That may well be the prevailing attitude, but no society can be civilised without guns.
Today no civilised society can exist without guns.
Wheather or no the citizens would take up the option of having a gun for self protection would be up to the citizen; we don't envisage compulsion.
It is a fact of life that armed citizens are safer from attack by criminals than are the disarmed.
How long since an Israeli airliner was hijacked?
Not since the first hijacker was shot to death by armed security officers.
What works in the air works on the ground, why do the police have pistols? What is the murder/robbery/bashing rate of policemen per 100,000 in Australia?
A lot less than that of the ordinary citizen it so happens, yet the police are on the front line against the criminal and they need pistols. Why do they need pistols? Not for the protection of the citizens because that is not part of their brief.
For the protection of property? Hardly,given the forgoing. Then it must be for self protection.

Pity then that the less vulnerable are afforded self protection but those who suffer more crime against them are not.

Prevailing attitude... yes, its easy to be morally superior when your comfortable life is protected for free.

Its really sad that taking my freedom is necessary for you to feel 'civilised' Bugsy. You take from us for your own self-approval.

We remove "freedoms" from people all the time for the safety of our society. What makes you so special?

Funnily enough, I view other people as as special as me.