Actually, John the only effective defense occurs when the enemy realizes that a nuclear attack on us will result in their complete annihilation. Since the nuclear genie can't be put back in the bottle, the concept of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) is what has kept the world from blowing up.
Kerry is using the same argument that gun-control advocates use, which assumes that the enemy or the criminal can be talked out of using his weapons. A gun-toting thug in a setting populated by unarmed civilians is a dangerous scenario. The same thug in a bar in Dodge City in the 19th century is far less menacing, since all the patrons are armed.
The same thug in a bar in Dodge City in the 19th century is far less menacing, since all the patrons are armed.
Along with a rope, a tree, and a frisky horse.