When the homie B-San came here for a visit, we also talked about this. He said he hates guns and loved it when he was out in Europe, because he didn't have to worry about getting shot. Back home he keeps guns, because everybody has them, and without them, chances are higher of getting fucked than without.
It's difficult for America to ever change this though, cause it can only work, when they get rid of most of the guns (of course there will be illegal guns, but they exist in every country) at the same time, which is nearly impossible. So the only way to go about this problem in the US is imo education. Don't let the kids grow up into selfish fucks that don't give a shit about the next man. Make sure the social gap between rich and poor is not so big. Make sure hard work pays off instead of glorifying Gangsters and American Idol shit. Change the prison system from punishment to re-socialising. Give people who made a wrong decision a second chance. Etc.
America always stood for the American Dream. The hard working man that made it from the bottom to the top. That shit changed to the dumbfuck that wants to become famous through American Idol or Youtube without any work...but that is understandable, because that's what kids see on TV all day and then they see their mum or dad working endless hours, maybe two or three jobs, and still having to go into debt to buy a christmas gift, they end up thinking hard work is for suckas...