"Cliff" wrote in message
...

Ed,
At one time he nation pretty much depended on
calling up militias for any military needs.
At one time the 2nd ammendment was enacted.
Currently, and for many decades, the US has
had a standing professional military ...

But what is the cronology?
Was the 2nd enacted before the standing military
existed? I suspect so but .... in which case it was
in support of the prior militias, which might be considered to
nolonger exist.

First, before the Constitution, the states had militias. Then came the
Constitution and then the 2nd Amendment. The relationship between the
states' authority and the federal authority over militias wasn't explicit;
it was made explicit by the Militia Act (1795).

Standing armies came later. Note that we had a standing *navy* from the very
beginning. But not a standing army.

If that doesn't do it (and it's actually more complicated), there is good
info on the militia laws and their relation to a permanent army (the laws,
at least) on FindLaw.


Hence, does the need for the 2nd still exist?

Don't go there. You'll be sorry if you do. g

OTOH It might be an issue of State's Rights ...?

It is, still. The 2nd has never been incorporated under the 14th. The
states' rights part of it has been messed up since the National Defense Act
of 1916. You can look that last one up and get the picture.

Ed Huntress