MSNBC reporter Kerry Sanders inadvertently made a case for the Second Amendment Tuesday as he explained why Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is proving so difficult to unseat.

“As long as Nicolas Maduro controls the military, he controls the country,” he said.

WATCH:

Violent clashes broke out across Venezuela Tuesday as U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself the country’s rightful president earlier this year, called for a military uprising against Maduro. Footage of the violence shows members of Maduro’s national guard plow through a group of protesters supporting the uprising. (RELATED: Sen. Rick Scott Casually Calls For US To Consider Invading Venezuela)

“It has been surprising to a lot of people in Washington [D.C.] and the administration, at least, that this is taking longer than they thought,” MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell said. “Despite the sanctions — despite the pressure, with the help of Russia and other outside forces — Maduro is hanging on.”

Sanders replied by explaining the vulnerability of a disarmed population in this kind of situation.

“And not only hanging on, but he appears to still control the military,” Sanders said. “You have to understand, in Venezuela, gun ownership is not something that is open to everybody. So if the military [has] the guns, they have the power. And so as long as Nicolas Maduro controls the military, he controls the country.”

Follow Rachel Stoltzfoos on Twitter