Private gun ownership was widespread there. The Afghanistan people resisted, and the pro-Communists were forced to call for a Russian invasion force. The people fought the Russians with privately owned arms until military equipment arrived from other countries. They fought the Russian armies to a standstill. Eventually the Russians withdrew.
Gun ownership does also serve a self-defense purpose.
Without private gun ownership these citizens would be at the mercy of the most lawless element of society. The only way that violent crime can be reduced is by gun control. No one has yet explained how gun control will take one gun out of the hands of one criminal who plans a violent crime. There are over 200 million guns available in America, and a violent criminal will simply break the law and obtain and use one anyway. Actually, guns are used in 400,000 potentially live-saving situations yearly.