James Madison's Notes on the Constitutional Convention is a book I've had for over 10 years one of my favorites to go back to: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812975170/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=briant-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0812975170&linkId=5a10f9bc524b12455692cf1167b1f547

Yes indeed Guns have changed, but the right remains the same for the same reason This is a video that is being passed around on Facebook a lot lately: https://www.facebook.com/news.com.au/videos/1349946491699387/ Let's examine this video: 1) Unlike this video back in the day of muskets more people carried either a musket, a rifle (yes they did exist) or some other firelock (a really big handgun) so people would have been shooting back 2) The guy who was shot was able to run away without a scratch, muskets do a lot more damage than that, depending on how and where you get shot, the musket shot could be more dangerous than the damage done by a modern rifle. 3) Most musket shooters carried a bayonet on their musket for the simple reason that reloading was a problem and a bayonet attached to a musket was more efficient for attacking in close quarters, and this video misses that fact 4)  I have a problem with the fact that everyone ran away from the shooter after he fire...

Letter from Governor Thomas Jefferson  to George Washington January 10, 1781: "... On the 31st. of December a Letter from a private Gentleman to General Nelson came to my hands, notifying that in the morning of the preceding day 27 Sail of vessels had entered the capes and from the tenor of the letter we had reason to expect within a few hours further intelligence whether they were friends or foes, their force, and other circumstances. We immediately dispatched General Nelson to the lower Country with powers to call on the Militia in that quarter or to act otherwise as exigences should require, but waited further intelligence before we would call for Militia from the middle or upper Country..." https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-04-02-0408

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98VfAwDBxuw&t=15s The guy from the Young Turks in this video is making the claim that the 2nd Amendment was intended only for "militias" and that for some reason "Bob down the street" doesn't get to have any kind of weapon he likes.  What makes up a Militia?  If you start to say "Bob can't have this kind of gun" or "Bob can't have a gun, he's not a National Guardsman" you are suggesting a "Select Militia". The Militia consist in all able bodied men trained to arms, starting from the age of 12. Under Old English Common Law, all able bodied men ages 12-60 were expected to aid in the common defense of their neighborhoods and towns Under Old English Common Law all able bodied men ages 15-60 were expected to aid in the common defense of their respective counties under the direction of the Sheriff or another selected by the county in a "Posee Comitatus" Under precedent esta...

How the "Citizens Militia" is distinct from the state sponsored militia The Militia of the State is but a small portion of "the Militia" as it was understood by the founding fathers.  Unlike the Army and Navy, which were created by the Constitution, the Militia pre-existed the Constitution.  The Constitution simply gave Congress power to call up that portion of the Militia that would be needed in case of national emergency. The founders understood the Militia to be all able bodied male citizens capable of bearing arms, in a previous post The Power of a Tithing , I pointed out that those who were to be trained to aid in the common defense began at the age of 12 and up.  According to US Code, that portion that may be called up to aid the United States consist of all males (with few exceptions) ages 17-45, and most state codes share a uniformity with that code.  There are times however, when the Federal and State Government are either unable or unwilling to a...