It's tempting to believe that, if we got rid of evil semi-auto's and high capacity magazines, that stuff like this wouldn't happen. Problem is, massacres occurred prior to then. When one flips their lid, they will find a way.
Look up Jerry Mic(?), there is a video of him shooting 12 rounds in 2.99 seconds. Using a double action revolver. That only holds 6 rounds. Yes, that 3 seconds includes a reload. Not a New York reload, granted it was using moon clips. Or who was the nutjob that did in JFK? How fast did he cycle that bolt action again?
Society has changed, and people may or may not have changed for the better. I'm pretty sure there were deranged people 200 years ago. Today though we have better reporting, and more people, therefore more incidents.
What is interesting is just how biased reporting is.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/gun-deaths-set-outstrip-car-fatalities-first-time-152632492.html
Here, it talks about the sharp rise in deaths--but it has to include suicides in order to do so.
One good thing that could come out of any large scale change would be homogenous laws regarding guns. Wouldn't be nice if, pretending that it became that you had to pass a test/get a license/whatever in order to own guns, that you could now buy handguns *not* in your state of residence? I mean, if you passed the federal test that proved your sanity--why should state of residence matter? Heck, I'm not even sure why it matters today, since background checks are pretty easy to do. Furthermore, if you're been cleared to carry concealed in one state, why not all of them? And, where you're allowed to carry, might as well make those the same, state to state.
I do wonder how much I'd be willing to let my freedoms be altered by this. Vast majority of Americans either don't care about guns or can be trusted with guns. It's the few crazies that ruin it for the rest of us. Would I be willing to have to pass a test of some sort to be allowed to own? Or be willing to give up my semi-auto's? Not so sure about these things. OTOH, times have changed; back in the day I'm pretty sure one did not need a license to drive ones horse down the road. Today, not so much.
Final thought: if the politicians really want to change things, then I wish they'd do it right and alter the 2nd Admendment. Repeal it, or redefine it, whatever. No sense in have laws that other laws abuse--if we're not going to use it, then remove it.