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I think it is disingenuous to claim that gun ownership is irrelevant to violent crimes.
But the key is that guns really have an impact in impulse crimes. In a moment of rage or frustration someone shoots instead of punching, etc.
So in this particular case, if the action was indeed premeditated, it doesn't look like gun availability was a determining factor.
In any case, I think mixedmedia pointed to a relevant case here, which is related to age limits. We've become a society that cedes to its puritanical urges in everything related to youth except punishment. Kids are not old enough to decide to have sex, alcohol, drugs, and in some places even to go out after a certain period, but when it comes to punishing them, they become adults (as this case and the sexting cases indicate).
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