My comment will drift off firearms, but add a small measure of what happens when people don't participate in their governance which seems to be more of what this thread is about.
Our township was being run by a cadre of Good Ole Boys for many years. Several people in the township became wealthy due to the malfeasance that occurred for many years. Secret meetings, allowing private mining interests to extract soils from township owned lands without compensating the township coffers. (lined a lot of pockets, though) Projects being done using favoritism, land uses laws being neglected, permits being given without any scrutiny and many other miscreancies.
Five years ago a large group of citizens worked day and night to turn the malfeasors out of office. This was done in the face of threats being made by township officials and township officials using county law enforcement to harass the citizens. A large turnout of voters threw them out.
A week ago, in a quiet primary election, 3 of those who were booted out, got back into office. One of them doesn't even live in the township. She owns property, but is rarely here. Those 3 along with 1 survivor of the heave ho 4 years ago now represent a majority on the board. One other member, the treasurer, will probably retire the first of the year and his replacement will likely be one of the miscreants from before.
My point is this. 11% of the registered voters turned out to vote. No one cared to be involved except the malfeasors who worked hard to get back into office. Because voters did not remain engaged in their own governance, corrupt officials are back in power. That is the microcosm of political apathy. Some of the views in this thread represent the macrocosm of apathy. A lot of bitching goes on in chat rooms and around the coffee table, but not much activism is done, so we flounder as a nation. Some strain at gnats, but don't actually get involved. Those who refrain from voting for whatever reason, in my opinion, have helped make the mess we have now. When one has not been engaged in our governance other than to express disgust, one becomes part of the problem. Sadly there are millions like that. More sadly Franklin's words hang over us like the sword of Damocles. "We gave you a Republic madam, if you can keep it."