Perhaps just as effective, in terms of psychologically crippling a civilian leadership intent on imposing a tyranny, would be a credible threat to eliminate their families. Such a credible threat could paralyze the would-be tyrants even before they took any irreversible steps toward tyranny.
It is all an economic equation - raise the cost of anything too much, and no one is interested in buying. This is, in my view, the specific reason for the existence of the Second Amendment - to let future would-be tyrants know that the liberty-loving populace would be armed.
Besides, if they threaten the families of those who would resist the impostion of a tyranny (which they clearly do), well, there's always "collateral damage" on both sides in a war.
Molon Labe! Sic Semper Tyrannis!