The criminals may not have but most law abiding citizens would. When a firearm is found suddenly, it gets immediate attention.
A long time acquaintance of mine, a lawyer, was recently shot to death in an unusual incident by a deputy sheriff. The lawyer was armed with two guns and the sheriff claims he pulled a gun on him so he was shot. The man was a law abiding supporter of the law. I do not see it happening as the deputy claims but I could see the lawyer getting crazy when asked for his guns and getting himself shot.
People let their tempers flare occasionally when dealing with LEO. These are not bad people but they do bad things in a moment of rage. Eliminate the weapon for a while and nobody gets hurt. If I will give up my weapon, then anyone else should. It does not mean the gun is gone forever.