The United States made a choice hundreds of years ago to consider the right to firearms inherent and inalienable. There were at the time very good reasons for this choice and, while those reasons have changed over time, there are still some fairly good rational arguments why this right should remain.
There is, of course, a consequence to this choice and that consequence is 30,000 deaths a year.
The United States continues to value the right to arms above the value of 30,000 deaths, and that's a choice the United States is entitled to make. If the people of the US decide that 30,000 people are more valuable than the right to arms, then the place to start - the only avenue really - to reducing that number is a repeal of the 2nd amendment.
People who are passionate about gun control in the US should only be talking about repeal of the 2nd, no other measure makes any kind of sense, nor would it have long-term impact.
That this position is politically unpopular is absolutely true. However, simply because it's unpopular doesn't make it wrong or pointless. It is where the discussion should begin for people who care more about 30,000 lives than the right to bear arms.
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