DougS......I totally agree with your statement that you don't like to divulge the number of guns you own due to word of mouth getting around, and falling on the wrong ears. Guns are indeed a hot item in the black market, and the theft of them seldom results in their recovery. A good friend of mine had his guns stolen years ago, and only one was recovered and returned to him years later. It was taken from a buglar who was caught in New York. Long way from PA.
My close friends are the only ones who have an idea of how many guns I own, and I couldn't give you an exact number myself, as they are constantly coming and going around here. My wife has totally given up trying to keep track.
All I can and will tell you is that I'm very vague about it, particularly with people I don't know well, or those I consider to not be in the same interest circles as myself.
I'm sure that I, as well, would be labeled by the media as some kind of radical due to the fact that I also handload, and have stores of powder, bullets, and loaded ammo readily available. Simplt because I enjoy my pastime, why should I be treated differently than someone who has more than one set of golfclubs or fishing poles? The old adage still rings true: Guns don't kill people, people kill people. And they don't need a gun to do it, either. Good point stated previously, about the number of people killed by autos in this country. Can't talk about that now, can we, in the sense of banning them because they are involved in deaths and disfigurements, simply because they are an accepted medium, and most would be terribly inconveniencd if they had to do without?
Strange how it's alright to criticise gun owners when you own one or more "Weapons of mass destruction" themselves, namely their automobiles. At least by guns dom't guzzle gas.
I guess I've rambled on long enough here. Thanks for listening..............