[contemplator]

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Two things.

First consider the argument for the Bill of Rights itself. The founders firmly believed that the government did not have power it wasn't expressly given by the citizens. Therefore; a large portion believed the Bill of Rights was unnecessary as the government did not have the power to take away those rights to begin with. However; there were those realists in the crowd who knew enough about human nature to predict that without certain explicit protections that politicians of the future would spin it differently and there were certain things which they needed to make sure got extra special protection. The fact that this debate exists at all proves they were right.

Second, consider the format of the wording of the 2nd Amendment. It follow this basic format - (Because of reason A) The right to bear arms will not be infringed. It does NOT say (Because of Reason A and ONLY reason A) The right will not be infringed. The adding of the verbage about the militia was simply a timely example which people of the time readily understood and believed strongly in, there is no evidence that anyone intended it to be the ONLY reason. Were this the only reason then there would have been no overriding reason to place this right in the group of things which needed extra protection.

[El Gato]

First consider the argument for the Bill of Rights itself. The founders firmly believed that the government did not have power it wasn't expressly given by the citizens. Therefore; a large portion believed the Bill of Rights was unnecessary as the government did not have the power to take away those rights to begin with. However; there were those realists in the crowd who knew enough about human nature to predict that without certain explicit protections that politicians of the future would spin it differently and there were certain things which they needed to make sure got extra special protection

A good, belt and suspenders approach. Bet those guys would have made good engineers too, although their designs might have been a little more expensive, and a littler heavier, they would last forever, and virtually always "git 'er done", whatever 'er might be. :)