its really three scenarios then, self defense, hunting and civil war
as far as self defense goes you dont really need a gun, there are plenty of non lethal precautions and options you can take.
i was trained in weapon "principles", for example the han-bo or short stick can be found on the dojo wall, but also in a walking stick or umbrella, the Bo or long stick in a broom or rake.
weighted chain weapons can be found in a telephone receiver and cord.... and so on
jackie chan loves to show this off (perhaps over does it) in his movies, you know the scenes, the ones where he thwarts a gang of agressors in the kitchen using every pot, pan and kettle in the space, along with a kitchen table, stool, and a handy length of fresh home made noodles......
many a well equiped army has suffered at the hands of guerrillas using improvised weapons, your brain is a much better tool for defense than any given weapon.
for me everything is a weapon if necessary, relying on a single device ie gun, is from my pov a mistake, and false security
im not against guns, if you are more likely to turn a corner and run into a bear, than you are a person then you prob should carry one.
but they are not a pre requisite for sucessful self defense.
now a civil war, citizens bearing arms will NOT allow you to repeat the feat your forefathers pulled off against the british, times have changed, thats just not do-able anymore, and there are a zillion reasons, but ill cite some simple ones.
in the days when the consitution was written , almost everybody grew their own food, or had access to game.....
the population today relys on the "system" now it cant break away from it, it would starve.........
when the consitution was written there were a lot less people, and a lot more resources/game/land to go around..... the reverse is the case today.
if you look at just the ratio of people to land, you can see the consitution is well and truly out of date, thats not to say some of the wisdom in this great document isnt still valid.
if youve managed to sucessfully defend yourself today without killing someone, if you did the same last week/month/year. if in fact you have gone your whole life without killing someone in self defense, id say your brain has done a great job in looking after you
a gun is just a tool, not a pre requisite for self defense.
hunting will have to be banned eventually(private lands and animals excepted), too many people not enough game....... if todays population started taking dinner from the wild like the consitutional population did........ the word Bison ring any bells ?
almost hunted to extinction, because individuals dont regulate themselves, and if the collective doesnt step in and do it for them.....
to my mind the "sense" of (false) protection afforded to the average citizen by having a gun, is disproportionate to the damage they cause , either thru crime or accident.
im pretty certain that simply by the numbers a model where everybody has a gun, is going to have a lot more tragedy, than a model where only those who need them ie army, police ,farmers/ranchers etc have them.
