The “reality” is that it only takes a very few people to defend their rights to the death, and the “government” begins to collapse. And I know people, older, retired, without children, who are ready to take that step if it ever comes down to it.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn discussed this in his book, “what would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family?”
Well, it would have to work with only "a very few people", because I've seen the level of resolve in today's American, and it ain't worth spit. And if our Constitutional Rights begin to collapse on a state-by-state level, forget it. It's done.
Our system is very fragile currently. Cesspools of political dung like kalifornia, colorado, wash state, orygone, already have openly violated federal law by legalizing dope. And the feds do nothing.
I can foresee a time when, if those states enact a total prohibition on privately owned firearms, the feds will do what they do best: nothing.
You and I understand the importance of commitment. Today's generation can't even hold down a job.
That quote lives on my profile page, has been there more than a decade.