[robertpaulsen]

"The right of all persons, except infants and prisoners or mental patients under custody, have a right to keep, bear, own, purchase, manufacture, sell, and trade arms of all kinds regardless of lethality or lack of specificity of target".

That would make an excellent state law, which is where a law like that belongs.

The second amendment, however, was meant to protect something entirely different: the preservation of an entity necessary to the security of a free state -- the Militia.

[William Tell]

robertpaulsen said: "The second amendment, however, was meant to protect something entirely different: "

So you say that the Second Amendment only protects the right of a state to form a militia? And there is no individual right to keep and bear arms protected by the Second Amendment?

[William Tell]

robertpaulsen said: "That would make an excellent state law, which is where a law like that belongs."

And then what would stop the federal government from banning machine guns for militia use? The federal government is not constriained by state laws.