of these firearms and drastically diminishing legal sales. The market will be so tight that few will spend the necessary $$ to get the guns. Many manufacturers will go out of business, since the millions of assault weapons sales will trickle to a minimum. Eventually, the market will balance out, but the price for said firearms will go through the roof, compared to what they are now.
A prime example is Class III weapons or, foreign-made assault weapons. Try to buy an original Galil or Valmet, now. They have to make new versions with a certain percentage of US-made parts. Even class III weapons are ridiculously expensive because no new ones can be made since (iirc) 1986 for non-military/law enforcement use.
The same will happen to Semi-Autos. A few raids may happen, but you won't see any Jack-Booted Thugs kicking in every door on your block looking for guns. (But the precedent has been set for that, too. . .look at what happened to the bank-robber in Aurora when they stopped an entire block of traffic looking for the guy. The LEO's won that. So, someone calls and says "Hey, I saw a guy in a pick-up run into this subdivision with what looked like an AK47. Bam! The subdivision is locked down and every house searched with the occupants handcuffed on their lawns until the LEO's are through. Oh wait! They didn't find the suspect, but did turn up X number of other illegal weapons, which they now must prosecute, as well.)
Makes me sick just to write this.
The Professor
