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Having been born in DC, and having had the experience of being mugged in DC (three calls to 911, the police showed up after FIVE hours; the problem is in Police Communications, not usually with the Police).

I now live in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are allowed to own guns; you can buy one every 30 days unless you have a concealed-carry permit, in which case the 30-day law doesn't apply to you; you can carry unconcealed without a permit and concealed-carry permits are a matter of filling out a form and having proof of a basic gun safety class.

When the DC Police (most of whom are underpaid and in a good deal of danger since most criminals are heavily armed) first switched to the Glock 19, a policewoman's partner stopped the police car so her side was on ice (unknown to both). They were on a call for some crime-in-progress. She had a round chambered, as most police do, but once she opened the door, she put her hand on her gun with her finger on the trigger. When she put her feet on the ice, she lost her balance and shot herself in the leg.

So how do you explain that most civilians (and police officers) tend not to hurt themselves with guns? I lived in DC for several years when I worked in the city. You get so that you don't react to the sound of gunfire on Capitol Hill. It was hard when I moved to Virginia because I wasn't used to NOT hearing gunfire. I've gotten used to it, and I quite enjoy it, even though probably 80%+ of my neighbors also own guns.

Personally, I'd recommend that anyone paying state taxes move to a state that respects your 2nd Amendment rights. Senators and Congressmen and -women are free to move to Virginia, where they may own guns. (Maryland has gotten paranoid about gun ownership.)