Got my CCW after trump won in 2016, didn't end up needing it
Got plates after this one, I'm not going to be a protest without it and a rifle.
It sounds like an escalation, but a show of force prevents a lot of violence, and it works especially well on the people we're protesting. Like, that's not a dig. Due to brain differences it's harder to win over the right by appealing to empathy or facts and logic.
Everyone that works on is already mostly on our side.
What works on conservatives is fear of immediate consequences. You think a trumpet would drive into protesters when a dozen would actually open fire and make them legit "fear for their lives"?
Hell, they overrun the Capitol because cops just had Glocks and riot gear...
These days a protest ain't safe unless people are posted up.