I have been with protestors for more than a month. They are not carrying weapons. It is possible that some of the guards, or out of uniform military people among them, have weapons. I have not seen any firearms in over a month of daily interaction.
Many journalists do not seem to grasp that many groups are involved. Farmers, KPT, PDRC, Red Shirts, possible mercenaries, Government, etc. etc. If anyone tells you this is yellow shirt vs red shirt, or the urban elite against the rural poor, just change the channel. That is like saying Bangkok is the capital of China. If a reporter says this is rich vs poor, he has nothing of value to say about the situation. He simply is wrong.