Iris lilies, how are things in your hood?

[creaker]

It IS a slope, which is why an armed populace is useful, even if the thugs/wildings/etc have guns. As they always will regardless of The Law because hello, they are thugs.

As long an armed populace understands that when the police show up, they may not be able to tell the difference between them and the thugs.

I remember reading stories during the Iraqi war where soldiers would come under attack - and the soldiers responded by shooting anything that moved resulting in numerous civilian deaths. Everyone in the street were all possible threats and the soldiers did not have the luxury of taking the time to sort things out.