MAD at the civilian level...

If communities are safer if everyone has a concealed weapon because no criminal would dare rob a store where everyone else is armed, then why not take it to the next level and introduce Mutually Assured Destruction to that principalas well? I mean, it works on a global scale. only reason we dont fuck with north korea even though they HAVE the ability to produce nukes, yet we concentrate on non-nuclear countries like iraq and iran, is because N.K. has that nice protective bubble a nuke provides a country.

>>36
The whole "military won't attack the people" schtick doesn't work either, one word, Tiennamen.
If the "local militia" won't kill the protestors/citizens, they can get a militia from another state that won't give a rats ass about killing them.  It worked for the Chinese in Beijing, just call up a neighboring division that doesn't have empathy for College Students in the Square.