What are we defending ourselves against?

I wrote about how I disagreed with David Mamet's opinion in Newsweek. I also mentioned Michael Tomasky's rebuttal. Now that I'm into the next issue I can pass along a letter also in rebuttal to Mamet. I doubt I can link, so won't.

David Mamet's cover opinion piece, particularly the statement "The individual is not only best qualified to provide his own personal defense, he is the only one qualified to do so" is absurd. Why not substitute "medical care" or "food production"? I can agree the individual is the last resort in his own defense, but even as a combat veteran who fought in Vietnam, there are others better capable of defending me, not to mention my 90-year-old mother-in-law. And I have yet to figure out what a civilized nation feels it is defending itself against on a daily basis, particularly in a way that requires assault weapons.
Dan Russell, via email