These guys don't run on principle - ever. They run for power. Dems discovered the 'gun control' issue doesn't work for them - and they've dropped it. It takes votes away from them. Have you noticed how all major newspapers have dropped the issue too? And network news shows...
Liberals might mock citizens 'clinging' to gun... but there's NO new gun control legislation. It's not that elite liberals don't want to disarm citizens, or destroy our right to be armed - I'm sure they do - but they don't want to lose votes - especially in an election year.
Then again, maybe they've done new research and you're right. They go with what works...
Part of keeping power is disarming the populace. They know they can’t just try it again or they lose votes. Solution: create a crisis then use it to grab the weapons. They telegraphed their intentions with F&F when they started shopping around bogus “statistics” showing US guns are responsible for Mexican narco strife. This gunwalking was an attempt to create this in fact as well as statistics.