The idea of keeping gun out of the hands of criminals is off the table. Is it impossible to buy a joint or get a hooker? Difficult even? None of the above. Nor will obtaining guns and ammo ever present any problem for anyone willing to go outside the law. The gun control advocate must think it worthwhile to put more restrictions on people who already hesitant to to take the risk of breaking the law.
Furthermore, even if we could snap our fingers and un-invent firearms, would it be good to do so? I doubt it. Both the natural and artificial world abound with objects that can easily be pressed into service as weapons. But criminals have the natural advantage of choosing their time and their victims. To this some might say "I'm 6'2, a MMA fighter, bench-press small cars, etc, I ain't worried about no crook without a gun, and I don't need one." To which I always reply: You won't be the victim of any strong-arm attempts, Sir. Your wife, or your girlfriend, or your aged parents-those are the ones the crooks would choose for victims. Or, if they do go after you, they'll more than likely have numbers and knives. The only weapon that equalizes and negates the criminal's strategic advantages over his victim and makes crime a truly risky business is the personal firearm, preferably concealed.
Another angle: Last night I was watching a program on T.V. about bears. It would seem that the bear population in New Jersey has rebounded to the extent that they are becoming a dangerous nuisance around people's homes. There was one suburban woman interviewed who said something to the effect of "They are too strong for anyone to stop...I don't know what I could do if one attacked my children while they were playing, except throw myself between the bear and them". How sad I felt for her. I don't know whether there were any legal restrictions on gun ownership or not in her area, but since the simple expedient of buying a firearm and learning to shoot as a defense against a rogue bear seems to have not crossed her mind, I can only assume the prevailing culture has made her the human equivalent of a de-clawed house cat. Piteous that a hominid, hundreds of thousands after her ancestors took up sticks and climbed the food chain, is finding herself in helpless terror of a large carnivore.