Adjust for demographics and that difference tends to go poof. Some time ago, and I should really check up on this, it was said that if you subtract the South, the rest of the US is pretty much normal. Being from the cultural South, I can believe this.

Decreasing homicides is not the end and and be all of what I consider to be a good society. The U.K. approach of outlawing effective self-defense per se, in the courts in the '50s and legislatively in the '60s, has resulted in a lot more overall violence, with innocents getting a lot more victimized. No thanks.

The history of genocidal slaughters of disarmed peoples in the 20th Century, which started with the Armenians in Turkey 100 years ago, ought to give pause to those desiring to disarm peoples.

A lot of Americans have a taste for freedom that doesn't seem apparent in much of the rest of the world; well, aside from all those who try to move here. I wonder why...?

CA is largely hostile towards legal firearm ownership (getting put back into place by the courts, slowly but surely, though!)

These gunshots are not coming from law abiding citizens: most of these incidents are gang-related.

And you know what? Murder is illegal. More severe than any firearm-related law in the United States. If these individuals are attempting or successfully carrying-out murder, why and how do firearm laws prevent anyone but "good guys" from using them for legal purposes?

If you believe that, you need to get out more.