Dave, as much as I hate the situation, this is just what happens, even in a "Republic", when you're in the fringe. We just are. Hell, Indiana can't even get Sunday booze past Bosma. And the sentiment favoring that isn't even in the fringe!
But for guns, it is. People don't think people should be toting guns without permission from the government. I think the obvious thing would be to persuade more people of the folly of believing that gun control makes people safer. Maybe this group can help do that. Then the rest would take care of itself.
This has become engrained into our psyche...just like background checks, no guns in schools, and fully automatic weapons should not be accessible to mere mortals. There's a reason why Trump is leading the polls and I suggest these sorts of things are related.