We all have a narrative, Michael. Everything is subjective, pretty much, and we are all at the mercy of how we have developed and what we have experienced.

I am happy to accept that America has its own set of challenges, but trust me, there are an awful lot of "underserved" people in the EU. There are a lot of inner-city problems and poverty. I have to say that I don't understand the point you are making here with respect to economies of scale. That's not to say your point is invalid! I genuinely don't understand the distinction you are seeking to make here.

The source you cited says that 1000 people are murdered by guns in the EU annually. That's 1000 in a population of nearly 750m people. America, by contrast, has 10000 murders in a population of 325m.

That's a gigantic difference, I am sure you would agree.

I have a feeling that we probably agree more than we disagree here. We seem to be making heavy weather of it, though!