[robertpaulsen]

"The opening clause makes it quite clear that although the Congress is given the power to play with the militia, the Second Amendment prevents it from defanging the militia by removing arms from the people or making the militia a tool of Congress to the detriment of the body of the people."

I believe that definition applies to the entire amendment.

"George Mason himself had said--that the militia was the whole body of the people"

As you correctly quoted at the end of your post, George Mason said that the militia is "the whole people". "The whole people" was another way of saying "the people".

[Gondring]

As you correctly quoted at the end of your post, George Mason said that the militia is "the whole people". "The whole people" was another way of saying "the people".

Which contradicts your claim made earlier:

So they settled on a select group of "well regulated" Militia -- trained, disciplined, organized, armed and accoutered, with officers appointed by each state. It was this "well regulated Militia" that was necessary to the security of a free state, not an armed populace.

As was pointed out by Justice Scalia, when the Scottish Highlanders were barred from "keeping" and "bearing" of arms (Proscription Act), it wasn't just for when they were out in militia drills.