While the expanded checks may not literally have been a prelude - no one said, for instance, "Well, once the checks are in we're going to confiscate all weapons" - it is as obvious as the fact that the Sun rises in the East that without knowing where the guns are it is impossible to confiscate them. In other words, such registration is a necessary precondition to confiscation, even if in some circumstances it would not inevitably lead to such.
The fact of the matter is that this country has, in its past, enslaved millions of people and perpetrated a genocide over a period of well over 100 years. Part and parcel of both was the fact that the victims were not armed (or, if they happened to obtain weapons, they were generally dealt with permanently and as quickly as possible). No, we are not our ancestors and history is not destined to repeat itself exactly. However, when it comes to such low probability, high impact events as slavery and genocide, I strongly prefer not to take any chances.
Ping for later