[grrowl]

I continually don't understand this argument. Any group of armed and motivated people intending on taking down the government would be stopped, one way or another, before they can assemble a well-organised militia. The presence of guns might make you safer in a number of narrow scenarios but not against anything as large as a state-wide police force, let alone the US Army.

[aniro]

You see to forget that the height of military technology of the day was the Kentucky or Pennsylvania long rifle.

The militia was intended to be the primary form of military organization.

Fundamentally, an armed citizenry was to be the final check against the abuse of power by the state.

[Zigurd]

The Iraqis managed to kick us out with rifles and improvised mines. Not even a single artillery piece, armored vehicle, aircraft, nor any technology less than 50 years old, against $2 Trillion worth of US anti-insurgency doctrine.