As seen by the anti-gun culture!!!!!
No, it's unrealistic to think that an armed citizenry would rise up against, much less actually defeat, a tyrannical government. Who would the armed rebellion be organized and coordinated under, and how would you expect to come to a public consensus that the government needs overthrown? And how are a bunch of yokels going to take on better armed and better trained police/military? Most gun owners presume that a tyrannical government would exclusively be a leftist one (a scenario many of them probably fantasize about and hope for, imagining themselves being Rambo.) If a far-right totalitarian regime took power however, the gun crowd would probably be on their knees licking their boots in admiration. I simply don't trust drunken, shotgun toting rednecks to be my savior in the event I find myself under a dictatorship. In fact, I'd wager that their votes would lay the groundwork for such an outcome.
And all that aside, you have gun fetishists who buy chintzy military style gadgets, attachments, accessories, etc. that actually serve no practical use for civilians, just because makes them feel like some sort of bad@*** special-ops commando. Usually same set with open carry; it's about feeling like a bad@*** and letting the world know.
Many actually hope for a situation to occur where they can justifiably kill and be hailed a hero, but a gun should be regarded like a fire extinguisher; have on hand in case of an emergency but hope to never have to use it. Could you imagine people decorating their fire extinguishers or buying stupid, useless attachments for them? Or posing with them?