There’s a lot of noises about this at the moment in Pakistan, and maybe it’s not a problem in major cities, but how do you get rid of this in rural areas? There aren’t any police stations so people tend to keep guns (a bit like hicktowns in US) to guard against bandits.
How will that be tackled if we want to supposedly eradicate gun culture in Pakistan?
I think keeping guns should not be a problem (except some really fancy military stuff), however brandishing it in public should be abolished.
People should keep guns, among other, for the reasons you mentioned, but these should be licensed (as much as possible), and public displays of weaponry (like dozens of bodyguards driving in pick-ups behind the deemed VIP politician or maulvi) should be severely dealt-with.
Unless our police force is capable of defending the rights of all citizens, the people must be provided ways to defend themselves. IMO.
The gun culture will persist as long as
1. Afghanistan is a problem
2. Kashmir remains unresolved.
3. Economy stays in recession.
4. The law and order situation doesnt improve.
5. Education does no become universally available, and quality isnt drastically improved.