I think there's also a very subtle line here as well in that guns don't necessarily have to defeat the military, but that guns can help protect citizens against

I think there's also a very subtle line here as well in that guns don't necessarily have to defeat the military, but that guns can help protect citizens against corrupt local government. This happened during the civil rights era, in that armed African Americans were able to prevent attacks in many cases or even just police brutality simply by the presence of guns in the hands of the victims. I think a complete government meltdown is often used as the defense for gun ownership, but given how our government is structured (more control given to states and local communities while trying to balance it with centralized power in the federal government), guns can help keep order when in the hands of citizens. Of course, like the constant balance of local and centralized government, we will forever need to balance the rights of individuals vs. the safety of the collective.