Here's the thing about gun-nuts: They are mainly fools and victims. They are fools because they spend an extraordinary amount of money on their arsenals, thus keeping the gun lobby manufacturers happy. And they are victims because if there is a necessary condition for someone being shot, owning a gun would be it.
As reported by the Violence Policy Center, "states with higher gun ownership rates and weak gun laws have the highest rates of gun death." We're talking about Alaska, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Wyoming.
I won't bore you with more statistics, for brevity's sake and to get to my main point, but I encourage people to visit this link: Guns in The United States: Facts, Figures, and Firearm Law.
Here's why they're cursed. First, as I mentioned before, cult-like adoration for the big manly guns (and ammo) basically puts the owner with the fetish for guns at greatest risk of being harmed.
Yes, we get the sporadic mass shootings by some deranged gun-nuts, but when compared with the 30,000-plus total gun deaths in the U.S. (or about 88 per day), statistically speaking, the casualties for those are minuscule (if horrendous for the people affected, of course).
Second, from what I know about the dynamics of violence, no matter the NRA bullshit propaganda, statistically speaking, a gun owner is highly unlikely to ever be in a position to use his gun to protect himself against a robbery.
The robbery is more likely to happen by surprise. You're at an ATM, turn around, and there is a gun in your face, asking you to hand over the cash. Or you're walking to your car while looking at your iPhone, open the car door, and out of nowhere, a guy with a gun is right behind you asking you for the keys.
To the contrary, those who own guns with the mentality to be ready for those moments, oh that glorious moment when they can actually be justified in shooting the thug that's robbing them, may feel a false sense of security knowing they have a gun, thus increasing the likelihood to be shot by the bad guy.
Here's the thing, when I've owned guns, it has never crossed my mind that I would be in a "perfect" position to ever use it to protect myself against a robbery, or something like that. It has been just a hobby; it was kind of cool to let the semi-auto 9mm do its thing at the shooting range.
My experience growing up in violent environments where shootings were almost a daily occurrence is that the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to try to avoid situations where you may become a target. So basic stuff, like just being aware of your surroundings, locking your door as soon as you get inside the car, keeping an eye on people who may be acting a little strange in public.
I estimate that those things (basic safety precautions) are more effective at keeping you safe, than any gun, by a 10 to 1 ratio. By the time the bad guy has a gun in your face, you may as well hand over the cash, and keep your life. Either way, your super-duper $2,000 dollar semi-auto is not going to do jack-shit by the time that happens.
Finally, there is a fringy element on the right, the extreme paramilitary-type guys with the semi-auto in one hand and the bible in the other, holding both tight to their chest, rocking back and forth, wild-eyed, just waiting, waiting for just the right time, the right conditions to either take on the government, or some other perceived threats, being egged on by the right wing talkers (aka gun lobby tools).
Again, they're good for the gun lobby manufacturers and dealers, and for businesses that peddle underground bunkers, and for those who sell survivalist provisions, etc.
But it is highly unlikely that they will ever get their wet-dream realized, where their right-wing revolution kicks off, giving them the excuse they are looking for to act. It ain't going to happen. So they will basically continue playing G.I. Joe in their camouflage garb, keeping their bunkers well-stocked, and spending huge amount of money on their arsenals, for a revolution that will never come.
Again, all the while just by having so many guns around, the only people they are endangering the most are themselves and their families (unfortunately, of course), statistically-speaking.
And yes, yes, I'm aware about the dominionists, and about the egging on by the NRA telling people that police forces can't defend them because they don't have any funding, and that people need to armed themselves against thugs and robbers and criminals (using lots of code language). And I'm aware about many of these people infiltrating our military, including higher echelons, etc.
Yes, there is some danger there, but guess what? If it ever got to that, which is highly unlikely, I'll bet on the good guys, on the real men (and women) of valor, of integrity. History is on our side. It has been messy, but as a society, we've beaten back the racist ultra-nationalists, the religious extremists, every single time.
So, yes there are lots of guns in the U.S. (something very unfortunate). But guess what? Liberal and progressive-minded cities have less guns, and therefore less gun deaths.
Obviously, we can't relent on pushing back on the NRA, and ALEC, and their nonstop attempt of flooding the country with guns; that's a given.
But in the final analysis, the gun-nuts have it worst, for many reasons: On average, it is almost impossible for any given person to find themselves in a situation to use their guns to protect themselves (anecdotes notwithstanding); they are spending a fortune on useless arsenals (which at least keep the gun lobby happy); and they will never get their right-wing (dominionist) revolution; and they are putting themselves at greater danger than non-gun owners.
So keep up the fight, but do not despair... We'll win in the long run.