The weakest argument for gun ownership in the USA

[Lemur]

The traditional way to get your soldiers to kill their own is to bring in troops from a very different region; that's how China does it, and that's the way every despotic government has done it. Wouldn't work in the U.S.A.

Even if you grabbed a platoon of good ole boys from the backwoods of Arkansas and asked them to fire on civilians in San Fran, I doubt they would do it. Our culture is too mixed, you just don't see the same regional differences that you have in, say, Kenya or Malaysia.

[LittleGrizzly]

To be fair, Manchester is nicknamed Gunchester for a reason.

And this is why Manchester is the most free and safe place in the UK

[Reverend Joe]

To be fair, Manchester is nicknamed Gunchester for a reason.

And this is why Manchester is the most free and safe place in the UK

Would it happen to be the "most free and safe place in the UK" because the people there can legally own firearms to defend themselves from criminals who would wield firearms anyhow, thus giving ordinary citizens a chance and crime a major deterrent?

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[Yoyoma1910]

The traditional way to get your soldiers to kill their own is to bring in troops from a very different region; that's how China does it, and that's the way every despotic government has done it. Wouldn't work in the U.S.A.

Even if you grabbed a platoon of good ole boys from the backwoods of Arkansas and asked them to fire on civilians in San Fran, I doubt they would do it. Our culture is too mixed, you just don't see the same regional differences that you have in, say, Kenya or Malaysia.

Those boyos from Arkansas sure didn't mind shooting my neighbor's dog, and when they almost ran me over while I was on my bicycle, they were laughing it up.

[KukriKhan]

Those boyos from Arkansas sure didn't mind shooting my neighbor's dog, and when they almost ran me over while I was on my bicycle, they were laughing it up.

Point. But: Back in the '67 Detroit riots, when a Brigade of the 101st Airborne was sent to our east side, they exempted from deployment, anyone whose Home Of Record was Michigan. Very... extremely quiet on that side of town after they arrived.

Whereas on the west side of Woodward Ave, where the State Police, DPD, and Mich Nat'l Guard (all containing local boys) had jurisdiction, the hell broken loose lasted almost a week, and the bodies piled up.

That might look like an argument against the effectiveness of a militia, and the superiority of a LSA. But I hasten to point out that the 95% of non-rioters, many, if not most of whom were armed, kept themselves busy sitting by their front doors, awaiting the invasion of rioters. Those guys were the potential militia, not the sworn officers. And I therefore speculate that had that group come to see the 101st, Nat'l Guard & State Police as invaders of a tyrannical gov't, things would have turned out differently.

All that was lacking was organization. And motive.

What does it take to overthrow a tyranny? Complete victory on the battlefield? No. Militias can't do that. The staunch and prolonged opposition of an armed, radicalized, motivated, righteous majority of the populace can. And has.