Can you list the laws that have effectively stopped criminals and the criminally insane or even just the garden variety insane person from obtaining a weapon when they wanted one to inflict harm on another person?
Law abiding (re-read that if necessary) citizens obey the law and criminals do not. So who does such a law target?
I agree - the unfortunate reality of such laws is to deal with the aftermath of when someone uses firearms inappropriately, and nothing more. No law, by itself, is capable of preventing someone from committing an unlawful act. Therefore, people should be able to own firarms to defend themselves and their familes from those who seek to commit acts against them.