The phrase "Gun's don't kill people, People kill people." is often used by those who believe that the 2nd amendment should allow them unlimited access to any and every firearm they can afford. They use this argument to make the point that a weapon is a tool, and since we don't restrict the use or sale of shovels, or hammers, or knives etc., which have all been used to kill people, we shoudl therefore not limit the use/sale of guns either.

However; with a hammer the Virginia Tech shooter takes out maybe 2-3 people (or possibly none) before someone can stop him, with a shovel the Columbine kids are stopped by police before they can execute their hostages because you can't take a hostage with a shovel, the death toll of collateral killings in my home town of Philadelphia is far lessened because knives intended for a rival gang member do not penetrate walls on homes and kill small children and the elderly.

Give me a loaded revolver and I can kill six people from a balcony before they even know I'm there.I can have a stand-off with police officers, and ensure one of them won't be going home tonight. Or my child who doesn't have enough sense to not touch a hot stove, will see the gun (maybe not at my house, but at a friends), not understand its overwhelming power and shoot and kill his brother, sister, friend when he thought they were playing.

No, guns don't kill people, but guns allow people to kill far more.