I wonder how Wagtail feels about the Aussie confiscation. He lives there...
Sorry to come in late here (my internet connection is cr*p and I only browse every few days).
I can make some comments from an Australian perspective, as I had to hand in 2 rifles back then. I've been shooter for most of my life, after taking up target shooting at 14, and after 45 odd years you get sick and tired of other people and the media trying to make you feel like a 2nd class citizen because you own guns.
The biggest feelings at the time were of anger, being powerless and extreme disappointment in politicians. After the Port Arthur shooting, the Prime Minister was obviously advised that the government had to be seen to be doing something and that there were more votes in being seen to be tough on law and order. (Still true apparently, from what I see of your current Presidential campaigns).
The gun buy-back, as it was called, was promised to be the way to make society safe from future massacres. I think a lot of the politicians didn't even believe that, but it gave them all a warm feeling and votes are votes. They didn't want to face the obvious facts such as that only law abiding people would comply and the crooks would still have their unregistered, illegal guns away.
For me, the biggest piece of bullsh*t was when the Prime Minister made himself a big hero by going to a rally and addressing a gathering of "gun nuts" - mainly farmers and other obvious criminals. There will be pictures taken at that time, that show him very obviously wearing a thick bullet proof vest under his jacket. Proof to the average mug voter watching that these people who don't want to hand in their guns are all potential murderers and can't be trusted. (That fact that a vest wouldn't save him is unknown to the uneducated - I would be pretty confident of putting a 108gr Berger between his eyes from 500 yards using my 6mm BR).
Every semi-auto - rimfire, centrefire, shotgun - had to be taken to collection centres set up in most major towns. You could watch them crushing the actions if you requested. A set amount of compensation was listed for each gun handed in. The money was supposed to make you feel better, but the do-gooders were not in favour of you getting any compensation.
My two weapons of mass destruction were a Ruger 10/22 carbine and a take-down Browning 22 my father had given me. I can't remember exactly, but I think I got around $200 for the Ruger and $400 for the Browning. Better than what a gun shop would have given you, but it wasn't about the money. Two elderly brothers, who are friends of mine, were in tears as they had to hand in the Browning A5 shotguns their father had given them on their 21st birthdays more than 50 years before.
All this stuff came back again on the 20th anniversary this year and for most gun owners like me, it was sickening to see the former Prime Minister being lauded for his good work back then and how more stricter laws need to be brought in now to keep up the good work.
I can't comment on the statistics regarding gun deaths, murders and suicides. Most of the shootings in the paper seem to be related to drugs or gangs (or both). There are certainly cases of domestic violence involving guns, but whether this dropped with less semi-autos being around - I don't know. Most of the suicides occurring that you hear about don't involve a gun. Unfortunately there are too many cases of people hit by a train for no apparent reason or cars hitting trees at high speed and no skid marks.
Don't forget that that hand gun ownership is non-existent in the general population in Australia. The only way you can own a hand gun is by being a member of a target pistol club and you can only use the handgun at club shoots on a club range. Of course this doesn't apply to the crims!