The Economist‘s Lexington blog:
As for the National Rifle Association bumper stickers arguing that only an armed citizenry can prevent tyranny, I wonder if that isn’t a form of narcissism, involving the belief that lone, heroic individuals will have the ability to identify tyranny as it descends, recognise it for what it is, and fight back. There is also the small matter that I don’t think America is remotely close to becoming a tyranny, and to suggest that it is is both irrational and a bit offensive to people who actually do live under tyrannical rule.
The argument put forth? How about no guns at all?
I am not sure that tinkering with gun control will stop horrible massacres like [Newtown’s]. And I am pretty sure that the sort of gun control that would work—banning all guns—is not going to happen. So I have a feeling that even a more courageous debate than has been heard for some time, with Mr Obama proposing gun-control laws that would have been unthinkable in his first term, will not change very much at all. Hence the gloom.
This is where I am. The thing to do is to have a society in which no regular folks have guns at all. But it won’t happen here. No matter how many “likes” you give that Facebook meme.
Near-Earth Object 
I’ll just leave this here.
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Many of the “gun nuts” I know do indeed fantasize that they are the only individuals preventing America from descending into tyranny. Yep, narcissistic is a good word to describe that.
And now I have to listen to them try to convince me that what we need are MORE guns to prevent last week’s tragedy. “Why if all our teachers had guns!!!”
Sickening.
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@brianthomas
I do hate that argument. What do we need to stop gun crime? “More guns, obviously!”. Because that totally makes sense, right? These people are idiots.
I’ve also heard the “I wish the teacher had been armed” argument. You know what? I wish the murdering nobjockey who did it hadn’t been armed. Then there wouldn’t be a problem, would there?
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I still have no idea how anyone thinks that their small arms are going to prevent any sort of tyranny, at least in the US. There is absolutely nothing available to a normal citizen that can stand up to UAVs, smart bombs, and tanks the size of one’s house.
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If teachers were armed, I think the phrase “doing a teacher” would soon replace “going postal” …
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