The Democrats started pushing this back in 1962 just before JFK was murdered by a communist supporter.
Really started pushing it when Bobby Kennedy was murdered by a Palestinian Immigrant.
Starting in 1962 with the demand of Dems Thomas J. Dodd and Emanuel Celler...
1962 We ONLY want to register handguns. Rifles will not be affected!
1964, We ONLY want to register ALL firearms, not ban them.
1968 We ONLY want to register all guns, and ban the import of foreign Saturday Night Specials, and 5-shot bolt action army surplus rifles! (they got the ban).
1970, We ONLY want to ban small American handguns. Rifles will not be affected!
1976 We ONLY want to ban ALL handguns! Rifles will not be affected!
1981, Actress Lee Grant on Good Morning America screams and pokes holes in the air with her finger...”THE NRA IS A RIFLE ORGANIZATION! THEY SHOULD GIVE UP THEIR HANDGUNS AND THEY CAN KEEP THEIR RIFLES!”
1986, They came for the rifles.
Gun owners are always up against a stacked deck.
It started before that with suppressors. Which ironically are a lot easier to get in europe.