But how exactly will this play out, given that the United States has about one gun per person, enough nukes to sterilize the whole planet, over three thousand sheriffs who are in some sense laws unto themselves, and highly militarized police forces at all levels?

Unfortunately, the answer is, “With a huge amount of blood.”

The US was the first country to drop an atom bomb on another; it might again enter history by being the first country to drop an atom bomb on itself.