So, let's see your "proof." How is it that having fewer people with guns will result in fewer gun homicides? Nearly every piece of evidence related to the question of this policy outcome points towards the vast success of many advanced countries, namely Western European, that have already implemented strict gun control laws. For instance, there is a problematic difference in U.S. policy that, in stark contrast with these countries', permits 3.5 gun murders for every 100,000 residents. This is 515% Italy's gun murder rate (0.68 per 100,000 residents), 1522% Germany's gun murder rate (0.23), and 5000% UK's gun murder rate (0.07). There is a high positive correlation (albeit, not a proven causation) between strict gun control legislation and decreased gun homicide. Yet, Americans' intimate attachment to the notions of self-protection with a firearm and the second amendment's infallibility makes this evidence all the more ignorable to them. Cue the most notorious red herring in this whole debate--"guns don't kill people: people do!"

Yes, misguided people do discharge these guns, but to identify, assess, treat and then at last cure every potential shooter with mental illness is a vastly unrealistic expectation. The mental healthcare system simply does not have a test or alternative outreach methodology to sufficiently accomplish any of these tasks. Even less to resolve the gun murder issue, such an impractical policy doesn't confront the problem of accidental firearm discharge.

I have confidence in the gun-handling of those responsible gun owners in our country, but if we want to prevent the inexperienced or the hellbent from being a cause of death, then tightening loose gun laws is the only realistic step we can take. A large portion of Western Europe has taken this step, and it is unrefutably safer to live there than here. Because we are probably not home to a significantly greater number of individuals with mental illness, we have no excuse to not tighten gun control and potentially preclude the deaths of tens of thousands. At least then the many more who have already fallen victim to our inaction will not have done so in vain.