Talk to the NRA. Firearms have lots of uses, one of which might be as a tool for self-defense as a WEAPON. In and of itself, it is not a weapon. As an NRA pistol instructor, and former BSA rifle instructor, we do not ever refer to a firearm as a weapon. We never taught Boy Scouts to fire weapons. We did teach Boy Scouts to shoot .22's at paper targets, and shotguns at clay targets. Those activities were "target shooting" and did not involve the use of weapons. The term "weapon" implies an intent that does not exist in a firearm by itself. The user may choose to deploy it as a weapon, but that is up to the intent of the user.
Of course he wants to store it properly. If an untrained or inexperienced person were to get access, that person could unintentionally create a lot of damage. The lack of intent to cause damage by the actor in this case would cause much of the liability for any damage to flow back to the owner of the firearm. Similarly, if a bad actor (criminal) were to obtain access to the firearm, there could be criminal liability to the owner for failing to secure his firearm against the potential for its use by a criminal as a weapon.
From Merriam Webster Online:
Definition of WEAPON
1
: something (as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy
Definition of FIREARM
: a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder —usually used of small arms
You can be as PC about it as you want but a gun IS a weapon.