A few decades ago, the National Safety Council did a study on this. They took accidental and family-argument type shootings and compared them to the data from the NRA on people who shot or scared off assailants or intruders.
The data suggested that about 20% of Americans lived in places dangerous enough that having a gun was actually safer than not having one.
A recent poll I read said that 30% of Americans own guns, so :thumb:.
Since crime rates, particularly violent crime rates, have declined markedly since that time, I would expect that there are fewer people now who would be safer if they had a gun.
That being said, there are those who like to hunt or just do target practice with guns and they have a perfect right to do so. And such people seem to be much less likely to be involved in an accidental or anger-related shooting.
I've been preaching that
mouse guns are inherently dangerous, of no military value, and so are not protected by the Second Amendment, based upon my own readings of SCOTUS cases handling the Second Amendment. I've further argued that what we need is to be toting around rifles and not handguns (or at least rifles plus handguns), if we want to reap the most valuable fruits from the Second Amendment, which only
recognizes an
already existing right, and does not
grant the right to keep and bear arms.
Mouse guns are disproportionately used by criminals, and negligently discharge more frequently, partly because children who do find them can shoot them easier than larger guns. Also they're used for suicides more frequently.
Mouse guns are all around a bad idea, IOW, IMO. They account for more bad press than they should, and their legality under current law is part of the reason more people don't support the RKBA, which they should, if they believe they have the right to life, and the right to defend themselves.
Which most educated people do.