Actually, Bill, when gun control legislation was in the Senate Judiciary Committee it contained language that would have given Holder the right to set up a national gun registry, the provision was dropped from the Toomey-Manchin legislation.
Via Washington Examiner:
Former President Bill Clinton, while suggesting that another push for gun control legislation might succeed, faulted the National Rifle Association for convincing “country” people that “there’s this big, conspiratorial federal government” plan to confiscate firearms.
“What’s going on is that these organized special interest groups don’t want anything done because it’s a big source of their money to terrify people living out in the country that there’s this big, conspiratorial federal government trying to take their guns away,” Clinton said on Morning Joe. “I think if you could get a clear-headed vote on the issue standing alone, the overwhelming majority of Americans in every state would be for it.”
The background check debate did turn into a proxy fight about the idea of a national gun registry, in part because of language in the legislation reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee would have given Attorney General Eric Holder the option of doing so.