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[Glenn Vardy]

254. The purpose

That's the wrong question.... Asking "who" rights belong to, is...well...just dumb.

No, your assertion is dumb. What's your answer?

My answer to what exactly?

Were you blind drunk when you posted those replies? Those provisions are in state Declaration of Rights. WHO or WHICH BODY do those rights belong to? My own answer is: they belong to the people in their collective capacity, not to each individual in person. The words "the people" aren't used, but the right do belong to those bodies. The words "bear Arms" aren't used either, but they are arms bearing proposals. "The right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" would secure the exact same thing. The purpose of the Second Amendment was to assure the continuation of the militia forces in those provisions. The debates in the conventions prove this to be true. The concern was that those forces were mentioned in the new constitution and Congress had the power to destroy those forces through neglect. If congress failed to maintain those forces, the States couldn't do it because the power was given to the Congress in the constitution.

Martin:
“By the next paragraph, Congress is to have the power to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States... For this extraordinary provision, by which the militia, the only defence and protection which the STATE can have for the security of THEIR RIGHTS against arbitrary encroachments of the general government, is taken entirely out of the power of their respective States, and placed under the power of Congress... the proposed system, taking away from the STATES the RIGHT of organizing, arming and disciplining of the militia, the first attempt made by a State to put the militia in a situation to counteract the arbitrary measures of the general government, would be construed into an act of rebellion, or treason; and Congress would instantly march their troops into the State.

George Mason:
“The militia may be here destroyed by that method which has been practised in other parts of the world before; that is, by rendering them useless-- by disarming them. Under various pretences, Congress may neglect to provide for arming and disciplining the militia; and the state governments cannot do it, for Congress has an exclusive RIGHT to arm them.”

NO-ONE raised the concern that the proposed constitution didn't secure a right to own guns for self defense or any other private purpose.