Also check out an essay which provides an interesting historial and cultural perspective on the Iconic nature of guns in the American "culture" of death.
It is titled Christian Nationalists And The Holy Gun Crusade by Thomas Lecaque and featured on the Religion Dispatches website

Both Switzerland and Israel have very high rates of firearm ownership, including very real assault rifles (western media call every self loading rifle an "assault rifle" ) pistols and sub machine guns, yet they do not have school massacres. The US homicide rate is five times higher than Australia's, but if all the people murdered in the USA were taken out of the homicide statistics entirely, the US homicide rate would still be twice that of Australia.

OBVIOUSLY, some other factors other than the mere presence of firearms are the real reasons for gun violence. Can stricter gun laws help reduce violent gun crime? Yes. But if you ignore the other factors, then you will not achieve much. Australia now has very strict gun laws but 13 people have been shot down in the streets of Sydney in the last few months, and Melbourne is experiencing the same phenomenon as Sydney.

Liberal gun laws COMBINED WITH an entertainment industry culture glamourising violent criminal behaviour, especially revenge type behaviour, COMBINED WITH the fact that children today often live in one parent families where their primary means of socialization a TV set, COMBINED WITH the increasing numbers of people from violent cultures possessing an almost medieval sense of honour, are the reasons why violence in western societies is increasing exponentially.

Just focusing on guns and ignoring the other issues will achieve nothing. But you can bet that old Binoy will never slam the other factors as he does guns. Binoy needs a scapegoat and guns are the perfect choice. Socialist totalitarians like him have never been comfortable with ordinary people owning guns. And the entertainment industry and it's actor/ celebrities is from his social caste, and crime and welfare prone immigrants are his political party's electorate.

Strict firearm laws are a litmus paper test of how sick your society is. Western societies are losing their social cohesion through non European immigration. They are glamourising criminal behaviour to poorly socialised kids, and so they are getting very sick. They will continue to get sick long after every firearm is banned.

I note there are some reforms being agreed to! Including background checks. It's a start and a small enough step not to involve much resistance!? I expect the age limits on background checks will broaden gradually until all intending gun lawful owners will be checked?

That said, this is a horse already bolted and millions of guns owned by Americans outnumber the population several times over. However, it is not the legal trade that's the real problem given the black market is alive and well, where by all accounts almost any weapon can be purchased, including sniper rifles with a range of 4.5 miles, machine guns like the Uzi that spit hundreds of rounds per minute and semi automatic pistols with 15 round mags!
Alan B.

Hear, hear and well said, LEGO.
Alan B.

LEGO.
Alan B,
Ditto !
Also, keep an eye open for the increasingly tolerant violence in sport & any competitiveness in general !
The stupidity of competitive journalism rather than straight-forward reporting will aid the snow-balling of violence !

The issue of gun control, leaves me feeling conflicted.

I do feel safer knowing, that we have a certain amount of gun control in Australia, particularly the fact that, repeat,rapid fire rifles are not so readily available.and there are licensing laws and a 3-4 week cool off period, which might help deter an emotional loner, from acting spontaneously,perhaps. I know those with criminal connections can get guns. And complete safety is always an illusion,but still! I feel better with some of the restraint we do have on guns.

On the other hand:-
It leaves the population, defenceless against tyranical governments,or governments who seek more authoritarian control over the people, as we are seeing with our own government,and the corrupt Biden Regime in America.

When you have fought a civil war and a War of Independence on your home soil,like the Americans have,it is easy to understand why they won't give up their right to have guns, despite the carnage with the multiple shootings.

I find myself divided on the question.