|
You must look at the time it was written. The US had just defeated the greatest world power (albeit with help), with an Army that consisted of little more than farmers and merchants.
The "Well Regulated Militia" has been a problem judicially for some time. The Well-Regulated part gives rights to states to put limits on said paramilitary bodies. However, they chose the word usage Militia for a reason.
mi·li·tia Audio Help /mɪˈlɪʃə/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[mi-lish-uh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.
2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.
3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.
4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.
They did NOT state Well-Regulated Army. Militia's are citizen organizations. Those who point to the National Guard as said militia are only partially correct, as during the forming of the Constitution the US Government did not supply the majority of weapons used during the Revolution.
I'm sorry to continue, but simply asking the "well-regulated militia" part can not be asked without the second part of the Amendment. "...The right to bear arms shall not be infringed." This shatters the argument of those who claim the militia's are for National Guard and better answers what the "militia" is to consist of.
__________________
"Smite the rocks with the rod of knowledge, and fountains of unstinted wealth will gush forth." - Ashbel Smith as he laid the first cornerstone of the University of Texas
|