Have you considered the 'devil advocate' perspectives?

Does our TV, film and video game culture – with all of the gory violence that so many enjoy – also play a role in this?

Have you considered some of the evidence showing that US states with the largest increases in gun ownership have had the largest drops in violent crimes, and that many of these shooting rampages have occurred in areas with very strict gun ownership legislation? What about other countries that have high gun ownership such as Israel, Switzerland, Finland and NZ, and yet they don't experience the same incidents as in the USA? Here is a link to one examination of the different cultures in Israel and the US: http://files.webydo.com/150858/Gun%20Control.pdf.

What about examples of law-abiding, gun-carrying citizens who have successfully taken action to stop a perpetrator mid-attack? One Israeli example: the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva attack was eventually ended when an off-duty soldier nearby heard the shots and took action on his own volition and stopped the attacker with his weapon. He was the first-responder in the sense that he arrived first, and tragically after 8 young boys were murdered, but the authorities didn't arrive until later. Other examples exist of civilians taking similar action to protect themselves and those around them.

If someone were in a live-fire situation, and some of the people around them were trained, responsible civilian firearms users, wouldn't someone rather be with them, rather than fend for themselves without the advantage of at least somewhat equal firepower? Wouldn't disarming the law-abiding citizens merely make them sitting ducks in the face of the armed assailants who can always get their hands on black market weapons?

It's worth to at least look into these scenarions.

You can also consider some of these links: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html and http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335739/facts-about-mass-shootings-john-fund and http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323723104578185271857424036.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_carousel_1 and this research paper on Multiple Victim Public Shootings: http://www.thevrwc.org/JohnLott.pdf.

Have you considered the 'devil advocate' perspectives?

Does our TV, film and video game culture – with all of the gory violence that so many enjoy – also play a role in this?

Have you considered some of the evidence showing that US states with the largest increases in gun ownership have had the largest drops in violent crimes, and that many of these shooting rampages have occurred in areas with very strict gun ownership legislation? What about other countries that have high gun ownership such as Israel, Switzerland, Finland and NZ, and yet they don't experience the same incidents as in the USA? Here is a link to one examination of the different cultures in Israel and the US: http://files.webydo.com/150858/Gun%20Control.pdf.

What about examples of law-abiding, gun-carrying citizens who have successfully taken action to stop a perpetrator mid-attack? One Israeli example: the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva attack was eventually ended when an off-duty soldier nearby heard the shots and took action on his own volition and stopped the attacker with his weapon. He was the first-responder in the sense that he arrived first, and tragically after 8 young boys were murdered, but the authorities didn't arrive until later. Other examples exist of civilians taking similar action to protect themselves and those around them.

If someone were in a live-fire situation, and some of the people around them were trained, responsible civilian firearms users, wouldn't someone rather be with them, rather than fend for themselves without the advantage of at least somewhat equal firepower? Wouldn't disarming the law-abiding citizens merely make them sitting ducks in the face of the armed assailants who can always get their hands on black market weapons?

It's worth to at least look into these scenarions.

You can also consider some of these links: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html and http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335739/facts-about-mass-shootings-john-fund and http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323723104578185271857424036.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_carousel_1 and this research paper on Multiple Victim Public Shootings: http://www.thevrwc.org/JohnLott.pdf.

Single-shot guns are one thing, but semi- and fully-automatic assault rifles? What is their purpose in the hands of a civilian?

Vermont is also the second smallest US state in terms of population.

Single-shot guns are one thing, but semi- and fully-automatic assault rifles? What is their purpose in the hands of a civilian?

Vermont is also the second smallest US state in terms of population.