Yeah there are a lot of open carry fuckwits who seem to like testing cops by walking down the street with an AR strapped on their back. They don't help the cause. Same as those who advocate for 0 regulation at all because SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. Personally I wouldn't want any would be crooks or terrorists to know I'm packing until it's too late.
There are a lot of people who do not trust their government or law enforcement like we do here, given the historical context, I'm hardly surprised. To say it's outdated is silly, is the right to free speech also outdated?
You can actually own fully automatic machine guns (made pre 1986) and 'destructive devices' in the US (short barreled rifles, sawn off shotguns, grenades etc)- each one requires a $200 tax stamp to the ATF, an extensive background check, and some states ban them anyway. They tend to be owned by collectors and investors. There is 1 recorded crime with one that I know of, and that was in 1988 by a cop. Apart from the whole 1986 thing, a fair trade off IMO. Despite what people think, an AR-15 is not used by any military in the world, as it is only semi automatic.
They also are caught in the interesting conundrum that guns are so prevalent in their society, having gun free zones paradoxically makes people less safe, as evidenced by every single well publicised mass shooting in the last 20+ years.
Some states also let you buy 80% finished lower receivers so that you can create your own 'ghost guns', which seems to jive well for the paranoid!
I can't see any issue with being allowed to own firearms for self defence and concealed carry, especially here where you have to be a fairly upstanding member of society to get even an AB licence let alone Cat H, and if you fuck up, guns go byebye until you see a magistrate.