Unlike other petitions on the subject of gun control, this one specifically includes handguns, which are the predominant weapon of choice in homicide cases. Assault weapons are also included, recognizing that while the people killed in Newtown-like incidents constitute a fraction of the total, their murders are disproportionately horrific.
Generally speaking, the murder rate in developed nations follows the availability of guns. It is time to emerge from the Wild West, dismiss the NRA as a right-wing extremist group, and join the community of civilized nations in this regard.