Just a few claifications.
1) There are not 70 million Americans with AK47s slung over their sholders like what you see in Mogudishu. These fire arms are kept, for the most part locked and stored with the ammo in another place.
2) All firearms are not designed to kill. Much of the weopons that I posess are for use as target rifles. I have not killed for the stew pot in many years. My facination is with the high speed projectile, put into the 1" target at 100 yards. Some folks shoot clay skeet.
All of those who I know have the same thing in mind when perchasing a firearm. They are collectors, hunters, target shooters and the like. Not criminals.
Firearms are machines that can be used for many different perposes. Not a single fire arm has ever killed one person. This weopon was either left out where someone unauthorised could access it, was thought to be empty and was not, or used in for self protection or in a crime. There is no demon in the metal. Just in peoples minds.
The problem in the States is much more complex than mere firearms ownership. While horrific as it is the shootings are dwarfed when compaired to the 1200 students on our national campuses that die every year from alcohol related deaths, and the 70, 000 rapes that occure from binge drinking every year. In the last 80 yrs, 250 students have died due to gunshot wounds. Absolutly unaccepible. But no where near the death rate from other factors. This is a screwed up world folks, no doubt about it.
If there was a no gun, no violence button that would solve all of our social ills out there, do not think for one moment that I wouldn't push that sucker. Well..... Dang it, there aint...........Until some one makes one, I'll have to keep going my own way.

Wayne