To the majority of people, guys in black uniforms with masks and body armor look intimidating. The agents you do see are meant as a deterrent as much as anything else. Pretty basic and obvious. I was living on a military base during 9/11. Before 9/11, the gate was guarded by one guy, often in service uniform and never with a visible weapon. Starting the day after 9/11, the gate was guarded by half a dozen sailors in camo with M4's and shotguns. Which do you suppose was a more effective deterrent?
9/11 screwed up everything.
I appreciate your thoughtful and knowledgeable response.
My concern is that these are not normal times. I doubt serious people considering an attack on the White House would be deterred by agents in black or white.
However, there have been too many reports, even dating back to Hurricane Andrew, of “armed” personnel with guns without bullets.
I have no idea if the gate guards you mention had loaded weapons.
We are in a war. We need to make it clear that we understand the danger and are ready to deal with it.
I also understand some would think such a show is not appropriate. That is sends the wrong signal. The signal that needs to be sent is a bullet through the head, not “Look how tough we are”.