Do Guns Really Make People Bad?

I recently bought a Ruger 10/22 target rifle from my brother-in-law. It was well kept, complete with original manual and a nice gun case.

The reason he sold it is a bit unusual. He and I have gone out target shooting numerous times. He handles guns well and enjoys shooting. By "well" I mean exemplary safe handling and always respectful of the gun and those around him. But his kids play with the kids of a neighbor who is, for lack of a better term, "firearm sensitive". They wouldn't let their kids even visit the house if they knew there was a gun inside. "Why don't you just get a good secure gun safe (a safe that you keep guns locked securely in) like mine?" I asked him. Apparently, that would make things worse. He has kept his guns well hidden and getting a gun safe would make it obvious he had guns. Just having a gun in the house makes it bad...

Yet another paranoid rationalization. Guns are bad and dangerous. You can't trust someone who has guns around ... Um, unless of course they are police or military and then they are miraculously virtuous.

Ironically, they trust that my BIL doesn't have guns in the house, but if they found out he actually did they wouldn't trust him...

Yes, guns can be dangerous. Very dangerous. So can cars and trucks and a myriad of common household items. Knowledge and safety is important. But the idea of the mere presence of a firearm making a house a bad place or a person bad? My BIL didn't even have any ammunition. Such a dire threat!

So, when I picked up the rifle I asked, half in jest, if I had to sneak it out to my car unseen to avoid having the neighbors call the police on me...