Something I've never quite understood about the Second Amendment

[DirkGently]

8. No one envisioned what the NRA argues for.

The gun lobby hops from foot to foot as it suits its purpose. One minute it's "strict construction." But then it's "Well, obviously 'arms' means "guns," and the militia clause doesn't matter.

Colonials were concerned about being able to fight the British without a standing army. They weren't articulating a basic human right to carry a weapon enabling mass murder into crowded public areas like shopping malls.

So they need to decide. If the words are holy and immutable, the term "firearms" must have been left out for a reason, and the word "militia" must refer to some kind of "regulated" organization.

If we're interpreting intent, we have to compare our reality to theirs, and that implies that the ideology presented by gun groups -- that everyone is supposed to be prepared to be their own law at all times, or to threaten or overthrow the government -- is a new construct invented to perpetuate a paranoid, violent culture that was never intended by anyone.