I think that the unfortunate thing is that whilst these very public events are tragic the every day reality of homicide continues almost unnoticed. Was quite shocked to read this in the huffington post, by way of our local print media.
U.S. Shooting Deaths Since Sandy Hook Top 100
Treading carefully....From what I know of self defence stats it seems most homicides are between those known to each other. The availability of self defence tools in these situations then becomes somewhat counterproductive. It doesn't stop evil or intent to commit acts - but maybe there are strategies to limit the scope by limiting the tools.