It's better to have something than nothing, and better to have better than worse. There nothing profound in that.
On the other hand I'll bet the Minutemen would have loved to have some duct tape at Valley Forge that winter. They might not have been barefoot or be wearing rags on their feet.
Human nature never changes. The Minutemen weren't exactly "prepared" for revolution either (see Bunker Hill).
>>Human nature never changes. The Minutemen weren’t exactly “prepared” for revolution either (see Bunker Hill).
They were as prepared as they could be. They did not live in a consumer society with Amazon at their fingertips and Home Depot just down the street. They didn’t each own 14 muskets and no shoes either. I’m not saying that the guy who scraped up enough cash to buy one gun must have a full set of combat gear. I’m talking about the people who own $5000+ worth of firearms and don’t think about buying any other gear.
From the comments I’ve received, it appears that FReepers believe that a well-regulated militia should only be a safe full of guns. I disagree. A militiaman must be able to turn out with enough gear to permit him to function in the field (even if the field is in the urban setting) with his weapon. We have the time and we have the means to equip ourselves properly now so we don’t have to make slings out of clothesline and duct tape later. Rifles get heavy and you might want to use your hands on the march. A pistol jammed in your belt shifts around and falls out. Is that how a well-regulated militia should be?