[mcny]

If there was a genuine need for such an uprising, I'd hope there would be people within the government and the military willing to support us.

I wouldn't want to be in the tank killing civilians because "I was following orders" won't work when all is said and done.

My understanding is that guns are not the main source of resistance against tyranny. It is the fact that an economy as complex as ours requires broad participation by many people with specialized skills. A dictator can't run the economy simply by mining blood diamonds or crude oil here. I imagine you need the backing of at least twenty percent of the population.