Is anyone proposing without access to an AR-15, or any firearm for the matter, this mentally-troubled yet ignored by all the appropriate authorities youth would not have lashed out violently?

It's not too long ago homemade explosives were a seriously real threat in this nation (and others with much more strict regulations, such as the UK). Mass knife stabbings aren't that uncommon around the world, and driving a vehicle through a crowd remains one of the most effective means of violence readily available.

The point is... the tool isn't the problem it's the person. It's a figurative band-aid to think we can solve mental health issues by taking away objects and ignoring the actual core problem... which is mental health.

Stable, mentally healthy people do not commit these mass violent acts. Full stop.

Gun ownership has a long-term downward trend. Part of this is non-government factors like change in population from rural to urban, changing demographics, occupations, etc. But we can't rule out that part of this drop may be contributed by the additional barriers placed, such as great expansion of who is a felon, expansion of domestic violence firearm restrictions including some local agencies charging someone every single time a policeman is called out for DV no matter what actually happened, NICS (which can wrongly deny people who then have to appeal), increasingly difficult to navigate carry laws such as the gun-free-school-zone act that can incriminate someone for merely being within 1000 feet of a school with a gun. The no-fault divorce era has also seen the weaponization of spousal restraining orders during divorce, which have the effect to disarm while also being a bargaining chip and ace during divorce proceedings and a way to beat down your spouse with the court by leaving them helpless and disarmed even in many cases where the spouse has done nothing criminal. And then there is the attack on anyone who happens to have guns and gasp pot at the same time, as is seen in the federal charges against "FPS russia" who was disarmed because the feds didn't like he smoked a vape pen with his girlfriend.

There seems to be a somewhat slow boil in the United States, starting with the NFA, then the GCA, the hughes amendment, and a myriad of state and local laws.

https://www.norc.org/PDFs/GSS%20Reports/GSS_Trends%20in%20Gu...

"general downward trend" is light years away from "gun grab". they did the latter in Australia and I hear it was pretty great.

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/australi...