Public opinion is certainly not a good indicator of rationality! More good examples will convince them a lot better than words - once you say socialism, most Americans will stop considering it at all. It's irrational to support something harmful once one sees that better alternatives exist already.
I'm asking about your proposal - say we disarm the police. What's stopping us from getting fascism again from whoever does have guns? Does the UK strike you as immune to fascism?
FYI when people say "defund the police" they don't universally mean abolish them like OP and I are suggesting. It often means redistributing most of their budget to other social services that aren't armed, like what you're saying.
