Smoking is a bad comparison, smoking typically kills the smoker, while second hand smoke may be a problem, it isn't a severe one. Alcohol not only can kill the user, but kills thousands of innocent people every year due to drunk drivers alone. Just because alcohol is considered fun, doesn't make the deaths it causes any better than those caused by weapons.
Of course alcohol has uses, I'm referring to the drinking of it, not it's use a disinfectant. Also, the alcohol being healthy thing has mostly been proven to by myth, it is better than drinking polluted water, but do we only have polluted water to drink anymore?
I'm not saying that is should be banned, I'm against banning it, but if our governments truly cared about our safety and welfare as they claim to, it would be viewed as massive a concern as firearms are. Say what you will, but there are other reasons for the banning of firearms other than public safety. If public safety was the chief concern here, you'd see other restrictions as strict as firearms laws.