I understand that there are variations in legislation between the states.
What I see as a major cause is the gun culture. The gun subculture in the US is about buying the best most latest for your needs, then buying more, and more, and more. It mirrors the rampant consumption culture, but guns are also associated to patriotism, and patriotism to piety. I think that the big mass shooting into crowds is a product of near-worship of guns as a solution, a symbol of power, and exercising that power as a way to find meaning. I think this is an example of economy and ideology creating people who are like hammers looking for nails. Instead of hammers, they attach to guns and instead of looking for nails, they find targets and sometimes so-called enemy causes, like immigrants or gays. So it’s a product of deeply embedded beliefs and identities turning to the opportunities that firearms provide to them. Essentially, hearts in general need to change in order to reduce the number of fringe violent actors, a very difficult goal. Reducing opportunity by restricting gun proliferation, is of course an obvious way to help, but yet, as we can see, because of the enormous money and power of the gun lobby, and the very dogmatic attitudes of some regarding guns, this, too, requires a change of heart.
