It's the guns

monster that's killing us.

is feeding the politicians. The republican ones, anyway.

Globally.

From long-term to the impulsive "snap" due to a triggering event.

It's not the muskets wielded by a well regulated Militia as necessary to the security of a free State.

It's the guns.

WMD - A favorite of the right-wing when someone else/others have them. OK when they are in the hands of self-styled patriots.

I'm anticipating a new class of mass-destruction weapon that every Tom, Dick, and Harry can have in their pockets and use it to take out 10, 100, 1,000 people in short order.

Who knows. Perhaps a handheld laser pulsed at the terahertz level?

What will the 2nd Amendment folks say if isn't a bullet-spewing WMD? Is it different somehow?

What will the politicians and other K-Street suited consorts say when they, and their families and drinking buddies can be taken out from a mile away without a trace?

The AR-15 has been for sale on the civilian market since 1964, at which time there were no background checks whatsoever for firearm purchases. Rifles could be mail-ordered to the buyer's home. Prior to 1968, serial numbers were not required on firearms. Guns were manifestly easier to obtain legally than they are now.

Obviously, something has changed.

than it was in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Violent crime, including murder, is lower now than it was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Mass shootings are more common now but there’s also far fewer serial killers.

I think it's the gun mentality. Asking the question how do we get the guns out of the hands of these people, or any similar question is not the right one.
I believe the right one is how do you change the gun mentality? How do you change Americans minds that it is your "god given right" or another reason to have a gun.
Nothing will change with any type of legislation.
America needs to change its mindset about gun ownership.
I think it needs to be a change in thinking, and that change will take generations.

I have no problem with people thinking it's their right to have a gun, god-given or otherwise. The problem is people that want to kill a large number of the fellow human beings in one berserk rampage.

As has been stated elsewhere, "regular" violent crime is down. The frequency of these mass-killing incidents is up. Something is seriously wrong with the zeitgeist.