Reason Magazine explains why it was right to reject the relatively modest Toomey-Manchin gun control law:

Understanding the rejection requires understanding gun owners' shared experiences. Compromise requires that both parties relinquish something. If your counterpart's position is "give me this now, and I'll take the rest later," there is no real compromise to be had. Over decades, that has been precisely the experience of American gun owners.

The gun control strategy of the left was laid out as far back as 1976:

We're going to have to take one step at a time, and the first step is necessarily - given the political realities - going to be very modest. Right now, though, we'd be satisfied not with half a loaf but with a slice. Our ultimate goal - total control of handguns in the United States - is going to take time. My estimate is from seven to ten years. The problem is to slow down the increasing number of handguns sold in this country. The second problem is to get them all registered. And the final problem is to make the possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition - except for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and licensed gun collectors - totally illegal.

The piece goes on to demonstrate how the gun grabbers switched to assault rifles to capitalize on public ignorance, and gives examples of the kinds of draconian and useless laws the left will pass given unfettered power to do so.