Reply #59: The "militia" purposes does intend that select fire weapons and pistols be the arms the people [View All]

[jmg257]

should provide themselves with, it also secures the right to such arms from both State and federal infringements since the role of the Miltiias were two-fold - neither "state" entity could deny the other an effective militia - our freedom depends on it. Both types of firearms were quite common then, and are still QUITE common now in the militias/military.

The private use of arms for self-defense (i.e. outside of Militia duty) strengthens the right to handguns, and numerous other firearms outside of those "military arms in common use" (already secured thanks to the militia observation). Self-defense does NOT begin & end at your front door. An unalienable right includes the means to that right. Congress can certainly set out guidelines as to what the most effective arms we should keep and bear for duty, but they have no constitutional power to ban or control our arms beyond that.