[21twelve]

http://www.davekopel.org/2A/LawRev/american-revolution-against-british-gun-control.html

Above is a very interesting article on the creation of the first American militia. It arose after the “Powder Alarm” in Massachusetts, about 6 months before Lexington. British General Gage took a bunch of powder from a powder house that he feared would be used by the rebels. (It is believed that if Gage had not taken the powder, the Brits would have lost at Bunker Hill).

After he took it, the locals had a meeting. They disbanded the British militia, and created an American militia. The leaders were still the same people though! They just switched sides! They put together some rules, including training, provision of arms and powder to men too poor to have any, and also created a special division of militia called the Minutemen.

The Congressional Congress down in Philly heard about this and endorsed it, and said all the colonies should support the new militia with money and arms.

[drpix]

Thanks for a very informative article. Here's a line from it that nails the point I was trying to make:

"Without formal legal authorization, Americans began to form independent militia, outside the traditional chain of command of the royal governors."

Today's gun grabbers make the 2nd Amendment "militia" argument to limit gun ownership to persons the government enlists in government militia. This would exclude from 2nd Amendment rights the very type of armed citizens that, either as "independent militia" or individual patriots, fought and won the American revolution to became our founding fathers and give us the Bill of Rights.

It is laughable to argue that the American Revolution was fought for the gun rights of loyal members of the British colonial militia!