I don't think you can separate the idea of gun ownership from the notion of the militia as an organized force capable of resisting say, the standing force of government.
I regard the possession of guns as a popular rather than an individual right.
Well you're in with some pretty poor company on this site, rob.. -- And even worse on the national scene.
Can't by the idea of gun ownership as an absolute right; its a relative right, like owning a farm in a community of farmers.