[Egil]

Guns should ignore a character's scaled DEF and simply be reduced by armor def and perhaps a few other things. If that makes them too strong, make only half of a character's scaled DEF apply, or make it so that gun damage scales up with a victim's scaled VIT but has to deal with their whole scaled DEF.

Anything but being reduced to what they are now.

The OP's akimbo suggestion seems good.