 It's the job of law enforcement to have guns and to decide when to shoot. You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made that comment after an armed citizen may have averted a mass shooting by killing a gunman at a Texas church. It hasn't aged well. How convincing can Bloomberg's only cop should have guns message B to Americans who have seen and shared fresh examples unjustified and brutal police conduct or who have witnessed scenes of rioters and looters putting their lives and property at risk because law enforcement agencies failed to protect them. The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night. A good many Americans took responsibility for their own safety, including people who fully support protests against police misconduct but see no reason to allow themselves to be victimized by hotheads and opportunists. In St. Paul, Minnesota, black residents stood armed guard against looters outside local businesses. Business owners in Kirkland, Washington did the same. A Bellevue Washington cigar shop owner chased off looters at gunpoint. They were acting in the tradition of the so-called roof Koreans who defended their stores during the 1992 LA riots. Yeah, he's holding a shotgun and I think one of his purposes is he wants potential looters to see it. I think he wants people, all of them, if they want people to see that they are armed and that you enter their properties at some risk. Many police departments conceded the limits of their abilities. In Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd advised Polk County residents to shoot looters. High-profile psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, a gun control supporter, marveled on Twitter that when he called Santa Monica police over protest-related confrontation, they told him, Sir, the city is under attack. Do what you have to do. For those who have been advising Americans for years that we should lay down our own weapons and trust armed government employees to protect us and treat us with respect, 2020 has been a massive reality check. The year so far has demonstrated, once again, that the police can't be relied on to defend our lives and property and often pose threats themselves. It's the job of law enforcement to have guns and to decide when to shoot. If we were to follow the advice of those who would disarm us, we'd be even more at the mercy of Derek Chauvin and his buddies and anybody else with ill intent.