I have especially noticed it with people who weren’t brought up with guns. They see them on television or on the police/military and equate it directly with violence. (I equate it with protection but that is me). If a person is educated and pushed past this fear then it is gone. What is sort of funny is after I learned to shoot, I tried other things that seemed a bit frightening to me. For example, I used a small chain saw. To be honest, knowing how to properly use a gun seemed to make me less fearful of other things. I know that sounds crazy but it is true.
I would almost say that some of the “I’m scared of guns in my home” types mistake lack of fear (of the gun) as having a cavalier attitude towards guns. It’s important to get comfortable with weapons and still maintain the respect of them as well. The “I’m scared of guns in my home” crowd doesn’t understand this.