Thanks again for the detailed response. You make a compelling point regarding the percentage of items used in the course of committing a crime. You also raise some good socio-economic points regarding the areas where most crimes are committed. You are also correct in the broad sense, that the vast majority of the US sees 0 homicides annually. You obviously have a very good grasp of the facts surrounding gun control and are able to make very reasonable and reasoned arguments to put the issue into its proper context.

Having said that, I would simply reply that the ideal would be to have no circulation. This would drive those small numbers you have mentioned down to absolute zero. The overall effect of that would be, as studies demonstrate, a huge reduction in absolute deaths. That's the statistical point of view. From the individual's prespective that would amount to no parents losing their children at school, no cinema goers getting murdered in the dark and no-one attending a country music event or night club having to desperately try to escape.

I certainly appreciate your perspective. I imagine whenever this happens it's upsetting to you personally as well. If only people could act with decency then we wouldn't even be having a gun control debate. Unfortunately, some people ruin it for everyone.

I certainly welcome your opinion, however, from my own point of view, and that of the vast majority of middle class wankers around the world, the positive utility of a gun free country vastly outweighs the disutility. Again, I would point to every country in Europe that does have strict gun control - no guns, no mass shootings.