How Have Other Countries Stopped Gun Violence? They've Banned Guns. So Should We.

The success of Japan, Australia, and the UK in rooting out gun violence by banning virtually all guns shows that it's workable, and it's been successful. In many U.S. states, it has been, as well.

Vox.com found this data showing states with higher gun ownership have higher numbers of gun deaths. That's called correlation.

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy has a Washington Post op-ed expressing how much Americans support common-sense gun-control measures and how successful his home state has been -- long before Sandy Hook -- in reducing gun violence.

Murphy's general plea for reducing gun violence makes sense, too. And it's doable, despite what common wisdom says about how impossible it is to stand up against the N.R.A. and the gun lobby.

Back to Vox.com. Here's a comparison of the U.S.'s gun homicides with our European counterparts:

There's no comparison.

I advocate a total ban on guns (or those not associated with hunting). But even just the basic controls of background checks, effective licensing, training requirements, and retail and private sales controls -- along with a total ban on so-called assault and military-style weapons -- would put an end to much of the carnage that, in this day and age, is the province of only the U.S.

How many charts do we need to see? Come on, America. It's time. It's past time.