Since God created mankind in His own image, He views murder (the innocent taking of another's life) as a sin -- Romans 1:29 -- and considers it punishable by death -- Romans 1:32. If we defend ourselves, or others, from the murderous intent of another person, we are reacting to fear and a strong desire to survive. Fear and the survival instinct are gifts from God that lets us know that we are in danger and should take immediate action to protect ourselves. In John 15:13, Jesus states that there is no greater love than to lay down our lives for our friends -- I interpret this to mean that when we unselfishly and bravely put our lives in danger for others (i.e. coming to their defense against acts of crime), we have pleased our Lord and Master.
That's my Christian belief concerning firearms...and I'm sticking to it.
