In the Army, I was stationed just outside Bagdad during the Iraq War. After we kicked a whole lot of Baath ass, they scattered and reformed as violent gangs extorting, killing, and bullying the civilians in the area. It got real bad. These guys were extremely deadly scum.
It took us a week, but we handed out AKs to the civilians. One day for the village, and 4 more days for the farms around it. All they had to do was fill out a card and they got an AK. This completely stopped the gang violence and we moved on.
Thats right folks; US policy was to distribute hundreds of AKs to stop the violence. The plan was wildly successful. Crime immediately stopped. Back in the states, we seem to have reversed the program. Not just the politicians, but civilians too. I saw it for myself; put an AK in the house, and it is left alone.