I think you could make an argument to push back the start of modern gun control to 1934, but Heller in my view is a better starting point because without the individual right broader gun control legislation becomes more possible, like the handgun law in contention in heller.
for instance, accessories were not regulated until the NFA, a technological reality as much as a legal one, as you probably know better than I do. it is true concealment and where a gun could be carried is as old as the country. but those regulations aren't in contention here. classifying guns is.
The kind of broad regulation that would actually have a meaningful impact was made impossible by Heller and bruen. frankly, it's a miracle that the NFA has survived this long. whatever turmoil is coming in this country and anyway we find out of it will necessitate a broad political reset.
part of that reset is going to be a fundamental reconfiguration of the American constitutional order, including the supreme Court and the current amendment system. to put it plainly, America on the other side of fascism, if we get there, will not have the current supreme Court and it's jurisprudence