Still way to go to reach 1900 levels again (and therefore European levels).
A bit difficult to achieve when the United States lacks European demographics.
Please explain exactly what you mean by this
In order to minimize the influence of background variables (and consequently make a Type I error in favor of a misguided policy proposal), one should compare people of similar ethnic and socioeconomic background in both jurisdictions, and then determine which jurisdiction has lower homicide rates within each subgroup.
And ethnic identity is important because...?
Again, one can have varying theories about why such a difference exists. Personally, I feel that the culture of dependency created by Great Society programs combined with disproportionate effects of the War on Drugs are far more responsible for such a disparity than intrinsic differences. However, to make a comparison with the implicit purpose of a policy recommendation without discussing the elephant in the room is nothing short of dishonest.
For the record, I looked up the homicide rates in France and Massachusetts, a European country and an American state that I figured would have similar demographics. Massachusetts turned out to have the higher homicide rate, despite it having both a whiter population and a higher per capita income, as I later found out. What do you make of this comparison, SPC?
Massachusetts is not exactly known as a haven for permissive gun laws, to say the least. In fact, it appears that France is actually more permissive in some areas, such as magazine restrictions and "assault weapons." Thus, I'm not quite sure what the point of your comparison is.