I can think of several armed confrontations with protesters. I won't bother to refresh my memory with Wiki, I'm sure you know who they are and can look them up for yourself.

There were the Ruby Ridge and Waco shootouts, which caused such sanctimonious indignation among Conservatives. On the Left, we had that incident where armed Sioux Reservation Indians shot it out with the Feds, and there was that group of armed black insurgents in Philadelphia who were eventually flushed out by an air strike (actually, a police helicopter dropped incendiaries on their row house, and a whole block of innocent families had their homes burned to the ground in the ensuing conflagration). Several of the protesters were killed, by police gunfire, as I recall.

I seem to recall other similar incidents involving rebels on both Right and Left that ended in gunfire. I have little sympathy for them, regardless of their politics. There is no bigger coward than a man with a gun who expects his opponents to not shoot back.

In my opinion, I have some sympathy with troublemakers who occupy buildings, obstruct traffic, etc. If they are non-violent and unarmed, an attempt should be made to hear their case, and let them make their point, but if they continue to resist and make their presence a continuing nuisance, they should be be removed, peacefully if possible, and by truncheon-swinging gendarmerie if necessary. But as long as the demonstrators do not resort to firearms, the authorities have to eventually restore order. A variety of semi-lethal strategies are now available as well in the event of escalation, such as rubber bullets and tear gas.

As for the protesters, they should honor our country's tradition of non-violent protest and suffer the consequences of civil disobedience: arrest and jail. This was MLK's method, and it worked. It was the Bull Connors and his uniformed bigots that showed their true colors and disgraced themselves with violence. Citizens must have the right to offer peaceful protest, and even to escalate it by accepting arrest and jail. But when violence is offered to the authorities, the authorities are justified, even obligated, to defend themselves. Restraint should be used, you don't open fire on kids flipping you the bird, but bricks and Molotov Cocktails require a vigorous response.

Yes, there is a big difference between Malheur and the Bundy gang and the Occupy movement. The latter did not bring guns. These Mickey Mouse Minutemen out West should learn you never pull a gun unless you intend to use it, and you should never use a gun unless someone shoots at you first. Your reluctance to pay taxes does not give you the right to endanger another man's life, even if Jesus and the founding fathers are allegedly on your side.