Personally, I do not feel safer knowing there are likely thousands of guns in the hands of random residents of my town.
I'd feel way safer knowing there were none. 
My buying a gun would not change that a whole lot.
Isn't there like one gun per American out there? What is the chances that your town will have none owned there? Gun ownership is constitutional and real and your personal preferences won't change that.
I see the matter somewhat differently. There are for me three reasons why I would want to own a gun. The first is that I see them as engineering and artistic masterpieces, each according to my own personal esthetic. I like the looks and workmanship of some over some others. I would love to be a collector were not for cost and the opinions of others around me no question.
Second of all I personally enjoy target shooting. It's fun to see how accurate you can be. Shooting outdoors has all the benefits of just being out in nature.
Thirdly, I would like to have the possibility that I could have a gun in my hand were someone trying to attack and likely try to kill me. I would prefer this infinitely over being helplessly shot personally or having some innocent person shot by someone I could have stopped had I been armed. I also like the notion that with gun ownership comes that possibility even though with that ownership also come risks. I trust myself and I trust my judgment more than I fear I will fuck up and shoot myself or someone by mistake regardless of statistics. I judge myself to not be homicidal, suicidal, careless or thoughtless about what I do. There have been guns in my house since I was born so, long track record.
Maybe forth, I would regret losing a love one I could have protected had I had the opportunity to protect then had I had a gun.
Facebook
Twitter