I am posting about games, culture, and violence as tomorrow's topic on my blog but mostly focusing on the cultural values and video games part. So not addressing the real, as opposed to virtual, guns.

As many debates, the gun control question probably comes down to people having different goals and priorities, and also assigning differing amounts of value to risks and benefits. If people would first argue about what their top goals are, before arguing about whether X action should or should not be taken, it would probably save trouble. Then, when some decision is made about what the goal is, the discussion can turn to assessing the probability that X, Y, and Z action will further than goal, and estimating the other likely effects of X, Y, and Z.

Is the goal is "more people feel safer" or "fewer people die" or "less violence happens"? Or perhaps cynically, "more of the people who matter more feel safer", "fewer of the people who matter more die", and "less violence impacts the people who matter more".