Great read!
I'd agree that one of the reasons these debates lead to nowhere is posting "facts" that bolster either sides narrative. You can swim in factual evidence that is intellectually dishonest towards the all encompassing narrative.
This is they shit you'll get spoonfed from major left/right news outlets for shock value.
The first lets me know that Guns are way worse than Terrorism. That is good to know, my family has always been a little off. The second lets me know we really don't need to change/fix anything. Everything is fixing itself.