You've raised some excellent points with regards to firearms, though I had never considered them in this context as comparable to other minority groups, you have changed my mind.

One thing though, having recently been in the Portland area I can tell you firearm rights are not as badly abused as the general Portland stereotype would suggest. Portland itself has a few silly gun laws, but Oregon as a whole has a decent CCW law which overrides those of the city. It's a surprisingly gun friendly place to be.