Here's an example of knee-jerk derision. A Knox County, TN comissioner was in his office when a man entered with a gun. He pulled his own gun during the confrontation and chased the guy off. The local alternative paper (that means liberal and anti-gun) bashed him for it, saying it was typical of his bad judgement.

Turns out the bad guy was collared by the cops soon after for the murder he had committed earlier in the day before the confrontation with the comissioner. I think the alternative paper there should apologize for jumping to judgement. If someone had just murdered a person and then shows up in my office, then I'm pretty sure my life is in danger, and I'd be damn glad to have a gun. I don't honestly care what he had done before he shows up in my office, actually. If someone walks in with a gun, I'm gonna do my best to stay alive, and if that means pulling my own weapon, good for me for not laying down and dying. Anti-gun people live in fantasy worlds where every problem can be solved with milk and cookies and a little chat. The real world has never worked like that, and never will until we solve the issue of scarcity.