Interesting read on this.Both assassinations of the Kennedys and MLK were used in the "selling" of the GCA of 1968. They used social media of the day (pop music) and news stories. They (Southern Democrats) weren't about to say that they are paralyzed with fear when it comes to black men wif guns. They were smart enough not to say it then and they would never admit it today. So they blamed "Mail Order" guns and "Saturday Night Specials" while subtly convincing white suburban men that big blackbucks were a coming for their womenfolk with guns. The NRA was not a gun rights organization at that time because gun rights were not under assault until then But Congressmen feared them as a voting block. By crafting the Background Check record retention verbiage, they got the NRA to endorse the GCA Act. How did that work out for us? How did it work out for Black Americans?
You are right about the Irish and the Italians on the Sullivan Act. Again, newspapers of the day depicted mob violence as gun violence and NY Citizens were all for ending gun violence. How did that work out?