Quote:So, a posse?

 

You said I'm in the militia, but now you're saying there's no militia until a need arises. I guess we're all reserves ready to be called up.

 

I'm still wondering about how exactly "well regulated" fits in with this. Without some sort of central control, what's to prevent mayhem when different regions have different views about an actual threat, be it foreign or domestic.

 

"What is the militia? The whole of the People." - George Mason

 

You have it exactly right, the militia is every single person able to bear arms at a given time, to called into service as needed to preserve the freedom of the people. Yes, there are issues about control, but we've rarely needed it so exactly how that would play out today no one really knows. It's designed to be the ultimate deterrent and last resort should the tyranny of our central government become to great. More important (I believe) is that the founders near unanimously opposed a permanent standing army because it posed such a threat to the nation and people, but the right wholeheartedly embrace that concept almost to the point of worship. On the one hand we have the left who think we don't need our guns and the right who thinks we should have a permanent federal military force. Both fly in the face of our founding.

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