[Finnwolf]

That is an interesting observation. How many private citizens in Russia owned firearms?

There were a lot of army and navy units that were on the side of the Bolsheviks and the most radical of their troops were the Kronstadt sailors who had the unmitigated gall to threaten Lenin’s revolution after the fact and were subsequently wiped out. (they should have scheduled their uprising until after the ice melted altho perhaps undercover Bolsheviks encouraged them to jump the gun).

The general population was more concerned with food than with weapons. Once all the White armies were destroyed, then the regime could turn on the populace.

[Billthedrill]

Sorry, missed your reply. You’re correct, of course. Stalin had his first confiscation program (as opposed to simple policy) in 1929; another in 1944, before the war was over but when it was pretty obvious it would be. Wouldn’t do to let those war-surplus guns to remain in civilian hands...

[Lazamataz]

That is probably the only effective tool the government has to disarm us.

Turn off the food.