UK gun myth

So here we go again, from a discussion on another web site, where "reasoned discourse" broke out, and I was blocked from responding. So, I will respond here instead:

People like you claim that gun laws wouldn't work because criminals don't obey the laws. Criminals don't obey the laws in other similar countries that have gun control, but they have significantly fewer murders (see eg UK). The reason? Most illegal guns in the USA start as legal guns - they are stolen, sold, etc and end up in the hands of criminals. Since there are so few LEGAL guns in the UK, its very very difficult to obtain illegal weapons (that's why the 3 terrorists in the London Bridge attack used a van and knives - as a result the 3 of them only managed to kill 7 people - a single mass shooter in the USA can easily kill 10, and the record is 59).
In fact, gun control works in the USA too. The AR15 is the weapon of choice of the mass shooter, despite the military M16 being a more deadly weapon (and hence preferred by the military). Why would a mass-shooter opt for the less deadly AR15? Because its very difficult to obtain the M16, as its illegal in most states. The fact that law abiding citizens can't obtain the weapon makes it virtually impossible for criminals to obtain it.
Anyone who thinks gun control doesn't work hasn't looked elsewhere. The UK is so safe that most police officers aren't armed. In the USA there are calls to arm school teachers! People scratch their heads and pretend they don't know what can be done about these regular school shootings - even more guns perhaps? The last school shooting in the UK was in 1996. Gun control does work.

1 Yes, MOST guns in the US start off as legal guns. Most liquor starts off as legally consumed, but then a person uses it in a criminally negligent manner. It isn't whether or not an object starts off being legally purchased, because it isn't the object that commits the crime, but the person using it.

2 Using one single crime (the London Bridge attack) to "prove" that criminals can't get guns is misleading. 23 people were killed in the bombing of the Ariana Grande concert, even though bombs are illegal in the UK.

3 The AR15 is not the weapon of choice of mass shooters. Let's use ABC's list of 21 mass shootings in the US this year. Only 4 of the shootings listed were carried out by a person armed with a rifle, and only two of those were AR clones (Odessa and Dayton). Overwhelmingly, criminals favor handguns, for the simple reason that carrying around a rifle makes one stand out.

4 That is the same reason why the M16 isn't used by criminals. It is difficult to hide a full sized machine gun. The vast majority of crimes committed by criminals armed with firearms is committed by handguns.

5 There aren't calls to arm teachers. The call is for people to stop believing that creating zones where a shooter can depend on his intended victims being disarmed. We are simply asking you to stop disarming teachers, which is totally different from actively arming them.

6 UK police are armed. 

7 Gun control doesn't work to stop crime, but it does work in creating people who can be easily controlled.