I know a bunch of folks you might refer to as "gun nuts". None of them are weirdos or socially awkward. In fact, most of them are quite intelligent, including MD's, dentists, engineers, all levels of management, company owners, outside salespeople, real estate developers, heavy equipment operators, etc.

Of all the folks I know who own guns, most own at least one AR, and I don't know anyone who bought theirs because "it looks like a machine gun!!!!". That may be one of the silliest assumptions I have ever heard.