Wtf has guns got to do with the
rate of violent crime?
The two aren't related at all.
Violent crime would have gone up regardless of whether hand guns had been made illeagal or not.
If hand guns hadn't been made illeagal, it could be argued that more of these violent crimes could have involved a firearm, resulting in fatal shootings, rather than a few nights in hospital, and some stitches.
The reason that violent crime has gone up is mostly due to bad policing, and the fact that criminals seem to get let off with a light sentence when they are arrested, then go and reoffend when they are released.
And you haven't touched upon why America has so many more gun related deaths compared to other Western countries, however I think it may be to do with this...
... opinion regarding guns and their use
I am not having a go at you personally, as I have heard the same comments many times before, but I think there must be something seriously wrong with society, where otherwise completely normal and rational people say that they are perfectly willing to shoot and kill someone if they broke into their home.
If someone gave me the right to carry a gun around here, and I was threatened by someone, even then I doubt I could bring myself to shoot them.
Anyway, the likelyhood of your scenario actually happening, unless you live in a really bad area, is going to be very small. How many people do you know that have had a psycho break into their home and threaten them?