I was in the Army for 11 years. I've handled plenty of firearms, thanks.
I use the word "Compensate" for a reason. As in "That Gun Owner is compensating for his tiny dick".
Guns are almost never used in self defense. Of some 33,000 gun fatalities last year, only 200 of them were civilian gun owners shooting someone in "justifiable self-defense".
I see little or no relevance in the numerical comparison you mention. 33,000 gun fatalities - so what ? I've had my gun for 40 years, and never shot somebody. That doesn't mean I don't need it for self-defense, one iota.
Why don't you tell us how many people got killed who DIDN'T have a gun for self-defense ? You could start with the 13 soldiers in Fort Hood, TX killed by Nidal Hasan. Then the victims of the recent Chatanooga, TN recruiting center shootings. Then the Aurora, CO theater shooting (another gun-free zone). And then the recent Paris killings. ANd many thousands more, going on continuously for years.
And how about the 2002 LAX shooting ? The terrorist was killed instantly by one shot at him, after he shot and killed 2 people and wounded 3 others. But he had 2 guns and 200 rounds on him, in an airport filled with people. If there had not been someone there with a gun to stop him, there would have been a bloodbath.