I don't agree that it will be a one time deal. The government is very interested in who is buying bullion. That is not for no reason.
When a nation's government becomes despotic, anything that provides safety and security to its citizens is a threat to that government. The government must control commerce. And that means controlling currency. If gold/silver threaten to become a de facto medium of exchange because of the collapse of fiat currency, then the government has a vested interest in the control of precious metals.
Look, it's all about control. If the people in power believe that confiscation of privately held bullion is in their interest and furthers their control of the populace, they will do it. Doesn't have to be logical to you or me. Only to them.
Yes, agreed - it’s about control, no argument there. But it’s precisely because of that, any hint of outright property confiscation is just an admission that they have lost control. Sort of like the Navy commandeering everybodys canoe.
Forget it. The PR would be atrocious. First thing, somebody better shut down the US Mint, because that’s who is selling in large part. No, there would be many unintended consequences to such a move and would sever any trust that is left. Remember in the 1930s there was a far greater
respect for government, and the gold recall was assumed to be a temporary emergency act. So many things have turned out so badly, that is why the Roosevelt action was a one time deal in practical terms. The government obligations to creditors is so large that even foreign central bank gold payments were reneged upon 40 years ago. Even Social Security trust fund was absconded with into the general fund at that time.
Do the math, and it becomes clear, never mind the rest.