The result is also very different. If it were a gun a lot more people would have died and been injured.
The instrument doesn't determine the number of casualties, only the determination of the killer.
1. Nice, France: 86 people killed and 434 people injured. The cause, a man with a "truck" determined to kill as many people as possible.
2. Japan: 19 people killed and 26 injured in a knife attack by a single person, again, determined to kill as many people as possible.
3. Japan: 33 people killed and 36 injured. The cause, an arsonist with an accelerant.
4. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 168 people killed and several hundred injured. Instrument used: A rental truck loaded with fertilizer and an improvised explosive.
5. 9/11 terrorist attack: 2,977 people murdered by 19 individuals determined to kill as many people as they could. No guns involved, only box cutters.
It's not the instrument, but the person's determination and mentality. There will always be sick individuals determined to kill people. Banning guns, knives, motor vehicles, accelerants and fertilizer won't stop any of them.
Just be vigilant, pay attention to your surrounding and if you see something disturbing, inform law enforcement.