If you could come up with a policy that could stop that from happening, but not significantly limit the values that they want to protect, they'd probably accept it. The problem is that most of the things that are "common sense" gun regulations are unlikely to stop the mass shootings you're referring to, and the sorts of things that would stop those mass shootings end up approaching disarmament. There's not a lot of middle ground, so they defend the thing they believe is very important. - Albaby

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"Stop" is a pretty high bar. Perhaps reduce to a significant degree might allow some middle ground to appear.

The increased frequency and intensity of serious crimes, gun crimes, assaults, mass shootings, all of it is what is new. I don't think crime has been more or less constant for the last fifty years but we are just hearing about it more now with the internet and modern communications. When I was growing up, there were not roving bands of feral teenagers beating the crap out of random strangers or drugged out zombies pushing people onto the subway tracks or organized smash and grab robberies or frequent sensational mass shootings.

There were plenty of guns around when I was growing up yet crime seemed to be under control, not zero of course but way less than we have today. So IMHO the solution to today's violence is rooted somehow in social issues, not the simple availability of guns.

I don't claim to know how to address the loss of hope, the disrespect for order, disregard for human life, disrespect for police, or the sense of victimhood that is used to justify most of this anti-social and dangerous behavior. But this is a complex societal problem and won't be resolved by banning modern sporting rifles or raising the age to 30 to buy any gun. Mental health has been to be getting some attention now and that is a step in the right direction.

Another thought. Many police chief have talked about the large percent of the crimes being committed by a small number of repeat offenders. Keeping someone with a long rap sheet that includes serious felonies in jail rather than unleashing him back on the street on bail seems obvious. The cops know who these people are.