I think it's difficult to use the experience of any other country as 'evidence' for anything in this debate. The gun culture of this country and the number of guns per capita make it utterly unlike any other country in the world. I don't say that lightly, and think it's a cop out regarding many topics, but this situation really is uniquely American. Even the effects of the strict Australian gun legislation are disputed and unclear. The experience of any single country cannot be cherry picked to demonstrate a point. Gun control advocates can point to Australia. Their opponents can just as easily point to Switzerland.
We had a culture of overt racial discrimination too. We had a culture of demeaning and belittling women. I enjoy shooting a gun as much as the next guy. But just calling something a culture doesn't make it right. I know lots of people are worried about a slippery slope - but come on - do I need a magazine with over 9 bullets? I might be naive, but in what circumstance would I need more than a couple of bullets? And I use the word "need" loosely - I get along without any bullets every day. Hunters don't (good ones need 1). gun laws won't fix the problem. They'll help to treat a symptom as laws move across states... but it's not the real disease.