“It is true that Europe has a much lower homicide rate than the U.S. And, it is definitely worth having a discussion to figure out the exact reason. Most likely, it is due to harsher punishments for murders. Or, it could be due to cultural differences. However, when you look at the actual data, assuming that it is due to the fact that they have gun control laws just does not add up.
“So, the long answer to your question ‘What is stopping us from ‘protecting’ our public by instituting gun bans’ is the simple fact that gun bans do very little to actually protect the public. But, they do have a very real effect on the public’s ability to protect themselves.” – Randal Brown in What keeps America from following the European example of protecting their subjects (in this case, citizens) by banning guns? [via quora.com]