“On Tyranny” lists four basic steps:

1. A movement arises, ready for violence to “defend” itself from “enemies” by seizing power
2. It clashes with the preexisting systems of power (police and government)
3. It overcomes and mingles with those structures of power; violence, to enforce its will and punish its enemies, is no longer punished
4. Unconstrained, and with the power of the state behind it, it brings horrors to life

We’ve been at step 2 for a while, I think.