I have lived through the change in the perception of firearms. When I was 10 years old, I lived in Columbus Ohio and I went into a store and bought with my own money a new .22LR rifle and 500 rounds of ammo. I placed the new rifle proudly across the handlebars of my bicycle and rode home through the streets of Columbus Ohio. There were no gun control laws and people thought of guns as just another tool from the hardware store. Crime was low. Now I can not even live in Columbus Ohio now because of the guns that I own are not legal there (although I bought them there legaly). Where gun ownership is easy, crime is low and where gun ownership is hard, crime is high. An armed society is a polite society.

Using a firearm for self defense doesn't mean that you have to shoot and kill or even shoot to wound. When I have used a firearm for self defense against a moose (in my OWN yard at -35F in the winter and the moose wouldn't let me in the house) I didn't kill or wound the moose, I took careful aim and clipped its front hoof slightly to persuade the moose to get out of my way before I froze to death. The front hoof was injured about the same as if you had clipped your finger nail into the quick. After that incident, the moose stayed around the yard for quite a few years but kept at least 25 feet from me, my family (including my 1 year old son and 3 year old daughter) and our dogs.

Owning and carrying a firearm doesn't make you any more susceptible to doing crime than owning and driving an automobile makes you suceptible to being a drunk driver.