The logic of revolt

It
used to be that the defense of Second Amendment rights was linked, at least
rhetorically, to the rights of hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, who worried
that gun laws might deny them their hunting rifles or the chance to engage in
target practice. That concern--always farfetched--has come to look rather
quaint. Gun lobbyists have lately touted gun ownership as necessary for
citizens' self-defense against criminals and lawless hordes.

Thus the defense even
of assault weapons. As Erich Pratt of Gun Owners of America says,
"Having lots of ammunition is critical, especially if the police are not around
and you need to be able to defend yourself against mobs."

But
Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne points
out that in the past few years the self-defense argument has been dropped
in favor of an incendiary political argument: citizens need guns, we are told,
mainly so that they can offer armed resistance to a tyrannical federal
government.