I know a lot of anti's (I'm from Massachusetts) and can tell you from personal experience that a lot of them, actually all of the anti's that I'm personally acquainted with, are wonderful people with the most sincere and upright of intentions. I've heard the saying that anti's want to feel safe and pro's want to be safe. IMHO, that's just pro-gun rhetoric. Everyone want's to actually be safe.
The real problem is much more deep-seeded than that. The state of American culture is on that is devoid of a sense of personal responsibility. The majority of the U.S. population wants to be legislated through life. They want laws telling them what to do and what not to do. They feel it's the government's job to care for them like a parent cares for a child. Heck, this is true on even on a very small scale. At the company I work for (manufacturing of engine parts) I have seen employees go to the HR manager because someone was "hogging the microwave in the breakroom". People don't want to work things out for themselves, take care of themselves, or fend for themselves. They want to pass that responsibility to someone who's "in charge".
That's one of the things that irritated me about my time in the Marines (which was an overall positive experience which I'm very proud of. I'm not now nor would I ever bash the Corps). When I was nearing my time to decide to re-up or get out, a lot of other guys were facing the same decision at the same time. A few of them made the decision to stay in solely because "it's so easy, you just do what you're told, and you get paid for it." They were brought up in that culture of the nanny-state, the society were you just follow the rules like a good boy and those who know better will take care of you.
This brings me to the largest, and truly the saddest difference between anti's and pro's. For anti's, all this makes sense. They think it is good and right, it's what's best for them, for their families, for society. They have lost all touch with the meaning behind a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Beyond that, they really don't feel capable of trusting themselves or taking care of themselves. When anti's say you shouldn't have a gun, what they are saying is they don't trust themselves to have guns, and since you couldn't possibly be better than them, you aren't to be trusted either. Leave all that to the people in charge. That's their job, not ours. That's what we pay them for.
Until anti's start to realize that they aren't helpless and are able to care for themselves without the assisitance of legislation, and until they are able to think for themselves without the guidance of the media, they will remain anti. But once they taste the freedom and sense of empowerment that comes with accepting personal responsibility, they will slowly join our side. God know's when, or if that day will ever come.
