Can gun laws affect the development of a country?

Clearly define what you mean by development. Is it the creation of a new independent, sovereign state? Political development, meaning the evolution of democratic institutions? Economic development or social development, in the sense of human security, economic opportunity, etc?
What is interesting is that the US is one of the few countries in the world that has it stated in its founding document, the Constitution, that civilians can bear arms. One of the characteristics of a strong state is its monopoly over the use of force, which means that the government and its security forces (military, police) are the only ones that are able to bear arms. In developing countries, civilians bearing arms is a sign of state weakness, because it means that the people have taken their security into their own hands because of violence, civil war, drug gangs. Essentially, the state is losing internal sovereignty. Therefore, civilians with guns, for legal or illegal purposes is a sign of political decay of the state, i.e. a reversal of political development.
Focus on the current debate about guns in developed vs developing countries, and the ensuing positive or negative effects that gun ownership has on the elements of development (safety, security, economic growth, etc).Can gun laws affect the development of a country? If so, how does it compare from the time of the country’s inception and now?