The fact is that this latest tragedy could only have been averted by a relatively broad ban on gun ownership. It wasn’t a failure of security, either on the part of the hotel or the concert promoters, and the guy didn’t have any history that would have prevented him from buying guns legally, so you can’t call it an enforcement issue.
I would like to think that this one will make a difference, but I know better. As I’ve noted previously, guns are more potent as symbols than as actual objects. To a certain kind of person, a gun is as meaningful as the cross; it stands for power, self-reliance, masculinity, and independence. It’s the last bastion of “real America” against secularism and political correctness.
And so, these kinds of events will continue to occur. American exceptionalism, indeed.