Peoples knee jerk reactions to truthful responses can be funny. As for firearms, there are folks that are being fashionably anti, because the news is. When I get a knee jerk reaction, about guns, I politely point out, Wolves like to prey on sheep, and CCWs are good, because the wolves can't tell sheep from sheepdogs if there are CCWs in the mix. If they are on the fence, or otherwise, if nothing else, it makes them think, and that is all you can really hope to do.
My favorite PETAite experience happened about 15 years ago. I was with a friend who was into IRONMAN competitions and such, and we had to stop at a large health food supermarket. A kind woman was handing out free samples of "all natural" "JELLO". It was so delicious, we got her talking so we could sample the different flavors. After she went through the all natural bullet points, she finished that it had no animal products in it. I answered, more thinking out loud, matter of fact "so then what are we gonna do with all those hooves?" She looked like her mouth was at that moment, instantly filled with raw sewage. I don't know how I didn't break out laughing. My friend did though.