Most gun laws don't make sense because we assume gun laws are about controlling guns and controlling guns makes no sense. But gun laws are really about controlling violence.
An oft seen criticism of the gun violence statistics put forth by anti-2A forces is that the stats are padded by the inclusion of legitimate gun uses where the victim was a criminal shot in the course of a crime. Think about this, because it illustrates a very basic difference between the two sides. Most 2A supporters are anti-crime, and the legal use of a gun to defend against a criminal act is accepted as a legitimate use. Crime is first and foremost a violation of the victims rights to life, liberty, property, pursuit of happiness, often in combination. Rights are worthy of defense, and if the right to keep and bear arms is the right that protects all other rights, then it is natural and proper to use those arms to resist criminal acts.
2A opponents may be anti crime, but first and foremost, they are anti-violence and they see it this way: Violence facilitates crime, but violence is evil. Crime without violence is just a result of society's failure to support its members, but since violence makes crime easier that is why criminals resort to it. A gun is an instrument of violence. Any use of a gun is violence in some form and they are thus opposed to that use no matter how legal or even benign it might be. Self Defense? That is violence to another human being. Hunting? That means the violent death of a living creature. Target shooting? It is just practicing to kill. Benchrest? Looks like a sophisticated sniper rifle. To use a gun is to use violence and violence is unacceptable.
A historical look at gun laws will show that the ultimate intent of most gun laws in most cities and states is to curb violence, not crime. A duty to retreat is a requirement to avoid confrontation that can lead to violence. Mugging victims are advised to cooperate with the mugger and give them what they want so as to avoid violence. Of course, since most person on person crime is violent crime, curbing violence is seen as also curbing crime. But make no mistake. In the eyes of the Antis, violence is the greater problem and they believe that if violence can be controlled or eliminated, crime can be addressed through improved economic opportunity; because people don't choose to be criminals, they are forced to be criminals (often by the economic injustices of a capitalistic society).
"If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." The anti response is, "Guns should be outlawed because only outlaws have a use for guns." Peaceful, law-abiding citizens should be non-violent and a non-violent person has no need for an instrument of violence. The focus is always on violence.
This is a difference at the belief level. Beliefs are what forms a person's world view. Beliefs define who a person is. They are not easily shaken, and almost never by logical or emotional argument. Beliefs can be shaken by experience that is counter to belief. When life experience is counter to belief, either belief changes to reflect the reality of the experience, or reality is rejected and replaced with a fantasy where the belief is valid. This is called deliusion.
Most Antis are not willfully delusional because they have never had a personal experience that challenged their belief. It is interesting that many 2A supporters have had experiences that confirm their belief. They are naively delusional because of their acceptance of a belief that has no factual basis.
There is a reason that many if not most Antis are upper-middle and upper class intellectual elitists. Their lifestyles tend to isolate them from the personal experiences that would challenge their beliefs. And because their experiences do not challenge their beleifs, they assume their experiences (or lack thereof) confirm their beliefs. And with their beleifs thus confirmed, they feel totally justified in trying to mold society accordingly. Convincing them otherwise requires changing what they believe, not how they think. It means changing who they are not what they want to do. And it is like trying to argue with a termite while it is eating your house.
