from my biased european standpoint (ca. 1,24 gundeaths per 100.000 population in germany) i would not exactly say that you should take the right away from somebody protecting himself or his family with a gun.
But taking into account that the original intention of this right makes much more sense in rural areas, where nature's law is more present and it takes a long time until somebody could help you if you're in danger,
it's by contrast relatively unhealthy for crowded urban areas as long as the overall social disruption is on a low level that guarantees a common solidarity of a society.
As soon as social stress starts growing and gaps between social classes expand during times of crisis, nature's law starts shifting in the foreground for individuals and in combination with high rates of gun possession this mixture doesn't look like solving the problem at all.
in the US it's easy for a socially disadvantaged individual to get his hands on a weapon as a tool to obtain value with pressure while an advantaged individual can also get a weapon as easily to prevent the other one from suceeding in doing so.
besides this raw battle for a living every other intention to use a gun is following from the growing psychological illnesses and social stress.
i still believe in the term "man is a wolf to man", this can only be overridden by a functioning and strong society based on ethical and moral rules handed on and adapted over time from generation to generation.
imo if an individual lacks these rules he shouldn't be in the position to possess a gun, because it's a very basic tool simple to use to realize his antisocial aims.
if at all, then possession of guns should go hand in hand with a strong education and regulation to guarantee it's not getting into the wrong hands, because besides the aspect of hunting or sports people simply don't need such a strong tool for self-defense in an intact and secure modern society. (there are lots of alternatives for this purpose like pepper spray, electro shocker or other things. I'm not too familiar with that stuff.)
on the other hand perhaps US society (ca. 10,3 gundeaths per 100.000 population) has already broken apart to a point where nature's law for survival is so present in the swarm's awareness, that this pacifistic thought approach is no longer valid.
On top american weapon companies profit from that situation a lot and arm society to a point where it becomes quite excessive regardless of the consequences while manipulating via media and lobbying politicians not to take any action.
here are some charts and articles i found quite interesting on the subject.
- Gundeaths in US since Newtown shooting:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2012/12/gun_death_tally_every_american_gun_death_since_newtown_sandy_hook_shooting.html- worldwide gun deaths vs gun ownerships
http://www.businessinsider.com/shooting-gun-laws-2012-12- List of countries by firearm-related death rate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rateedit: at this point i recommend the movie "Dear Wendy" for another diverse approach to this subject
