It's too late now for any restriction to have any effect on the crime statistics. At least in the USA and neighboring countries. There are simply too many guns floating around.
Laws prohibiting guns do not affect crime. Rulers, knowing they are tyranical and willing to impose any law that suits their need, need to ban weapons to prevent rebellion.
You can only reduce the number of accidents, for example with a mandantory gun safety training.
This is provided for in the constitution, A well regulated state malitia, if used as was meant, would provide a large training caricculum that would instill safety.
One thing I don't understand is the idea many Americans have that having guns would protect them from the government. The government has more weapons, more powerful weapons (atomic bombs for that matter), more people, more skilled people, and just more access to resources. Just having a rifle would not do much good in vs. government scenarios.
It's the law of large numbers. 400,000 military soldiers patroling the USA v. 200 million constitutionally angry citizens, organized and carrying muzzle loaders, who wins. The constitutionally angry citizens.
Your nuclear comment is just retarded.
Weren't tanks sent in at Waco?
Yes. But the tanks were being operated by Delta Force Commandos sent in by the Clinton White House.
Not one surviving member was charged for the deaths of the raiding officers. Even though the Dividians did nothing wrong, they couldn't beat the best of the best militry unit in existence. Why? They didn't think their government would reach to that level to eliminate them. Several unarmed women and 24 children hiding in a 1 foot thick concrete reinforced bunker were killed by a Delta Force demolition charge designed to breach and kill. They legally purchased their weapons and were selling them legally, it wasn't guns that were the target, it was their religion.
The Gun Control Act was the first successful attack on the Constitution to limit guns in America. Criminals are already in the government, they are the ones trying to take our guns, a mob rule.
The Constitution doesn't discriminate on free men,
Who can own guns? All
But evil men will discriminate for control,
Then what happens to America? Fall
An armed populace will make it very difficult for there to be any group to gain an unfair advantage.