Guns--and I mean real guns, not water guns, paintball guns, BB guns, etc.--are designed to propel a lead bullet at supersonic speed in order to penetrate said target and cause substantial damage to that target, whether that target be paper, animal flesh or human flesh.
Now, maybe you are right in saying the vast majority of times guns are shot, they are shot at inanimate targets at places such as shooting ranges, and not at other human beings.
But let's be honest with yourself. Most people who take their guns to shooting ranges aren't just frivolously shooting at pieces of paper without any thought whatsoever as to what that paper might represent in a real life situation. Otherwise, you wouldn't frequently see targets that look like this:
Or this:
Or even this wonderfully lovely, tasteful and totally classy one right here:
So yes, my characterization of using guns to simulate killing/injuring is more than just my little uninformed opinion.
(And no, I'm not attacking the practice of going to shooting ranges and target practice itself in any way. I'm just saying that even in those legitimate circumstances the specific intent of a gun as a deadly weapon is very much an underlying reality even when dealing with non-living targets.)
So consider those three specific intended purposes of guns and realize to yourself that there exists no other specific intent for a gun. Not even as a hammer, a hole punch or a bottle opener.
Guns are deadly weapons, and specifically designed as such. That's irrespective to questions of their legality or morality; it's just undisputed that they are extraordinary tools like very few others.
And when something is both extraordinary and potentially lethal, it must be subject to extraordinary caution and restraint. Which is also described as having a rational and healthy fear of that item.
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