1. History
Today is part one of a two-part conversation about guns and the opposition movement. I want this conversation to be serious and not chest-thumping, because it’s complicated. And I’m going to start you off with the conclusion and then argue my way back into it. So here we go.
Recent American history shows that when citizens are well armed and organized, they get treated with more professionalism by law enforcement. This creates a paradox in which citizens attempting to resist a hostile federal agency enjoy more legal protections if they constitute an actual physical threat than if they do not.
Once you start following this path, the logic leads pretty inexorably to the conclusion that people resisting the Trump regime should (a) start arming themselves and (b) start organizing into community associations for mutual protection. Well-regulated militias, even.
And the best counterargument to this logic is that this moment of resistance against this regime is is not actually about power. It is, like the civil rights movement, a fundamentally Christian struggle.
That’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive in.
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest
Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
- Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell.
- Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast.
- Plus community chats and commenting features. Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership. Cancel anytime.