Originally Posted by
Missileman
Article 1 section 8 enpowers Congress to PROVIDE FOR...AKA FUND organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia.
That's correct... and it was that way for several years after the Constitution was ratified. But then that changed when the Bill of Rights was added, containing the 2nd amendment, which modified those powers of Congress.
The modification was: Congress was no longer allowed to do ANYTHING that might restrict or take away the right of ordinary people to own and carry guns and other such weapons.
As Jagger pointed out (hey, he finally got one right, there goes his perfect 0-for-everything record), by some interpretations Congress might be able to disarm a militia (that is, the male populace capable of bearing arms) by not giving it any weapons, and then twisting things to say that since only Congress could arm the militia those folks could not buy their own weapons, even privately.
One purpose of the 2nd amendment, was to eliminate that "argument". No matter what Congress did (or didn't do), ordinary people (that populace again) still retained their right to own and carry guns.
"The social contract exists so that everyone doesn’t have to squat in the dust holding a spear to protect his woman and his meat all day every day. It does not exist so that the government can take your spear, your meat, and your woman because it knows better what to do with them." - Instapundit.com
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