Running out of reality to blame, they got to make stories.
That's essentially how gun control works though.
Maybe the biggest workout your AR-15 gets is the monthly 2-gun PCSL match. But your state has decided that a mass murder in a different state is a good enough reason to ban semi-automatic rifles with box magazines, and now you're a felon for simply possessing something that was legal when you bought it.
And there's not really an end point, because all the bans in the world don't change human nature. Germany is cracking down on people carrying pocket knives because stabbings are up sharply. In England you can't carry a screwdriver without good cause. Banning tools doesn't change the material circumstances that lead to violence. (Not that either Republicans or Democrats want to do that; Dems want to ban guns, Republicans want to ban anyone that isn't a straight white christian from owning them.)