In David R. Whittaker’s letter “Remember the ‘well regulated’ part of the Second Amendment,” Mr. Whittaker failed to mention that the colonies had no standing army and the separate colonies had to organize and regulate their own militias for collective defense.
The militia was any white male or freeman between the ages of 16 and 45 who could shoulder a musket in the field. And each militia member had to own and use his own rifle.
Furthermore, the second clause states, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” It doesn’t say the right of the militia or its members. The right Of the People.
The Second Amendment was written into the Constitution not only to have a defense against a foreign enemy but, more importantly, it was put there by our Founders to keep our government from becoming tyrannical. A citizen army was the ultimate check and balance between liberty and enslavement.
Richard Leo Silva, Fitzgerald, Ga.