You have a fundamental flaw in logic that you touched on yourself. "The purpose of the law" is certainly king. Purpose of the law making murder illegal? To protect innocent human life, specifically of that nation's citizens from other citizens. Now you seem to think that the purpose of a law banning guns would also be to protect that nation's innocent citizenry. There, we differ. In the past, law-abiding gentleman were expected to carry guns to protect the innocent. You coming today, that still happens from time to time. Shootings are thwarted in their infancy by an honest citizen carrying a gun. Furthermore, Switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates in the Free World, along with 0 terrorist attacks, and every single one of their citizens above the age of 16 is in their standing army. It makes a difference when you're planning a robbery or attack to know that everyone has a fun and is trained in how to use it. Unless the bad guy is truly insane (a real possibility, I admit) that makes their odds of survival pretty low. Since most people, including criminals, are interested in preserving their lives, that makes it an incredibly important factor in their decision making.