I always consider the source of stereotypical thinking. THEY don't own any guns, so if you own only ONE, you're merely stereotyped as a "gun owner". If you own TWO, their eyebrows twitch a bit. Heaven help you if you own more than TWO, for you're a "gun nut"!
On the evening of when the "Rodney King riot" broke out, back in 1992, I happened to be near my favorite gun store and decided to stop in. The parking lot was jam-packed, but I found a parking stall and went inside. The store was also jammed with "prospective" first-time gun buyers, all of them moaning and groaning about having to comply with the mandatory 10-day "waiting period". During a short lull, the manager of the store took a break outside, and we talked for several minutes. He said that he had turned down NUMEROUS bribes! "The best one....", he said, "...was a guy who wanted a Ruger 10/22 rifle. He was willing to pay for the rifle AND an additional $2,000, if I overlooked the 10-day waiting period for him!" (Kinda expensive!)
I think that I'd rather be tagged as a "gun nut" than a "NO gun numb nut"!