EDITOR’S NOTE: After the heart-wrenching mass shootings in Boulder and Indianapolis, guns are in the spotlight again. Mass shootings understandably raise the prospect of new gun restrictions as a potential means to reduce future violence. The United States contains more than 120 guns for every 100 residents. Regardless of anyone’s position on gun rights, society may have no practical means of controlling hundreds of millions of privately owned firearms. High-profile shootings have consistently caused gun sales to rise. Like any inanimate tool -- i.e. the internet, cars, and trucks loaded with fertilizer -- humanity uses guns for evil and good. Today’s Perspective details recent and seldom-told stories of people using firearms to save lives and uphold peace. There are no simple answers to the problem of violent crime -- whether committed by guns, knives or hammers. We hope this article promotes understanding among people on both sides of the gun debate as society tries in earnest to avoid the next mass murder.