The "punish the criminal" approach to gun violence, advocated in

Avalon - The "punish the criminal" approach to gun violence, advocated in a recent Spout, is fatally flawed. Obviously, in order to punish the criminal, a crime - mass shootings, for example - must first be committed. This approach does not prevent gun violence, it reacts to it. It says, in effect, let the shootings continue and then apprehend and punish the assailant. It fails also because often the shooter commits suicide after committing the crime. A better solution to gun violence is to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them in the first place. We'd all be safer then.