Writing at Facebook, Krista Breunsbach writes ...why would anyone own a gun if they weren't already willing to kill something?

Krista is on the right track, and statistically that willingness to kill will be turned on a neighbor, friend or loved one many times more often than on a real threat (documentation easy to find). Willingness to kill "someTHING" is one thing; frankly, most of us would readily kill a rabid animal, most people eat meat, and many hike through wild country. Willingness to kill "someONE," however, is a pathological condition, recognized in literature and treatable in such manifestations as PTSD, schizophrenia, et al. Persons not having the capacity to make good judgments should be prevented from having deadly weapons, especially military grade guns capable of mass murder. Even political crazies who think they're going to participate in a revolution would not want the unpredictable Columbine, Newtown or Umpqua shooters in their "army," so why should they have guns? Denial of permits can always be subject to appeal; there is NO REASON to continue living in the past.