To all the gun violence apologists who say things like "if a person is intent on shooting people, no regulations would make a difference." I first say, how typical of you. How typical of you to be so dismissive in response to yet another mass shooting. How typical of you to parrot the same tired talking points that get us nowhere. If you believe that the 2nd Amendment written over 2 centuries ago that called for a "well regulated militia" means that Americans should have military-style guns whose sole purpose is to slaughter human beings, then you are part of the problem. These weapons have nothing to do with the 2nd Amendment and they have nothing to do with freedom. There should absolutely be stricter and better enforced gun laws, but first and foremost there should be a ban on semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines.
The issue of ever increasing gun violence in our country is largely societal and our immersive culture of violence, deteriorating sense of community, failures in actively recognizing and aggressively treating mental illness and the unprecedented inequalities that abound are all factors. Yet the proliferation of guns is also a factor, a huge factor, and it's beyond reasonable to have restrictions. Should we stop requiring safety seals on OTC medicine, because if someone is set on poisoning the masses (remember the Chicago Tylenol murders?) they will find a way to do it and regulations aren't necessary? Why bother with regulations of any kind if some people will just get around them? Can you imagine if that was the attitude about everything in our country?
Toys are more regulated than guns in our country. Baby Wets Her Pants is more regulated than a glock. The NRA is also a huge part of the problem. The gun lobby has mirrored the GOP's hard shift to the right over the past several decades with both being largely reduced to paranoid, cynical and greedy ideologues and bullies who are never part of the solution. A meaningful "conversation" about gun violence can never occur when the gun violence apologists are so far removed from reality. If a person believes that their free reign to possess military-style human killing machines has anything to do with their freedom or an amendment adopted 226 years ago when guns were hand-crafted single-shot weapons, loaded through a muzzle....I'm afraid they aren't up to having a conversation about anything.