Gosh, what did people do from 1787 to 1968? I'm sure the country must have been bloodbath all during that time.
For some reason, a lot of liberals (and apparently you) seem to think that there are zillions of people out there who would be extreme menaces to society if they were allowed to buy weapons, but perfectly harmless otherwise. I guess I don't see it. Why would someone be too dangerous to trust with a gun, but not too dangerous to trust with a car? Or with matches and gasoline? Or any other dangerous objects or substances?
Valid point. ANY object can become a weapon in the hands of someone desperate enough to use it. Including, for example, a newspaper, pen, or rusty tin can lid.
A weapon is an object for applying force. That happens to also be a definition for many tools. For example, I conk you on the head with a 15” Crescent Wrench, you ARE going down. Unless I'm particularly gentle in doing it, you won't be getting back up, either.