Only fools respect someone for owning a firearm. In the United States (provided you aren't a felon) it takes nothing more than time and money in order to own a firearm. Only fools think a firearm's sole purpose is to end the life of another human being. In fact a firearm's sole purpose isn't even to take a life. Some firearms are never even meant to be fired, They are showpieces collected for their historical value, beauty, or personal significance. Some firearms are used for sport, some are used for recreation, some people use guns to hunt. The sheer ignorance of the statement "a gun's sole purpose it to kill another human being" is mind boggling. I would consider myself aware of and exposed to guns by the age of 6. For 15 years now I have been around guns and seen them used a lot of different ways, and used them a lot of different ways, but never have a seen someone shoot another person. I've never even seen someone accidentally hurt by a gun. As for never hearing of a situation where a fun was a good thing, did you try googling it? It would take you 10 seconds to find a story about someone who successfully used a firearm in defense of their own life or the life of a loved one. I'm not arguing that firearms have never been the source of pain and grief and suffering, but saying a gun's sole purpose is to kill people is about the same as saying fire's sole purpose is to burn houses.