[Gaffer]

The “well-regulated militia” thing is solely a STATE function. The individual’s rights, in addition to participation in a STATE function, ABOVE ALL and supreme to ALL are covered by the last part.....IOW it goes, “We the people”, the STATES (the rights we give them), and then the Federal Government (those rights not claimed by the STATES) delegated to the Federal Government.

As far as I’m concerned these United States are people, states, THEN Federal Government.

[arthurus]

The “well-regulated militia” thing is solely a STATE function. Wrong. The wording does not imply of that interpretation at all. A militia CAN be a state function but was not so defined at the time. The militia is all adult males excepting old men. THAT is how it was formally defined in law. In use the militia was volunteers who brought their own arms and coordinated with the national army or with state forces or on their own. How folks choose to define "militia" now is not relevant to the Constitution.