Very true. The invention of the modern firearm, one that fires an integrated cartridge (what the layperson would call a bullet), predates the invention of the

Very true. The invention of the modern firearm, one that fires an integrated cartridge (what the layperson would call a bullet), predates the invention of the bicycle. Both bicycles and firearms have about the same number of moving parts, and manufacturing either does not require any tooling or materials outside of what you can buy at a home supply store. Basically, the genie left that bottle a long time ago. You can certainly disarm people that follow laws, but that's about it. Doesn't seem to make life harder on the criminals at all. A pistol runs about GBP 150 on the black market in the UK, and a lot of criminals are armed, although said guns are used more to intimidate and coerce than to kill.