The gun industry has won, and not just on a legislative level. They have won on a cultural level

[phantom power]

2. The animosity towards registration and regulation stems from Fantasy B.

Fantasy A is the one where the gun owner saves the day with their gun like an action hero.

Fantasy B is where they go full-Wolverines and fight off the jack-booted thugs that have taken over the government.

So, the theory goes that if they were ever forced to register their weapons, and/or demonstrate training and competency on some regular basis (like a DMV for guns), then the evil jack-booted thugs would know who had all those guns and where they were, so they'd bust down their doors one night and confiscate them all.