US gun death rates are unarguably higher than places with stricter gun laws. Child death rates in the US simply don't bear out that statement.

Guns can make certain people safer, at a relative net cost in safety to everyone else. Guns are a net negative to safety across society and this is borne out in death, accident, self defense and murder rates.

So no, guns don't make people in the broad, plural sense safe. They make persons in the singular, individual sense safer.