They can’t seriously believe that this law will reduce gun violence in any significant way.
It won’t. But it may increase the incarceration rate for what used to be law abiding citizens. If you look at the violations flow chart, sooner or later some overzealous prosecuter looking to make a name with the bloomies or moms will set someone up for a sting op.
The ads they used were stunningly shameless in the lies they told. One held the promise of closing a non-existent “gunshow loophole”. Another featured a family member who lost someone due to a gun-related domestic violence crime. Of course they conveniently left out the fact that the law doesn’t address the legal ownership of the weapon by the perpetrator.
The answer is yes - they left the indelible impression with the LIV’s that this was THE panacea for gun violence.