As a maniac behind a steering wheel is held responsible for an accident not the vehicle .. So guns that's what they mean. A gun in the hand of right person is an excellent form of self defence and everyone has the right to defend himself to safety .
If we are going to compare guns to cars, and I think that is a very fair analogy, then you need to include everything.
1. Everyone should have to get a license before being able to use a gun. So imagine a gang member is caught with a gun but we can't prove a crime so we have to let him go. No, if he doesn't have a license that proves he is qualified to use a gun then that would be the same offense as catching someone driving a car without a license. This process should involve a written test that can be done on the computer at DMV or some other location and then you should have to appear on the shooting range with a gun instructor who will certify that you know how to properly use a gun and keep it safe.
2. Everyone who buys a gun must also get liability insurance. No one talks about this because compared to the deaths this seems trivial, but it would go a very long way to preventing these events. Think about the 19 kids and two teachers shot and killed. The insurance company would have to pay out damages, say $1 million to each person killed. This one event would have cost them over $20 million, and there would be other damages besides those who are killed. Here is why this is important. You have a big, powerful rich company with a financial interest to prevent these attacks.
When this kid goes to buy his guns and his ammo and his bullet proof vests or any other equipment he has to provide proof of insurance. As a result the insurance company would immediately be notified and using their powerful computers and algorithms and AI there would be an immediate Red Flag pop up.
Not only so but insurance companies would give you discounts if you list your social media accounts, so by monitoring those the red flags would pop up two weeks before the event.
What we need is a powerful ally with the resources and tools to spot and react to red flag events like an 18 year old kid saying he is going to commit mass murder on social media or with an 18 year old working part time at a fast food restaurant buying 83k worth of guns, ammo, equipment and a truck.
Do you want to know why Chicago has such horrific gun crime? When we find the bullets and shell casings we could identify the gun, however, this information is not allowed to be digitized so investigators have to go to trailers housing millions of paper documents that provide that information. It is an impossible task. However, if everything were on the various Insurance agencies computers then it would be easy for the cops to send out a request to all the insurance agencies to identify the gun and the owner and they could immediately get a hit and a response.
Again, if a gang member is caught with a gun and they don't have insurance that would be another violation they could charge them with.