Here in South Africa we have far, far fewer legal guns than in the USA, but we actually have more gun deaths per capita. Many cops are corrupt and sell or rent firearms to gangsters or hitmen here. I believe we also happen to be the world leader in fatal stabbings.
The countries with the highest gun deaths per capita in the world are actually places where it is very hard to acquire a gun legally... places like Venezuela, Brazil and Mexico.
Mass shootings are obviously horrific, but they seem to be a relatively new problem when you consider that there have always been lots of guns in the USA... I think the thing that is new is access to the internet and the dark web that can radicalize people - this is a very tricky thing to admit, because I'm generally a believer in free speech and as little censorship as possible. The world is becoming very polarized, and if people cannot discourse freely and respectfully - it leads to an "us" vs "them" mentality... and eventually "they" must die - Hitler perfected that. Now any white supremacist / radical Islamist / who-else can do the same via the internet to impressionable minds...
Yeah it's just part of the systemic problems that are acknowledged and simultaneously ignored.
The freedom aspect is really difficult. It would, at a utilitarian level, function better as a privilege that can be awarded and revoked depending on conditions. But unfortunately we happen to be human so we're stuck in a catch 22.
With these 'rights' I like the idea I heard of basically having a varied political mindset at different levels, from your kids and household, to friends, local area, state, nation.
Making somebody conservative or democrat or whatever from top to bottom doesn't really make sense, and probably a large factor on why everybody is so divided to begin with. It's an all or nothing binary. Children in their parents home or school don't have a right to bear arms or to speech. And that makes sense. I dunno. It's hard.
As for South Africa... I've seen, and heard, things I really wish I didn't over there. I'm not sure how widespread the lawlessness is there but in some areas, the police have zero power. It's wild... Hope you're safe where you are.