>I mean they were, until they weren’t, which is too often the case.

This isn’t the case at all. The data here is a little stale, but the vast majority of firearm charges brought are unlawful possession charges - I.e. for the prosecuted individual possession itself is unlawful, so the charged individual is not (and likely never was) a lawful owner. Adding in possession of stolen firearms and illegal transfer of firearms is almost the entirety of firearm crime prosecutions.

Law abiding gun owners are overwhelmingly just that.