I grew up as a regular firearms user in the South. Here's something we should all be clear on - Conservatives never wanted to be plucky revolutionaries. They don't have the character for it. They want to be the boot. It's just in their nature.
The right wing's obsession with guns has never been about "defense" or "liberty." It's about projecting power. They equate firearm ownership with their imagined ability to project their will onto others. Nothing more.