>"the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"
>Exactly, and we call those good guys cops and they carry weapons.
>

I think you missed my point - many NYC cops have objected to proposed restrictive gun bills. They've references cases of citizens using guns to protect themselves from intruders. I'm more inclined to believe cops, who have a better feel the pulse of the citizens, than those who write op-ed pieces for the NYT. There is SOME (but not conclusive) data to support that gun murder rates have dropped in certain regions

Bottom line, the cops know they can't be in every place at every time (certainly not when air-heads in activities like Moral Monday decide to intentionally get themselves arrested, which does nothing but distract cops). Some of them would rather that citizens, especially those in risky areas, are protecting themselves. So the "good guy" goes beyond the cops.

I generally agree with your conclusion on Washington.