> b) There is zero appetite from the GOP for gun control. Until that changes the status quo persists.
There have been many years of Democratic control where they didn't prioritize gun control. The status quo persists for some other reasons, not just the GOP bogeyman.
I have some hope that a more creative approach to the gun situation would help. The typical blue state approach of "ban everything, except allow a select few people to pay thousands of dollars for a license" definitely won't work. At the same time, the NFA has held up for a very long time and there haven't been any challenges to it yet despite the reputation of today's Supreme Court.
There is always something similar to Texas’ creative approach to solving the abortion situation—outsourcing the trampling of rights to citizens via civil lawsuits. Though I have a sneaking suspicion that SCOTUS would have a change of heart about intervening in such a situation.
They could target an Ammendment, which would seem the proper path to me. And they don't necessarily need to codify abortion; they just need to define Person.
There have been many years of Democratic control where they didn't prioritize gun control. The status quo persists for some other reasons, not just the GOP bogeyman.