Jerry,
About #3 the answer is yes.
About the rest, I know you have a complicated situation in the US.
When your goverment wants to take your guns from you, denying your right by the 2nd amendment, you fill like it is the first step of "attack" againt your all constitutional rights.
On the other hand, you must find a way to prevent menthaly unstable people from getting guns so easy.
Even in Israel, most mass victims shootings were done by menthaly sick people or unstable ones.