Yup. Control is going to be the most effective way, in the US. I like the way CA has been doing things. You not only have to pass background checks but you have to demonstrate basic safety & legal understandings of firearms (via test/certification) before you can buy them. I wish more states would do this. CA's bans on arbitrary gun parts is not a model to follow though.
Also, the control doesn't always have such a clear impact: