[QUOTE=ExTank]
You don’t have any pink t-shirts, do you, Dinsdale?
[/QUOTE]
Nope - pink’s definitely not my color. But please explain the reference.
As I tried to make clear in my OP, I’m not becoming less opposed to gun ownership in order to make popular resistance to a tyrannical government more effective. On an intellectual level, however, I do suspect that the potential for such resistance on some level may act as somewhat of a check at an early stage should parties wish to proceed too far down what I consider an undesireable path. Perhaps the legislation/institutions enabling the stormtroopers will not get enacted, long before the doors begin crashing down.
And I would be very surprised if I ever end up owning a gun. Several reasons. I’m not particularly mechanically minded. I’m not interested enough in practicing to become proficient and safe with it. I’m not interested in figuring out what it takes and taking steps to keep it safe in my home - from visitors, theft, etc. And I don’t personally feel threatened by either robbers or jackbooted thugs.
In short, my basic reason is that just because the right to bear arms has not traditionally been terribly important to me, I realize that I ought not assume the position of telling other people what rights they should or should not consider important. Personally, I’m a big fan of free speech and privacy. And I’ve been extremely distressed at what I personally perceive as systemmatic infringements upon those areas. Essentially, many folk are saying my interest in privacy is not as important as I feel it should be. Now some folk will say I’m over-reacting, but I will question their ability to adjudge for me what is the proper degree of reaction. It cast the interests of gun supporters in a new light for me. And the 2d amendment is certainly more clearly stated than a “penumbra”! 
The other day I was going thru my wallet looking for my library card, and I noticed my FOID. I got it a couple of years ago when my son started doing American rev war reenactment, so I could buy him black powder, transport his musket, etc. A friend of mine said he thought everyone ought to get a FOID - even if they did not get a gun - simply so the government did not know who owned what. This kinda clicked with my privacy interests, and complimented my opposition to excessive government intrusion. And from there it was a short step to opposing registration, even of handguns. Simply put, if I’m responsibly exercising my rights, the government has no reason to know. Same reason I oppose drug testing without cause, etc. I realized that it kinda gave me a good feeling having a FOID, as it signalled that I might or might not own a gun - no one but myself needed to know. Silly and minor, true. Just putting it up here for full disclosure.
I also was nudged in my current direction by a couple of acquaintances - who are ardent gun control supporters. One of them is essentially a fulltime gun control advocate, and I realized that if he had his way my son could not even own his brown bess muzzleloading musket. And other ides of his struck me as horrible infringements on privacy.
Yes, I truly appreciate that this administration has had the effect of having me reconsider my thoughts on this issue. Guess that W isn’t all bad, huh? 
