Can we get past the hammer/chainsaw/baseball bat/etc. talk? Guns are meant to shoot living or inanimate targets, period. They serve no other purpose. People will kill with whatever tool they have if they are determined enough. However, guns kill much faster; they require much less intimate association/contact with the victim. They are a much more effective tool than a hammer, bat, knife, chainsaw, icepick, etc., if a sick soul wants to cause carnage. The “if he had used a baseball bat they would outlaw baseball bats” argument is facetious.