Afaik the main argument (whether it is a pretext or not; as an outsider I can see it as a pretext to help special interests, but the locals are those voting) for not making it considerably harder to get firearms in the US is that a population which is armed with at least basic firearms is less likely to succumb (as in 'give up without a fight', not 'defeat gov forces in a pitched battle') to a tyrannical regime.
Now, in regards to how likely such a tyrannical regime is in the US, again I cannot say. I doubt many in tyrannical regimes foresaw their own fate.
Another issue is about the effect a ban or other drastic change regarding owning firearms would have. While it may reduce police crime (due to less fear by the so noble policemen that they will be gunned down), I am not sure if it will really reduce 'mass killing' events, since you can use various other weapons by now to do that if you must. Including chemical weapons (remember Japan).
In other words, removing a way to kill does not have to mean the killing won't happen. Perhaps the better avenue to success would be to remove or diminish the incentive to kill - the latter tends to become impossible, when usually it is argued that those people killed due to (in so many words) being insane. Social problems don't get examined as incentivizing, or not much is done to alleviate them.
Now, in regards to how likely such a tyrannical regime is in the US, again I cannot say. I doubt many in tyrannical regimes foresaw their own fate.
Another issue is about the effect a ban or other drastic change regarding owning firearms would have. While it may reduce police crime (due to less fear by the so noble policemen that they will be gunned down), I am not sure if it will really reduce 'mass killing' events, since you can use various other weapons by now to do that if you must. Including chemical weapons (remember Japan).
In other words, removing a way to kill does not have to mean the killing won't happen. Perhaps the better avenue to success would be to remove or diminish the incentive to kill - the latter tends to become impossible, when usually it is argued that those people killed due to (in so many words) being insane. Social problems don't get examined as incentivizing, or not much is done to alleviate them.