Impetus for reform
While mass shootings raise the profile of the issue of the adequacy of gun controls, the incidence of these tragedies is a small percentage of the total number of firearm-related deaths.
In examining the need for further gun ownership restrictions, is there a danger that the policy options will focus on addressing issues relevant to the perpetrators of this category of firearm deaths, for example, focussing on the 'mentally ill', while ignoring or placing less emphasis on measures that deal with the factors contributing to the majority of gun-related deaths and injury?