It would be interesting to compare the rates of "Stranger" murders in places that have strict gun laws with those where gun possession is less restricted.

I have to make the distinction between murders committed by persons who have no relationship with the victim and those murders committed in what might be called "domestic relationships". In Australia, very few murders are committed using firearms, and the majority of those that are committed with firearms would fall into the class of "Stranger" murders - most often drug supply related.

I'll throw in another bone to chew.

The image that the USA projects to the world is one of a very violent society where resolution of conflict comes from the barrel of a gun. Media reports of incidents are a very small part of this projection. It appears that the USA culture imbues its people with an acceptance of violence from the time a child emerges from the cradle. I find that a great number of cartoon programs in the children's TV categories are very violent. To these can be added programs with human actors such as the Marvel Comics franchise. Then there is the adult television area. Just check how many times firearms are used to resolve situations in the US crime genre. If you compare that to English and Australian crime shows, you would think that any firearms seen in programs from the latter two countries would be blocked with rust due to lack of use. Also, the story lines of computer games are almost totally centred on the use of violence or other unlawful activities.

While the right to freedom of speech is to be defended, that right comes with heavy responsibilities. Let a scriptwriter produce a story for visual or digital media, but make him take responsibility for the effects of his story on society. You might raise the point of Free Will exercised by the user of the story. But what happens when that Free Will has been molded by years of exposure to media violence? Two Policemen sitting in their patrol car get blown away by someone who believes that the use of violence is the justifiable way to exercise freedom of expression.

Old Man Emu