Automatic guns are useless against hidden bombs typical of terrorist attacks in France. The ongoing militarization of society that makes seeing armed soldiers (not gendarmes) doing "you are safe" propaganda in a civilian area seem normal frightens me. Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
Seeing them all over airports after 9/11 in the US was spooky, especially considering how [apparently] lax security was before. Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
It's just more police patrolling around locations with lots of people.
Secondly, their weapons may be unloaded, but they certainly move around in a ready to fire look, sometimes with hands on the trigger.
It doesn't prevent anything, but is certainly efficient in making those who want to feel 'secure' (although it doesn't make them any more secure) better ; and in getting the general population used to seeing soldiers in the street (which is a bad thing). Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
I think it sounds sound.
