I replied that I was happy to surrender my right to bear arms in order to ensure the idiot down the road couldn’t bear arms, and I stand by that. If the idiot down the road has a right to own a gun… shit! We’d all be in serious trouble… But that is your reality in the USA.

The US and Great Britain are very different countries when it comes to homicides although not violence in general and not for the smug reasons you assume. The homicide rate in the UK was low before guns were banned and it remains so. It’s difficult to precisely compare violent crime because it’s calculated differently but the conservative assessment is crimes like assault, rape and robbery are twice as likely in England and Wales as the US.

Over the past 25 years every state in the union has liberalized their conceal carry laws until we have more citizens carrying more firearms in public than ever before. I’m guessing it would surprise you to learn violent crime in general has fallen dramatically over the same period of time. More “idiots” as you call your fellow subjects with more guns but the homicide rate is nearly half what it was in the mid-90's.
 
There’s no way to talk about crime and violence in America without being accused of being a stone racist so let’s look at the statistical data for an area of the country not known for institutional racism: New York City.

• Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter suspects: Black (59.8%) Hispanic (30.3%) White (6.0%)
• Rape suspects: Black (49.3%) Hispanic (37.7%) White (9.4%)
• Other Felony Sex Crime suspects: Black (45.9%) Hispanic (30.9%) White (16.9%)
• Felonious Assault suspects: Black (55.3%) Hispanic (31.2%) White (8.7%)

Not surprisingly, people of color have more interactions with law enforcement every year and not because they’re being ‘targeted’ by racist cops. There are approximately 8,000 gun homicides committed in this country every year and about half the victims are African-Americans. Typically, more than 90 percent of the perpetrators are other AA’s almost always young and male. At the risk of putting too fine a point on it the gun homicide rate for Norwegian-Americans is lower than the homicide rate in Norway. 
 
The fact is if it weren’t for the constant killings over profits from the illegal drug trade and ensuing collateral damage in our poorest urban neighborhoods we wouldn’t have a “problem” with guns. Most neighborhoods, including the one I live in are exceedingly safe and gun violence is rare despite all those legal guns. Where people are sober and peaceful disputes are settled without violence and homicide.