Whoa! Nope. Who says?
"Please tell me how you became convinced that the militia mentioned in the Second Amendment is a state militia?"
The words, "being necessary to the security of a free State" was really my first clue.
Now, you want to make a case that it's something else, be my guest. Do you have a cite or a link that I can read? I'd be interested.
Unless, of course, you're just jerking my chain like that other poster admitted.
And robertpaulsen said: The words, "being necessary to the security of a free State" was really my first clue.
Now that's funny.
When the President of the United States attends a "state dinner", to which state does that refer?
Colin Powell is the "Secretary of State". To which "state" does that refer.
Have you ever heard of a "stateless" person? Is it possible for a stateless person to be a citizen of the US?
From the US Constitution:
"The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;...--;--to Controversies between two or more States;--between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects. "
Which of the original thirteen states do you suppose were those "foreign States"?
This overly specific interpretation of a single word at the expense of the concept under consideration is often the mechanism used by activist courts to invent distinctions which were never intended.