First, historically, the ability of the people to defend themselves has been a critical precondition to securing liberty from monarchs and tyrants. For that reason, those in government power always want to disarm the populace, because an unarmed populace is subservient to the whims of their masters. When the British Crown became repressive, the American colonists did not throw off the yoke of tyranny by relying on impassioned speeches, pamphlets, or books. Instead they shouldered muskets, launched a revolution, and defeated the mightiest army on the face of the earth. Had the colonists been weaponless, we would likely be speaking with a British accent right now.