"
Fortunately we don’t—yet—have a large standing force of uniformed, psychopathic “security forces” to put down uprisings.
The BATFE would suit that purpose quite well.
"As for Kent State, these were jittery, poorly trained “weekend warriors.” When you give a bunch of Barney Fifes loaded M-16s, it won’t end well.
The Ohio national guard had been deployed to Vietnam and been used to quell prison riots. These weren't green untested troops. Further, while I'm not a trusting person, I am a patriot and I wouldn't call members of the national guard "jittery, poorly trained, or weekend warriors".
As for Hooverville, had that happened now, the Bonus Army would have been armed, and would have ended in a standoff. Guns were harder to get in large quantities in the 1930s.
"As for Hooverville, had that happened now, the Bonus Army would have been armed, and would have ended in a standoff. Guns were harder to get in large quantities in the 1930s."
Gun ownership rates were higher in the 1930s then they are today, guns were much more readily available for purchase, with almost no purchase restrictions. Given enough money one could have ordered crates of Thompson submachine guns and 1911's. The M1917 Enfield, the service rifle at the time, could be mail ordered.
"Fortunately we don’t—yet—have a large standing force of uniformed, psychopathic “security forces” to put down uprisings. The BATFE would suit that purpose quite well. -------------------------------------------------------------- There aren't enough of them. To put down a general uprising in a state the size of Arkansas you'd need at least a division, especially when recruits start pouring in from neighboring states with anything they can get their hands on. As for the Ohio ANG, I have to respectfully disagree. Investigations of the Kent State shootings verify what I have stated. Prison riots are a whole different kettle of fish. And seasoned troops would not have panicked when college kids tossed a few rocks at them. Like I said, "Barney Fifes." National Guard units are different now. They're regularly sent into combat. Back in the 1960s, the NG is where you went to stay out of harm's way. You were lucky to get in. You got called up if there was a flood or some such thing. If the Bonus Army was unarmed, that was their big mistake. And anyhow, with the 24-hour news cycle, the US government would be very reluctant use to violence against its own citizenry, and have that played over, and over and over ...