They tend to give a wide berth to the gun nuts. I remember well how gingerly the Teabaggers were treated and how badly the Occupy Wallstreet protesters were treated.
Occupy protests seemed like they were designed to be as obtrusive as possible without going over the edge. Blocking off roads, camping in parks, etc. Tea Party protests tended to be scheduled in advance and on property that was designed to be used by lots of people. Even Bundy's big stand was on open space, while the Ferguson riots involve lots of looting and burning and smashing of bus stops and stuff. I'm sure that if the Bundy crew marched through Ferguson brandishing ar-15's they'd be declaring martial law by now, but militia guys seem for the most part to be smarter than that.
