America needs to pay attention. The 2024 election ink is barely dry, and the gun-control crowd is already racking up the next round. While people argue over winners and losers, the anti-Second Amendment machine keeps grinding along. Here are five of the biggest current threats to the right to keep and bear arms, all unfolding right now.
1. The Federal “Assault Weapons” Ban Returns, And This Version Is Worse
Kamala Harris may have lost, but her agenda did not disappear. Her allies are already pushing a new, harsher version of the 1994 Crime Bill-style ban to newly elected Democrats who owe them political favors.
Capitol Hill sources tell The Post that the draft bill runs about 400 pages and is packed with restrictions. It bans AR-15s by name, outlaws magazines over 10 rounds, and only lets current owners keep their rifles if they register them with the ATF under the National Firearms Act.
That means a $200 tax stamp for each gun, fingerprints, and a 6-to-12-month wait just to hang on to firearms already bought legally. One Senate staffer called it “the mother of all backdoor registries.”
With budget reconciliation still an option, supporters would only need 50 Senate votes plus the vice president to ram it through.
2. ATF On The Warpath, And The “Zero Tolerance” Crackdown Is Underway
Joe Biden may have failed to install David Chipman as head of the ATF, but the agency kept the aggressive playbook. Over the last 60 days, ATF has reportedly pulled more Federal Firearms Licenses than in all of 2019.
Their new favorite move is simple and brutal. One mistake on a single Form 4473, and a local gun shop can lose its license for good. Under this “zero tolerance” approach, small family-owned dealers are shutting down by the dozen.
Fewer FFLs means fewer places to buy guns and ammo. It is slow-motion gun control by bureaucracy.
And the pressure is not just on dealers. The same ATF that flip-flopped on pistol braces is said to be finishing a rule that would turn roughly 40 million pistol-braced firearms into unregistered short-barreled rifles overnight.
Merry Christmas from the federal government.
3. Turbocharged Red-Flag Laws Are Headed For Traditionally Pro-Gun States
Nineteen states and Washington, D.C. already have red-flag laws. Now the anti-gun lobby thinks it smells an opportunity in states that used to be safe. Everytown and Giffords are dumping tens of millions of dollars into campaigns in places like Missouri, Texas, and Georgia.
Their new talking point is simple: “Extreme Risk Protection Orders are just common sense.”
Translation in plain English: a hostile ex, bitter neighbor, or angry coworker can file a secret statement, a judge signs off without hearing from the gun owner, and a SWAT team shows up before sunrise to seize the guns.
No criminal charge. No conviction. No actual due process before the raid. The firearms are gone first, and the court fight comes later.
Getting them back is another nightmare. In many states, even if the owner wins, they still have to pay the storage bills to reclaim their own property.
4. The Hidden Credit-Card Gun Registry No One Wants To Admit Exists
Anyone who thinks the government cannot track gun and ammo purchases needs to rethink that belief. Starting next year, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express will use a new Merchant Category Code for gun stores.
Every purchase at a gun shop, from a case of 9mm to a simple cleaning kit, will be tagged in a separate category. Banks are already telling investors this will help with “risk mitigation.”
In practice, that means financial companies will know where someone shops, what type of products they buy at gun stores, and how often they spend money there. Pair that with a growing federal data appetite and an IRS boosted by 87,000 new agents, and it begins to look like the skeleton of a national registry created without a single vote in Congress.
That is not just slippery. That is a greased slide.
5. Supreme Court Packing, The Nuclear Option Still Waiting In The Wings
The left has not dropped its dream of expanding the Supreme Court. Progressive favorite Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reintroduced her court-packing bill last week, and this time it has 72 co-sponsors.
Add four new justices who see the Second Amendment as a “colonial relic,” and landmark decisions like Bruen and Heller could vanish overnight. The entire modern foundation of gun rights could get shredded in a single term.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg once called Roe v. Wade a case of “heavy-handed judicial activism.” Imagine what a bench stacked with nine AOC-style justices would do to the right to keep and bear arms.
So What Now? Conservative Action Plan For 2025
First, join a gun-rights group today. NRA, GOA, or a strong state-level rifle association, they all count. Membership numbers are the headcount that politicians look at before they vote.
Second, light up the phones. Call both senators and make it clear that any “assault weapons” ban needs to die in committee, or they will face a primary challenge.
Third, buy standard-capacity magazines now, while they are still legal in most of the country. Waiting for a ban to pass is a losing plan.
Fourth, get a concealed-carry permit if possible, even in permitless-carry states. Constitutional carry is great until a big-city prosecutor decides to make an example out of a gun owner caught in a gray area.
Fifth, vote in every primary election, not just in November. The so-called moderates who cut deals on gun control usually win in low-turnout primaries that hardly anyone watches.
Last, talk to that anti-gun cousin at Thanksgiving. Share facts, not insults. If gun owners let the other side control the story, they lose the culture fight before the legal battle even starts.
The Second Amendment is not a favor from politicians. It is not a bargaining chip. It is the backbone that protects every other right written on that “parchment barrier” the Founders warned about.
Gun-control activists are not hiding their goals anymore. They are coming after firearms through laws, regulations, banks, and courts. The only real question is whether gun owners will still have their rights when that 3 a.m. knock hits the front door.
Stack up knowledge, stay informed, stock up on legal gear and ammo, and never hand over a right without a fight.
