Can the appearance of a gun lead to violence?

We know that guns don’t kill, people do, any more than cars cause accidents, drivers do.  Yet, the AR-15 is the scape goat.  Most assume that AR, in AR-15 means “Assault Rifle.”  It does NOT.  It stands for “Armalite Rifle”–so named for the company that developed the gun.  Dave Kistler (“Stand in the Gap Today” co-host) even heard from a friend, who has become a strident anti-gun advocate, say that the mere appearance of the AR-15 (it’s fearsome look) causes its owners to respond in a way that can lead to violence.  Is this type of thinking insanity?