Recommended read from Salon.com: The NRA's favorite myth, demolished: Australia debunks the right-wing narrative that smarter gun policy can't make a difference

"hile conservatives are busying trying to shutdown any debate on gun control following the 45th school shooting this year by yelling about Chicago's murder rates -- apparently unaware that Chicago is the third largest city in the country but not even in the top five cities with the highest murder rate per capita -- and reflexively decrying any mention of gun control as a "gun grab," what if we just entertained their wildest conspiracy theories for just a bit?

A 2015 study found that when guns are used to kill people in the United States, they are overwhelmingly used for murder rather than self-defense. That study found that in 2012, there were only 259 justifiable homicides, or what is commonly referred to as self-defense, compared to 8,342 criminal firearm homicides. In 2008-2012, the report says, guns were used in 42,419 criminal homicides and only 1,108 justifiable homicides."