There were no "weapons of mass destruction" at the time of the writing of the Second Amendment. But armies would routinely use fire to force an enemy out of a stronghold. During the civil war, dead animals would be catapulted into strongholds to reduce the habitability of the stronghold through disease and pollution of water. The fact is that no weapon was exempted by the Second Amendment. It protects all arms. If the anti-gunners don't like it, then they should seek a new amendment.
eraser2005 also said: "And there are certain measures, such as registration and mandated safety training, that I can see as not violating the 2nd amendment in any way, so long as the right to own a gun is not violated....
You won't see it as an infringement of freedom of speech to register your books, then, will you? You don't expect to be able to transfer a book to another person without government permission, do you? And make sure that your reading license is renewed on time or the BATFEB (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Books) will send a SWAT team to your home to kill your pets and kids and burn your house to the ground.
Would it change your mind if it was possible to prove that such measures do not benefit the public? Are there gun registration and training requirements in Vermont? Is there any indication that they are the crime capital of the US or that they ever suffered in the slightest degree from the lack of such infringements?
Come to the People's Republic of Kalifornia and buy a handgun. You will need to pay for training every five years, pay to undergo a criminal background check, wait ten days before you can take delivery, pay for a trigger lock or sign an affidavit that you have a safe, and buy a hard case and a lock to transport the handgun home. Make sure that you choose a handgun on the states "approved" list.
Don't even dream of being able to carry this gun outside your home. In most counties of Kalifornia you would have to be a close friend of the Sheriff to get a concealed carry permit.
All of this is why we have virtually no crime in Kalifornia. Yeah...right.
Ok, then....
Why should anyone have to register their car? Why should anyone have to pass a driving test (that obviously isn't hard to pass, considering the driving behavior of many people nowadays)? Why should you need a license?
The question isn't whether or not registration or training helps - its whether or not its a violation of the second amendment. Does requirement of registration or training violate this?
As for Vermont - comparing Vermont to California is an apples to oranges comparison. The correct comparison would be California pre-gun laws to post-gun laws, and comparing to trends in similar urban environments without restrictive laws...