Gun ownership is a LOT of responsibility and expense. There are safes and locks and ammo and gear and cleaning supplies and bags and holsters and belts and range fees to worry about.
Yes, but what does that get you? A life insurance policy that actually ENSURES your life. I don't have locks on my guns, but the safe I do think is a good thing (or at least a good hiding place for your HD gun, so someone doesn't just find it in the first desk drawer they open when they break in). The cleaning supplies aren't expensive, you can use other bags, and the price of holsters, belts, and range fees just plays into it.
There are different laws in every jurisdiction that we must consider when moving around the country, (such as for a shooting event). And those in the shooting community who CCW must be ever-vigilant about the laws surrounding said activity, including the nature of every property they enter. Does it serve alcohol? How much alcohol does it serve? Does a school own the property? Is it a state or Federal park? Is it a "Federal facility"?
You don't have to do competitions to be a gun enthusiast - I don't. You also don't need to remember every law, but just look up the laws in places you plan to visit. Unless you go on vacation to a different place every week, chances are you'll be find without too much trouble. After all, when you go out of town, you want to look up information about the place you're going anyway - lodging, food, recreation, etc. It's just one extra thing to look up.
Also, there's the issue of information control. Who knows I own guns? Can I trust that person today? Can I trust him tomorrow? Who knows when I'm home and when I'm not? Am I required to inform that officer I'm carrying? Even if not, should I out of courtesy?
My personal opinion on this is that people know I have guns, but they don't have access to them. If someone breaks in while I'm home, then I can get to a gun and shoot them, but they can't easily get to one and use it on me. If they brought theirs, that is irrelevant to whether or not they will use my gun. If I am not home, and someone breaks in, then my guns are insured, and I can replace them. At that point, it's just like my computers and...OK, I don't have other valuables, but other people have expensive stuff (jewelry, collectibles, etc) that may be nabbed, it's no different.
As to the officer...I'm not too sure.
And then there's the act of buying the gun itself: licensing, permits, paperwork, NICS checks, expense, waiting periods (in some states).
The permit is fairly easy to get where I live, and once you have it you don't have to worry for 5 years. If you have a permit, you walk in, fill out the paper work, wait 15 minutes, and walk out with your gun. It's just like buying a cell phone and getting a contract. Yeah, they're expensive...but so are many other hobbies.
It all seems like a lot of work and money that goes into acquiring and owning an inanimate object that is designed purely to make noise and throw lead really fast.
That's like saying a car is designed to make four objects spin. Guns may be designed for different things, but mine are bought with the intention of potentially using them for self-defense some day. It did not require a lot of work, and yeah it required money - but I will gladly pay $600 for something that will potentially save my life some day.
