I think it should be apparent to most people now that the gov't can't or won't protect you. There are marauding mobs of people in some localities and more often than not the police can't or are unwilling to stop them. It's all fine to sit in the safety of your home with your 21st century comforts, but at some point you're going to have to ask yourself, "What do I do when they come for me?" That goes for not only people in this country but everywhere around the world. The gov't doesn't give a shit about you and views you as a commodity to gets votes to stay in power.
For anyone who is going to bring the argument about the gov't being more powerful and having all this military hardware, I shall direct your attention to Afghanistan. We're the most powerful military the world has ever seen with the best technology and training. Yet we spent 20 years fighting guys in pajamas and sandals who wield AKs that are left over from the Soviet invasion in the late 70s through the 80s. So if you need to defend yourself from a mob or a tyrannical gov't I think you have a good chance.