The fever-pitch national hysteria over gun rights ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential elections has all but disappeared now that Donald Trump is president. In terms of federal action directly affecting Second Amendment rights, nothing has changed since President Barack Obama’s departure. The absence of an easily identifiable demon in Washington has frustrated gun makers and their top lobbyists.

Obama’s presidency was a boon to the industry. Today, the gun lobby is having trouble gaining political traction. A tepid recent effort to ease restrictions on noise suppressors, often known as silencers, made little headway, probably because it’s hard to get politicians worked up over the need for quieter gun technology.

Stock prices of major arms manufacturers have plummeted. Sales of guns and ammunition are way down. Without the ability to gin up fear among gun owners with exaggerated scare tactics, the National Rifle Association seems more like a toothless tiger these days.

Get ready for a new onslaught as the gun industry zeroes in on its next whipping boy: the federal courts system. During the Obama administration, Senate Republicans moved at a deliberate snail’s pace to fill the growing list of federal court vacancies. Obama inherited 54 vacancies when he assumed office in 2009. Today, more than 100 vacancies exist, lending Trump enormous potential power to reshape the federal bench.

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http://www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-expect-new-fear-mongering-as-gun-lobby-works-to/article_7dd7be36-6d71-5029-ab85-b76661cc5167.html