I think many gun owners truly believe personal gun ownership is the innermost wall in the ring of defenses that protect America from a hypothetical future government that oppresses the population. The walls further out would be all the other freedoms enumerated in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, as well as the military, law enforcement agencies, court system, free press, the checks-and balances built into the political institutions, etc. The thinking is: Even if there came a day when these other walls were compromised, and an oppressive government gained a foothold (either by invasion or via corruption from within), it would still face an armed populace. In fact, the mere existence of an armed populace acts as a deterrent to give potential oppressors great pause.
Regardless of the soundness of such logic, it's deeply ingrained in many gun owners minds. Knowing that, it becomes easier to understand why gun owners are so opposed to any law or regulation that would make it easier for some future government to ban or confiscate people guns. I believe most gun owners would oppose any laws that result in lists of gun owners and the types of guns they own. However, I think many gun owners would be ok with laws that require proficiency tests and background checks as long as no owner lists get compiled as side-effects of the implementation of these laws.
Regardless of the soundness of such logic, it's deeply ingrained in many gun owners minds. Knowing that, it becomes easier to understand why gun owners are so opposed to any law or regulation that would make it easier for some future government to ban or confiscate people guns. I believe most gun owners would oppose any laws that result in lists of gun owners and the types of guns they own. However, I think many gun owners would be ok with laws that require proficiency tests and background checks as long as no owner lists get compiled as side-effects of the implementation of these laws.
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