Originally Posted by
Mistame
While the wording certainly is a point of contention, there is no way to legitimately read it in a way that makes the "militia" portion a condition. The "meat" of the amendment is, "the right of the people..." Additionally, when considering the language at the time it was written, many Constitutional experts note that "well-regulated militia" is probably the equivalent of "law-abiding citizens", where "well-regulated" refers to self-regulation (those capable of lawfully regulating themselves) as being government-regulated would be at odds with the Constitution, and "militia" refers to citizens capable of taking up arms should the need arise. That's doesn't dismiss restrictions on large-scale weapons (RPGS, etc), but does protect the people's right to personal arms.