Another Reason For the Right to Bear Arms

The right to keep and bear arms doesn’t only allow us means to protect ourselves from other people but it also helps ensure something like this doesn’t happen here:

Police in Saudi Arabia have opened fire to disperse protesters in the eastern city of Qatif, a day before planned countrywide anti-government protests.

Witnesses said police also beat demonstrators with batons injuring at least three people.

When the government has a monopoly on arms the citizenry are at their mercy. Peaceful protests are great right up to the point where the government decides to start shooting the protesters. This is the point where peaceful protests no longer work and the need to take up arms to defend yourself against the government arise.

As it sits the chances of something like this occurring here are much lower as the government realizes many American citizens can shoot back. This mutually assured destruction helps keep things civil. To quote a Heinlein novel, “An armed society is a peaceful society.”