No doubt about that! And it was a good idea for the power brokers.
The richie-rich-royals threw the serf-cattle out there when they started to build up in numbers.
“...serf-cattle...”
The scene from “Enemy at the Gates” comes to mind.
The Communist Commissars with their submachine guns and wheeled belt-fed, safely behind the masses, screaming into bullhorns “Forward! Not One Step Back!”...
And the Germans waiting for them... one half of the cattle had the bullets, the other half had the rifles...
National Socialist guns in front of the poor bastards and International Socialist guns pointing at their backs.
Any rational person would think to themselves “Hey... we outnumber these pr*cks, AND we have guns.”
Personally, If I’m there and I’m going to die, I’m making sure I’m taking some bolshevik Commissar POS with me.
A Rifle is a GREAT equalizer. Guarantees I get a say in things.