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Originally Posted by willravel
I think the issue is that the grammar used in the amendment is no longer correct, or at least is no longer normal; like saying "thy". I think we'd be better off deciding how this would correctly translate to a modern (less awkward) phrasing. I tried to do that above, but it seems that you believe the justification and operative are, for all intents and purposes, almost like different sentences.
My translation would read: An organized fighting force, separate from the government, shall not have their guns taken away from them.
Yours would more likely read: The government shall not infringe on an individual's right to bear arms. An armed public is necessary to guarantee the security of a free state.
Does this sound about right?
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That is exactly right. A justification by definition an explanation of why a course of action is necessary. The justification statement is an explanation of why the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Interpreting it as a limitation on who is granted that right causes the two statements (or two subsections of the same statement, if you prefer to view it that way) to become contradictory.
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