seanc, codenamepaul, tuna:
All good points - but I'll add a few thoughts:
- The "David vs. Goliath" history examples were primarily desperate individuals defending their lives from an invading foreign force - not us fighting our own countrymen. The last time that happened (1861 - 1865), the side with the greatest industrial resources won.
I would consider an opressive US government as much a foreign force as the blue helmets. I would even suggest that this would be the route the .gov would go vs. using US troops.
- During the time of our fight for independence, our land was populated with folks who had at least one firearm, and knew how to use it. They weren't afraid to use it either. Competance with a firearm meant the difference between food on the table or going hungry. I'm afraid the percentage of gun-owners today that would actually stand and fight for their rights is significantly lower than it was back then.
Which is why I went with 1% vs the 3-5% that actually took part, you could concievably go to a tenth of a percent and come out on top.
- This scenario wouldn't be a historical first for a modern, "first-world" country. Look at how the citizens of England and Australian lined up to turn in their guns and refused to fight.
I might suggest they had a couple hundred more years of submission than we-meaning we are still ungelded-and less "civilized"
- Certainly the combined strength of NES members would be a formidable force, but - how many of us have night vision googles, gas masks and armored vehicles at our disposal? How quickly could we mobilize, form a plan of attack and estabish a supply system?
Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad
- Looking at the strength of numerical superiority: Yes, the Zulus under Cetshwayo overwhelmed British forces at Isandlwanda in 1879 using (for the most part) only spears against the British Martini-Henrys. But in the end, the British were the victors. The Zulus could not sustain the losses or mass as quickly for the rest of the conflict.
The bottom line to all of this - if we are to truly offer a remedy for an oppressive / corrupt government via the Second Amendment, we need to be able to legally possess the tools of modern armies - including machine guns.