The Militia Acts of 1792 and 1795 clarified what the 2nd Amendment means.

[TheBlackAdder]

87. 2A is for self-defense. It is for militias, as Federalist 29 and even anti-federalists discuss.

Even in modern 2017 NJ, rural sections that are under State Police protection in the evening will see police response times upwards of one hour. One hour--in the most densely populated state in the US. People harp on Sanders being from Vermont and supporting 2A, where similar police response times occur, especially in bad weather. A shit load of things can happen in 5-10 minutes, much less an hour. I had a small farm in one of those enclaves, and transients would damage property and hurt livestock. The next step was our home, just a few hundred feet away. Most rural and suburban townships have minimal police presence due to the ratables and tax structure. Home defense falls onto the homeowner. I now live in an area with 3 minute police response, and even then, my primarily Democrat township has a higher possession of firearms than Camden and Newark, NJ. This is according to a state trooper down the street, who ran the stats before he bought here.

Seventy-five years after the 2A was crafted, many citizens lived in suburban and rural areas, with little to no protection. U.S. territories had district courthouses and sheriffs. It might take a day or two to get someone out to a location, but first, someone had to travel to alert them of the problem. Of course people learn to rely on firearms and embrace their need, which then becomes a cultural issue.