Riots are interesting things. Normally law-abiding people get caught up in the emotion of the moment and go beserk. Some claim they are high on the taboo of breaking into building or otherwise grossly breaking the law.
That said, however, there is no excuse for threatening the life of another and we can't sit idly by and hope we will be spared.
What I find equally interesting is the lack of preparation on the part of the do-gooders. Having a gun means very little if you don't have the training to deploy it properly. How many who have posted here have attended two or more defensive shooting classes, pistol or carbine? How many here have at least six magazines already loaded and ready to put into action? How many here have canned goods and water and meds and candles and whatever else to get them by for three weeks of lock-down?
My point is that, while there is nothing more noble than wanting to stand your ground and defend home and family, you have to be truly and honestly prepared to do it.
For example, if you are going to be sitting a static post, very much like sitting in a stand in the deerwoods, you need to have all of your ammo, food, water, weaponry, comm gear, et al, on your person. If you have to move, for whatever reason, you won't have time to grab it all up and git! In a combat scenario, which is what repelling rioters is, this means some type of body harness. A backpack/daypack/bookbag is great for long walks, but it sucks for grabbing at a snack or doing a speed reload. Something along the lines of a Tactical Tailor MAV would do well, but who owns one and trains with it?
Scene: you are locked down in your house when the football game approaches. You give an unheeded verbal warning through a megaphone and have to fire on the crowd. Unbeknownst to you, some in the crowd are armed and you start taking return fire on your position at the living-room window. You can sit there waiting for that lucky round to get through to you, or you can scoot boot for another position. What do you do? Can you grab up all of your magazines, food, water, radio and make a retreat while returning cover fire? If your gear is on your body, in a load-bearing harness or vest, you can beat feet immediately without worrying about leaving valuable assets behind.
Another question to ponder: How much ammunition do you have stockpiled? A thousand rounds of .223-caliber ammo might sound like a lot, but it looks mighty small when you are facing the dragon. Is that primary-weapon ammo stockpile in magazines or stipper clips, or will you have to take a break to reload your mags? If you need to take five to reload some mags from a pile of loose ammo, what will be happening with the rioters while you're relaxing?
Do all of your long weapons have slings?
I'm being long-winded here, but I want to get the point across that there is more to it than having a gun and some bullets. Food, water, shelter - and realistic, thoroughly planned means of defense.