He also said that the soldiers in those armies will go to Hell if they act to kill.David N. Snyder wrote:The Buddha allowed kings (governments) to have armies to defend the kingdom and deter enemies. Obviously for monastics they are not allowed to possess weapons of any kind, but in the implied references, lay people are allowed to defend themselves.
Self-defense is certainly acceptable so long as one does not intend to kill; it is hard, however, for me to think that those who own guns of any kind for protection are capable or even interested in making sure that one's actions do not result in the death of an aggressor.