Edited to add 2 words to make it not a complete generalization... yeh caught me at 3 in the mornin
Originally I tried to eliminate that later in the post, but it's probably better for it not to be so broad in the first place.
Anyway, further comments: the neighbor who went out with his shotgun and ended up killing the two robbers - I would tip my hat to him, depending on the situation. Perhaps he didn't know if his neighbor was home, and not only wanted to stop the robbery, but wanted to make sure his neighbor was alright, and not bleeding to death from the crooks' assault. I think that either way he gets "neighbor of the year" award... Once enough cases like this happen, perhaps people will think twice about breaking in to another person's home, whether or not they're home, and expecting to get away scott-free and unharmed.
They will in Texas, at least ^_^
I also disagree that owning a gun doesn't change you as a person - at least not for me, anyway. Before owning one and considering defending myself and others from deadly force, I had never seriously thought that other people's lives could be worth less than mine or those around me. Once you have the capability to return deadly force, it's something you have to examine pretty carefully. Sure, you see the death penalty used and hear about cops killing bad guys all the time, but once that decision is in your hands it really makes you think seriously about the subject. Do certain actions merit the immediate demise of the perpetrator of those actions? I have decided it to be true that other lives are worth less once deadly force has been shown - it's best to decide that now, instead of when/if the moment comes to use that force. It's sobering, to say the least.
I'm not saying that owning one immediately qualifies you to use one, but many people that do own them have thought these thoughts, and get extensive training in their use because of it. Just because there are idiots and bad people who own guns doesn't mean that they're the only ones