Most anti's that I have met get angry when you suggest to them that banning guns or gun control will not solve the problem, but rather make it worse. They get really upset when you start explaining the peculiarities of human behavior. They do this because their political viewpoints are a defense mechanism against their feelings of helplessness. They feel helpless because they do not believe that they can handle life on their own. They want to remake society into something that will protect them from what they perceive poses a danger. They perceive symbols of violence as posing a danger, not the violence itself. This is the framework for the beliefs of most neo-socialists, as well.
I decided to experiment on some antigun friends of mine, and I haven't found a good solution. Either you leave the misconceived notions in place, or you rip them away violently. There is no in-between, and if you challenge the misconceived notions, you will be demonized in their mind.
Go figure.