Protesters already barely have the support of their fellow liberals Americans, if the guns come out, even despite being in self defense, they'll lose even that negligible support they optimistically speaking probably (maybe) had.

If you think that we're coming out of things here in the imperial cores, without a large human cost- you're more optimistic than I am. In many ways already, even in the cores, tens of thousands if not outright millions (over a million from covid alone in the US) are already dying, and the self-cannibalization of the system is only intensifying. Meanwhile all these western societies are built upon the same imperialist divide-and-conquer schemes they inflicted abroad, all to divide the working class to its greatest extent- they pit whites against minorities, minorities against other minorities, and they even support and inoculate fascists, terrorists, tribalists, organized crime, etc. from around the globe (and within their own countries' populations as well) within their societies.

That said, I don't think the time for arms is when people are merely protesting, when they have delusions that their words mean anything to the empire's elites, when they think they can have a seat at the table rather than be part of the menu. Maybe I'm wrong; I'm willing to entertain that idea, but the massacres will begin well before protesters arm up (and massacres against peaceful protesters are no rare or unique thing in western history or even recent history). The worsening (and already inhumane) material conditions, and the inhumane, unjustifiable crackdowns used to maintain such conditions, in other words, necessity for even just survival- will be what drives the revolution (IMO); I see our role as to agitate and provide principles and understanding for what is to come, not to throw ourselves on the pyre as sacrifices while the population at large is not ready to follow through- that's my take on it anyways.