Well let's see which system works better.....concealed carry/restricted purchasing of firearms, or the licensing of automobile drivers....at least as far as total fatalities are concerned.
Average number of automobile fatalities in the U.S. per year....around 46,000 - almost half of which are caused by people driving under the influence.....which is agin the law.
Total homicides in the U.S. per year, according to Bureau of Justice statistics, are slightly over 16,000 per year. Half of that figure is criminal on criminal based...involving young gang bangers, who are also not concerned about abiding by the law. They carry unlicensed, concealed weapons, which violates the law in every state in the Union. Approximately 3,000 of the remaining incidents are considered justifiable shootings, i.e. by police using deadly force in the performance of their duties, or law-abiding citizens defending themselves.
The two-fisted, testosterone laced European approach to punks on the street will get you killed in the U.S. These perps will beat you to death.
European gun crime may be lower than ours, but European criminals tend to take over governments and kill tens of millions. In that respect body counts from the twentieth century would be tremendously lopsided.