The President, speaking with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, has followed up his quick comments boarding Marine One with more that suggest he has banning firearm silencers on his table. Trump moved to ban bumpstocks in the wake of Mandalay Bay and moving on silencers would be in the same vein of activity, meaning the “the war on the 2nd Amendment is over” President would accomplish far more gun control than President Obama (although he told a series of lies in Brazil concerning U.S. Gun laws).
The real practical question will be, as an NFA regulated item already, what can he do?
The legal footwork that allowed the bumpstock ban used the NFA to classify them as “new” machine guns.
Silencers do not inhabit that same part of the National Firearms Act and aren’t subject to the same reclassification. Banning the devices would be an act passed through Congress. Such an act would certainly pass the House and could likely be passed in the Senate with President’s support. But will it get that far?
During the interview the President turned the questions towards knife violence domestically in London. His language suggests he has “a belief” at some level that supports the 2nd Amendment and self defense like he stated at NRAAM. His opinion didn’t include bumpstocks and apparently does not include silencers. A silencer ban could be okay in his mind, he stated however “I don’t love the idea of it.”
That statement may be in reaction to the highly negative response from the firearms community who could see this action as a pattern discrediting his vocal support of the 2nd Amendment. It would be seen as a hypocritical act and proof that he would move gun control after every remotely horrific act of violence. Trump has expressed support for concealed carry reciprocity, the AR15, and many other aspects of the Right to Keep and Bare Arms. However anything he personally does not like under the 2nd Amendment umbrella he seems to extend as unnecessary for all and that his opinion is the sole guiding arbiter.
We will see when this hits the courts.
