I'd especially rather be free than "protected by the Government".
The failures {laxness on the part of the Pentagon and Congress} of our defense posture was the reason the attacks but one succeeded that day. I remember Oak Ridge used to have just due north of it in a community called Briceville an USAF radar station and some missile defense systems in the area. No one took it for granted because we were the United States no one would attack us.
9/11 came about because even the intelligence and defenses we had then were since 1989 being cut back and down graded. We didn't need the PA to defend us in the Cold War and there was much more intelligence operations going on then but it was focused on foreign nationals.
The problems in that respect began when we let anyone and everyone come into the U.S. and even educated terrorist in our colleges. Defense was so lax that on January 1, 2001 at midnight only one of our aircraft carriers in the world was underway. Where are the flag officers who once sat on watch in patrol planes. We had all the capabilities we needed to stop 9/11 even intelligence on those who did the attacks. They were not utilized. Creating yet another law will not resolve the dangers.
In the 70's we got on the right track. I don't think any freedom loving soul in here for example objects to the Air Marshall program. But at the same time having Grandma searched once, twice, third time for good measure while someone who meets a possible terrorist profile is waved through because we dare not violate his civil rights is insane. 99.9% of all baggage searches are unneeded. Sorry folks but if a M.E. national wishes to use our transportation system then yes search them. We did no less in WW2. When was the last time an American threatened to take a hi-jacked plane into a building? 1971 IIRC. He spent years with Castro in the Havana Hilton.