Dr. Eugene Volokh has an excellent OpEd in the Wall Street Journal. Rand Simberg doesn't agree that there would be support for registering guns. I tend to agree with the logic of Rand and if we do get a definitive right to bear arms against tyranny decision from the Supremes it seems that registration would likely lose in a later challenge as undermining much of the protection against oppressive government.

The one thing that I'm not sure about is what the point of registration actually is. I understand a desire to license gun ownership so as to enforce certain basic knowledge and skills, but simple registration has no real purpose outside of licensing and maybe taxation or confiscation. There is a form of gun regulation that should be acceptable to many across the gun control spectrum. I've heard of this before - I think from Jim March - so I don't want to take full credit. The concept is often referred to as modified Vermont. The concept is that the state can require certain storage requirements and training requirements, but the would be enforced only after a law was broken. Having the correct private course completion certificate or proof of purchase of a lockbox or safe would be defacto proof of innocence to otherwise penalty enhancing charges.