As the owner of an "arsenal" - as one of my college professors quaintly termed it - I can tell you that the last thing that comes to mind when I think of guns is defending myself or my home from the attack of another human being.

I am more apt to think in terms of (marginal) protection from bears as I fish the countless streams around my home. I would probably think of the 2 or 3 deer that I kill every fall to feed my family and friends. I would wax nostalgic about the great duck hunting in my front yard. I would think about shooting skeet, or trap, or sporting clays in the springtime.