Likewise, people know machine guns should be banned else gangsters in Model As would be speeding down every Main St, mowing folks down by the score.
“I’m convinced that the bulk of gun regulation in this country is based on what people think they know from exposure to guns through the movies.”
I believe that is part of the picture. (pun intended) The rest of the picture are the false messages about guns that have been promoted by the old media for decades as a way to “manufacture conscent” for the leftist agenda.
Why does anyone think that gun registration will lower the crime rate? There is not evidence to show that it does, and plenty of evidence to show the crime rate increasing.
But gun registration has been pushed by the old media and in the movies at nearly every opportunity.
If you ask leftist why they want gun registration, and you push them past the irrational “to solve crimes” meme, they eventually admit that the purpose is to make it easier for the government to confiscate guns, either piecemeal or in bulk, at some time or another.