I’m not worried about another Assault Weapons Ban. In fact, I’m not worried much about any legislation. What scares me is a sort of scheme like this, which could stand up to post-Heller scrutiny:
If we can use a capital infusion to a bank as an opportunity to control executive compensation and to limit use of private planes, why can’t the government use its weight as the largest purchaser of guns from major manufacturers to reward companies that work to keep their products out of criminals’ hands? Put another way, if it is too difficult to outlaw bad conduct through statutes, why not pay for good conduct? Why not require vendors to change their behavior if they want our tax dollars?
–Elliot Spitzer, writing for Slate
I don’t think this’d fly, but it gives me pause. Bear in mind that executive orders, particularly under an administration that sees itself as the second coming of FDR, fall into a gap where there is no real oversight. Continued...