Well, at least it is a start. Once he believes that for a little while, the shrill ramblings of the radical gun control people will ring false even more.
On the OP:
I think the gun control people have gotten more and more radical over the last 20 years even as crime statistics continue to prove them wrong. Back in the early 90's, the "common sense" gun control message made more sense to many people. When the AWB pass and then went away with no real effect, it said a lot to anyone paying attention. Current trends also continue to show that crime is worse in areas with heavy gun control and improving in areas without it.