"re: the militia....if it wasn't meant to be, it wouldn't be in the second.... it would simply say you had the right to own guns...it doesn't say that."
You really have no idea what you're talking about. At the time the constitution was being written and adopted, the "militia" meant every able-bodied white male citizen age 18-45. They were referring, in other words, to everyone who might be expected (at the time) to bear arms in defense of the nation, so it was no real limitation. The reference to white males was expanded to include blacks in 1862, BTW. And it wasn't until 1903 that the US National Guard was organized to serve the purposes of the militia, so the framers certainly weren't referring such a limited subset of the people, organized into a formal, though part-time, military. The reference to a well-maintained militia, then, was not a limitation, but rather a justification for the stated right and no one with a modest knowledge history (or just access to the internet and an ability to read) could honestly argue otherwise.
From the Militia Act of 1792:
"That each and every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age of eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years (except as is herein after excepted) shall severally and respectively be enrolled in the militia ..." |
