This isn’t as easy an issue as you’d think. As someone who supports a blanket ban on assault weapons, I had a problem with this grandstand by the Democrats. But not at the level of gun control.
Understand that the core mechanism in his legislation was placement on “watch lists” and “no fly lists” in order to justify the purchasing ban.
Last time I checked, those of us on the left–at least those committed to a restoration of civil liberties–understood that most of the people on these lists shouldn’t be there. Now in this legislation Democrats are conceding that they are, in fact, “terrorists”.
I get that this is an emotional issue. It should be. But that’s precisely the time when you have to at least try to think some of these things through. This was a terrible bill.
Just insist on an assault weapons ban and leave it there. Don’t concede any chunk of the police state just to score a point against the NRA.