Re: If that is the case...
The fact is that cars and guns have the same consideration as weapons under US law, if you misuse these tools the result is identical.
You seem unwilling to listen to the argument that you cannot blame the tool for the actions of the user.
That is the one statement in this whole discussion that cannot be dismissed because it is so obvious to most rational people.
Perhaps a damning indictment of our mental health care system but most policies that we pay for cover 1-2 hours a month of mental health counseling, no more. They throw you out of the hospital after two weeks and if you are really nuts they might just give you 30 days max confinement and observation. Nothing said about long term treatment except for those who have enough money to pay out of pocket.
The nutters who killed those in Columbine & Aurora, Colorado and Sandy Hook, Connecticut etc etc never get identified, treated or incarcerated in time because it is too costly.
Again, law abiding people get punished for the sins of others and the REAL reason (lack of mental health care) and it's solution is constantly ignored.
Since you only believe what you hear from (in my mind very biased) European sources, you should also try to understand that in MOST US states (most are greater than the size and population of one of Europes countries), handguns and rifles are regulated very tightly. Minimum Age, Background checks, registrations, carry liscencing are all the norm. You cannot get a pistol permit if you were less than 21 in any state but you can drive in almost all when you are 14. You have to be 18 to get a rifle or shotgun in almost all states.
There are perhaps a dozen states left that do not have strong handgun regulation and they admittedly need to be more regulated. There are only a few states (mostly southern&western areas) that allow fully automatic weapons and those weapons have to be federally registered as well as state. The requirements for those are very stringent and come under truly onerous penalties.
Statistically, 99.98% of all annual gun related deaths (appx 38,800 total, about 19,900 of those are gun related suicides) happen strictly with handguns, not any type of rifles or shotguns (less than 1%). Try here for more details - http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states
Gun deaths per 100,000 people is 10.3 in the US or 0.000103 (pretty insignificant number)
Try here for comparison of cause of death http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death
Or here http://www.gao.gov/cghome/healthcare/img44.html
Also, look at the percentage of gun related deaths in almost all Central, South American countries as well as all Carribean travel destinations which are quite a bit higher than the US. BTW most guns are made in Europe or elswhere outside of the US so don't try to blame us just for making them.
The guns that criminals get come from two main sources, 70-75% straw buyers (criminals who purchase guns in low documentation states and resell them elswhere privately) and 5% theft from owners (who obviously don't take enough precautions to lock them up. Smuggling through Mexico now accounts for about 20% of the illegal gun trade but that is getting higher.
Criminals will always have guns. Terrorists can always accomplish their goals, even if they do not use guns. There is NO WAY to stop the concerted efforts of a criminal because if they don't have one way to kill, they will find another. Both DC and Chicago tried banning guns and things only got worse.
The Columbine Shooters also had pipe bombs & napalm and they would have used them more if they did not have guns. There were several bombings, Ted Kaczinski the Unabomber, Oklahoma City, Lancaster, PA.
Wiki has a number of lists http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school-related_attacks and various other links showing that the US is far from being alone in gun related attacks.
Gun bans do not solve GUN CRIME. The statistics prove that gun crimes do not decrease with further gun legislation and in fact increase in some areas, especially where legal gun owners have their guns banned. The total number of gun related deaths (including suicide) has not varied more than 5,000 up or down for over 30 years.
Also notice that I only mentioned legalization as it would help cut the income of drug cartels and help reduce gun crime in the US. What happens outside of the US is outside my control but logically, there would be less money going overseas. That's not being simplistic, just pointing out the inequities of the US legal system and the direct result on crime. Note that fully 50% or more of our so called "Criminals" are in prison for relatively minor crimes that by themselves would never warrant incarceration, especially if they were white.
Any chance that being wrongly accused or inequitably imprisoned might make someone have a tendency towards violence? To use a gun to kill because "they are never going back there"? To have serious mental health issues?
What about Bullying? I see significant cause and effect between being bullied and mass shootings/bombings/violence. Most of these shooters also commit suicide, another indication of underlying mental health related problems.
This whole issue is directly related to mental health and that fact is being denied by everyone involved.
Instead of finding real solutions, it is easier to blame inanimate objects and create "feel good" legislation that solves NOTHING.