[KarlInOhio]

the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The authors of the Constitution knew what they were talking about. If they meant the "right of the state" or the "right of the militia" to keep and bear arms they would have said so. The language clearly states that the people have that right.

[BenLurkin]

Exactly!

And there is further proof of this intention in the language of the Tenth Amendment which clearly demonstrates that rights rest in the people (and the States) and the Federal Government only holds those powers specifically DELGAED to it.

Tenth Amendment - Reserved Powers

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

[Question_Assumptions]

The wording of the second amendment, which explains it's primary purpose, makes a lot more sense if you read early drafts of the Bill of Rights. For example, Madison's First Amendment originally only dealt with free speech and said, "The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable." Madisons right to peaceably assemble originally read, "The people shall not be restrained from peaceably assembling and consulting for their common good; nor from applying to the Legislature by petitions, or remonstrances, for redress of their grievances." George Mason's versions are even more descriptive, though further from what we wound up with.

See this page for the text of various drafts of the Bill of Rights.

[RobbyS]

Well, it works both ways. The purpose of private arms is to make possible the raising a militia in time of need. In ancient Athens, it was the responsibility of the citizen to prove his own arms, which he did according to his means. People in the city without means were put behind the ora of a war galley. One thing is clear to me: No government has the right to disarm the people, although it has the right to put down insurrection.