Actually, for a country with so many firearms in freewheeling circulation mandatory firearms safety classes for kids starting at age 12 wouldn't be amiss.
Misuse and abuse stems from ignorance. With things like sex and drugs the subsequent problems are less detrimental to society as a whole. With firearms the consequences are deadly.
You might think it is a ridiculous notion but considering the detached persona of all these mass shooters implanting a respect for what firearms are capable of and an understanding of the consequences of using them might prove successful.
Considering the saturation of firearms in the US it's not nearly as unrealistic as banning them.
The US does need to screen those who can acquire firearms more thoroughly, as well as implement more stringent rules for storage. This will effectively eliminate accidental shootings and reduce suicides by firearm, even though suicide rates won't change significantly.
With the amount of firearms in the US, banning guns would actually cause civil unrest. I don't see the point of having more citizens with firearms. These are weapons designed to kill. Does your country really need more citizens with firearms to protect themselves?
In an emotionally charged scenario, you have to be ice cold to process the situation accurately and react accordingly. Is gun training sufficient for that? If you're going to go down that route, you need to be mindful of the type of guns people possess. Currently, I don't see how you can really handle that. So you could very well end up with more citizens packed with semi-automatics. This bloke shot 100 rounds in 3 minutes. Is there any cap on ammo?
Screening should help. The US just needs to take baby steps in the right direction. I'm not sure how allowing more individuals to own guns is doing that. There's too many weak assumptions there. In the long-term, you need the cultural mindset to change. Because what I witnessed an hour ago was barbaric.
The other problem is the home. Parents need to be honest with themselves and the condition of their children. Sheer ignorance to psychological issues allows such events to happen. From a mental health standpoint, what's in place in the states is clearly letting your country down. It's time you lot put it right. I don't want to read another horror story like this. You people have the capability to actually do something positive. Something good can come from this. Question I have is with this heavily complex issue, are people going to really rally together? Or are we going to witness more bloodshed, more politics, more lobbying, and an ever increasing tension with an issue that should have been done and dusted ages ago?