Most gun violence stems from the illicit drug trade and youth gangs. The lure of easy money or peer support from gangs is irresistible to the children of poverty and dysfunctional families. The illegal drug trade nets billions of dollars each year, all outside government regulation. Competition is vicious and deadly. Therefore, participants buy the best weapons available anywhere in the world.
Smuggling is their specialty.
Never forget the law of unintended consequences. Many children of the poverty-stricken underclasses have no functioning family unit. A child raised on the streets develops the mores of the gang, which are usually violent and antisocial. Many graduate to the drug trade if they live long enough, whereas others produce more crime and broken homes. Outside the underclasses, death rates from gun-related accidents have steadily declined over the past 30 years, whereas rates of gun ownership have increased.