# Could you have a true dictatorship in a country with more guns than people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 8, 2024, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915 "2024-11-08T08:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/21 "2024-11-09T13:12:58Z")
I, for one, look forward to the resurrection of the old Ford Falcon. It was such a cool car! > **[Dictatorship-era threat: green Ford Falcon parked outside Senate - Buenos...](https://buenosairesherald.com/politics/dictatorship-era-threat-green-ford-falcon-parked-outside-senate)** > > The car favored by death squads was used as an apparent intimidation strategy this week and the Ministry for Women, Gender, and Diversities received bomb threats And, yeah: it isn’t lost on me (either) that the strongest 2nd Amendment supporters in America are the ones who voted in the absolute textbook definition of the kind of government that they’ve been so worried about: Trump. [I’ll tag @Frodo here, and – out of an abundance of caution – make clear that my comment is near-tearfully sympathetic and superficially informed dark humor.] ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/22 "2024-11-09T13:14:14Z")
Dictators often use rural rubes as their thugs. Red staters with guns are part of the regime. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/23 "2024-11-09T13:32:25Z")
Most guns are held by people who believe the Democrats, the courts, and lots of others are all part of one big conspiracy to prevent America becoming great again. A dictatorship will guarantee the democrats can not get back in and allow millions of dog eating murderers back into the country, encourge Chinese imports to take away the jobs of millions of Americans etc. If pro democracy protesters arise all those MAGA gun holders will be ready to fight them off. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/24 "2024-11-09T23:31:08Z")
Americans have a lot of small arms. Slaves had a lot of sharp farm implements. Still, servile wars don’t have a great track record. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/25 "2024-11-09T23:36:31Z")
Also, dictators are unconcerned by losses. They don’t care if ten soldiers die pacifying a farmer. Do it enough and fewer people oppose the regime. The dictator will always have replacements. At the end of WWII Germany and the Soviet Union still had millions of soldiers despite devastating losses (Germany was getting to the end of its rope on that count though). ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/26 "2024-11-11T15:13:09Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > If pro democracy protesters arise all those MAGA gun holders will be ready to fight them off. But where, how, who? That’s what I don’t get. What could they do? Look at all the ballots and see who voted for Harris? I suppose that’s possible. There is no North vs. South here. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/27 "2024-11-11T15:19:57Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > But where, how, who? Everywhere. The Right has been big on stochastic terrorism for a long time now, and the Trump administration means you can expect attacks by mobs of armed fascists who _know_ the police will look the other way, or join in. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/28 "2024-11-11T15:25:02Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Look at all the ballots and see who voted for Harris? I suppose that’s possible. There is no North vs. South here. They know who had Harris/Walz signs. They know who always looks uncomfortable when someone says something racist. They know who always says, “Well, that’s a complicated issue” when any actual policies come up. Will all those people be Democrats? Well, no, probably not. But enough will be that they’ll be okay with the mistakes. This won’t be North vs. South, this will be neighbor vs. neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/29 "2024-11-11T15:27:12Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > This won’t be North vs. South, this will be neighbor vs. neighbor. And it should be stressed that this is _normal_ in civil conflicts. The American Civil War with its relatively neat North and South divide was a rarity. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/30 "2024-11-11T15:29:22Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And it should be stressed that this is _normal_ in civil conflicts. I despair that we’ll even get this point across, though. Every time the idea of a civil war comes up, someone starts asking for a list of which states will be on each side. no matter how often it’s pointed out that this isn’t the only way to have a civil war. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/31 "2024-11-11T15:29:52Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > If pro democracy protesters arise all those MAGA gun holders will be ready to fight them off. But where, how, who? That’s what I don’t get. What could they do? Look at all the ballots and see who voted for Harris? I suppose that’s possible. There is no North vs. South here. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/32 "2024-11-11T15:34:42Z")
You literally just said the same thing word-for-word to them. Double posting from lag? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/33 "2024-11-11T15:35:17Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I despair that we’ll even get this point across, though > [@enipla](#): > > But where, how, who? See What I mean? 😃 I don’t know what happened there, I suspect time travel. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/34 "2024-11-11T15:36:15Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > This won’t be North vs. South, this will be neighbor vs. neighbor. Yeah. Troubling. While I only have two houses on this road that are neighbors. I know one couple is cool. The other, I question. The wife went on and on about how bad ‘woke’ is. Whatever she thinks that means, I don’t know. Couldn’t ask her. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. This was a dinner party of the 6 of us at my house. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/35 "2024-11-11T15:39:15Z")
At any rate, I think it’s important to keep in mind that if gun ownership _actually_ deterred dictatorships, _the authoritarians who want a dictatorship_ wouldn’t be pushing the idea so much. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/36 "2024-11-11T15:57:46Z")
I can’t parse this. Trump isn’t pushing for taking guns. Nobody really is at this time. Just reasonable limits by the (D). Trump knows in his tiny brain that if he went after guns, he would have people storming the white house. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/37 "2024-11-11T16:02:45Z")
Tom Lehrer: “We’ll try to stay serene and calm When Alabama gets the bomb!” ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/38 "2024-11-11T16:13:38Z")
I’m astonished by the number of posters here who seem to presume that _ **only** _ the Right will be armed, or effectively organized. Is the Left so anti-gun that they would rather die than pick up those horrid evil guns? Whatever happened to the armed radical Left of the late 1960s and early 1970s? Where’s the Symbionese Liberation Army when you need them? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/39 "2024-11-11T16:48:45Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Whatever happened to the armed radical Left of the late 1960s and early 1970s? Where’s the Symbionese Liberation Army when you need them? The government spent decades breaking up the Left, imprisoning and killing them. All that’s left is a tiny disorganized minority that believes they can’t do anything. They talk about how the Right/Liberals (they make no real distinction) are all seeing and all powerful and can’t be fought or resisted; and how all that can be done is hunker down and wait for the world-wide Revolution that will…just _inevitably happen_ by itself, at some point. It’s a lot like some Christians talk about the Rapture, honestly. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915/40 "2024-11-11T16:54:44Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The Right has been big on stochastic terrorism for a long time now, and the Trump administration means you can expect attacks by mobs of armed fascists who _know_ the police will look the other way, or join in. The right won’t get as far as many might think. Liberals own guns too and if this becomes a thing it won’t take long for everyone to arm themselves. Many right-wing assholes play weekend-warrior but if it comes down to a shooting war I think they will find the reality more harsh than they expect. Bullies are often the biggest cowards when someone fights back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-have-a-true-dictatorship-in-a-country-with-more-guns-than-people/1009915.md?page=3)