ABQ To Violent

When the crime gets bad enough the people will cry out for SOMETHING to be done.  At that point a complete police state becomes possible.  It's almost like it's part of a grand plan.

This is exactly it. They believe when the shootings get bad enough people will beg to have their guns taken away. Outside of a few idiot democrats though, it isn't working. Gun sales and even first time gun buyers are huge numbers. That only goes to prove that when it gets bad enough people will figure out they are on their own and will arm themselves.

It's not just firearms.  Increased surveillance (hard to imagine an increase from here), roundups of those radical presbyterians, etc. That is a bit tongue in cheek, but the feds are already looking at Catholics and people's online activities that involve bibles and maga.
While it was Canada, look at the Canadian government freezing bank accounts of those who participated in or supported the truckers vaccine protest there.