Mark, I see the 'Our firearms are what protect us from tyranny' arguments from conservatives on a daily basis. Hell, I see them in news articles on major news sites and newspapers, as well as CONSTANTLY on Fox News, Breitbart, and Infowars (I try to stay up to date on them under the 'know your foe' concept).
Also, I see articles on people shooting intruders fairly often, usually derided by places like HuffPo and DailyKOS, trumpeted about as a triumph of the Second Amendment on Fox News and Breitbart, and just reported upon by CNN, ABC, the NYT, etc. What I see far more of, however, are stories about people being mugged, murdered, found dead, you name it, all as a result of gun violence. Also, by and large, burglars really try to hit places where no one is home; they're there for theft, not murder.
Perhaps you should pay attention to something other than Fox and Breitbart, rather than just listening to them lie to you about whether or not other news sites report on that.
'People need guns because police suck' is a rather weak argument for guns. At best, it addresses a symptom, not a cause. At worst, it's both an indictment of the police in general (which I cannot believe just came out of the mouth of a right-winger) and both an endorsement of inner city gangs and a disparagement of the entire concept of the rule of law. It also appears nowhere in the 2nd Amendment, nor am I aware of any instance of case law (at least here in the US) where someone's right to bear arms was predicated specifically on the inability of local police to intervene. You'd be on better ground if you simply argued 'we can have whatever guns we want because the Second Amendment says so'; at least that has the benefit of logic and existing law.
It is also, one again, utterly beside the point, as my original post very specifically was about those who repeatedly argue about government tyranny as a reason for wide-spread assault weapon ownership, and not gun ownership in general.
Finally, in refutation of your 'No one thinks that' argument:
Hawaii News Now
"I'm here because the Second Amendment is critical in keeping our country free and safe. And not just from criminals. But also from our own government," said Duane Hilton at the Montgomery, AL, event. "We need to protect ourselves. We need to know the Second Amendment gives me the power to protect myself against tyranny."
James Madison, Federalist Paper #46
Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.
Chris Keath, Quora Contributor
Guns keep citizens equal with authorities
John Daniel Davidson, TheFederalist.com
Simply put, the purpose of the Second Amendment is to give the people the means to overthrow the government in the event it becomes tyrannical.
I could go on and on providing examples of you being wrong, but this should be enough.
It should be interesting to see the NEXT way someone tries to put words in my mouth. You guys are batting 1.000 at that so far.
