“...except for those carried by the people that civic authorities have designated and trained to protect and guard us...”
You know who those people are, Your Excellency? They are not the police, since this is not their job. So who are you talking about?
While often their slogan is “To protect and serve”, it is a statement of nuance, because in truth, they do neither.
Perhaps if an enraged maniac busts in on your Cathedral while you are engaged in a ritual, and guns you down, perhaps the police can protect your Earthly remains from being eaten by a pack of wild dogs.
But even they will be hard pressed to guard you from flies.
Not the way he phrased it, but I'm pretty sure he meant the police.