> Preference for armed or non-violent resistance aside, does anybody on
> this list really believe that the state can control arms?
The definition of the state in traditional political theory is that the state has a monopoly on the means of violence. this, of course, varies depending on the political structure of the nation-state. So guns/weapons may well be available to individuals, but in the final instance, the state has the ultimate authority over when, where, and how violence is deployed. Non-violence, nice thought and I generally agree. But, there have been times when I was so angry that I think I would have been perfectly capable of taking up arms against the state.
Emma Chissitt