I've discussed the pros and cons of private gun ownership many times with the wife, and sooner or later she invariably says something to the effect of "well, I can see the home defence arguments in America, but things like that don't happen here". And until yesterday that was pretty much true; the cops don't even carry guns, they need authorization to requisition them on the rare occasions they actually need them (which was itself a factor in a notorious bank robbery a few years ago). Murder on this scale in a country where shooting sprees are unheard of is simply staggering, that most of the victims were kids is even more so.