I'd be more careful in building an entire article and theory behind a short conversation with one veteran, even if a family member.

I've been trained in how to fire maybe 15-20 different weapons in the Marine Corps.   And I've fired several types in combat. 

Power is not the sense I get when handling a weapon.  "Responsibility" is what always immediately comes to me anytime I get near or handle a weapon.  I've seen what they can do.  I've watched heads and bodies explode.

Upon seeing someone bring a weapon into a room, perhaps to show it to someone, my reflexes immediately get heightened, and if I don't see the person "showing clear" that weapon to me in 2 seconds after entering a room with it, I ask them to "show clear", as I form Plan B. 

My criterion for what I should be allowed to have in my home for family protection is the same criterion that police use in terms of what they can carry:  What's the high end of likely threat faced before back up arrives? Match it.