It's far easier to blame a gun than the entire criminal justice system post-guilt.
On one hand, higher rates of incarceration does little for society as a whole--it's costly, removes the ability for an offender to contribute to society, and statistically results in reincarceration. On the other, prison diversion programs bet on the impossibility that an officer of the court can make an affirmative determination on an offenders risk to the public.
It's hilarious when "one side" claims their system is better, because the reality is that both are severely flawed. Harsh jail sentences as a "deterrent" is scientifically questionable. Sentencing someone to jail for a year or more exposes them to a "life of crime" and resulting sentences for those future offenses. Restorative and rehabilitative justice as alternatives do not work for everyone, and when it fails, it usually has the same compounded effect of incarceration--further damage to society. The problem isn't the "system" really, it's the self-centered culture of America itself. Retail theft decriminalization? Lets steal, because I'm a victim of systemic racism! Can't get a CCW? "Ainokea", I goin carry NEway because "shall not be infringed". It's literally the same mentality on both sides of the spectrum.
If America doesn't find a "sensible middle", this culture of extremes will doom us all. It's also the reason why I don't believe most people would get a meaningful amount of training if we had "constitutional carry"--a phrase which, by the way, is politically branded. There is no state in which you can carry "any gun, anywhere, anytime", even if it has the Constitutionalists politically excited.