People in my neck of the woods talk about fire arms the way I talk about video games or TV shows. They sound like recreation rather than self defense. I don’t know if knowledge is the only factor; a sense of seriousness about firearms seems to be lacking.

That's exactly the point. Those of us that want gun control don't want to rip them from the hands of responsible gun-owners.

We want common-sense laws that let us research and prevent gun violence. We want to keep guns out of the hands of those too young to understand them, criminals, abusers, stalkers, and the mentally-ill. We want people to have to understand how to safely operate them before purchasing guns, going hunting, or obtaining a concealed-carry permit. We want to limit gun crimes and school shootings.

But Republicans, the NRA, and gun lobbies oppose all of these popular positions most Americans agree on, even though it results in more gun deaths. There's no compromising with fundamentalists...

Lol, ranges aren't necessarily any better. Hopefully they have someone enforcing safety rules, but there are a great deal of them that are in suburban areas, and even the rural ones can be within striking range of homes.