In the Anglo-American tradition from which the United States Constitution was conceived, the militia are inherently governmental organizations. They are the most organic expression of self-government and are “necessary” to the security of a free state. We cannot forget, nor allow others to obfuscate this fact.
One of the core pillars of American federalism is the maintenance of civilian martial capacity. People have the unfettered right to keep and bear arms so that they may self-govern at the most local level by actively engaging in security and justice operations as well-regulated militia. To encourage and ensure this capacity, Congress is authorized to
organize, arm, and discipline the militia.
An unorganized militia is a contradiction in terms. To be militia, the citizens involved must be organized, armed, and disciplined specifically to perform the governmental functions of executing the law, repelling invasions, and suppressing, any and all, insurrections against constitutional order.
In other words, the people must ensure, with the force of arms and legitimacy of law, the maintenance of a legal order that protects the integrity of private property, the fulfillment of contracts, and the common-wealth held in trust on behalf of the polity. To do so requires regular training and active engagement. That is what “disciplined” means in Article I, Section 8, Clause 16 as well as “well-regulated” in the Second Amendment.
Under the current state of affairs, where the militia have been co-opted into the unconstitutional National Guard and otherwise left unorganized, individuals are adrift to their own devices in hopes of maintaining those skills, equipment, and associations necessary to secure their own lives, liberty, and property. In so doing, the sense of civic contribution also gets lost and We The People are less prepared, even dissuaded, to restore a free state, once either opportunities arise or circumstances demand a restoration of constitutional order.
Training with arms contributes to one’s own well-being, fitness, and personal readiness. The martial arts have long offered heightened states of inner calm and resilience due to the forging of body-mind integration skills. The highly developed synaptic pathways used in martial technique expands one’s own confidence level and sphere of situational awareness. Sustained martial training also contributes to intuitive faculties, the ability to cope with stress, and oftentimes precognition, the ability to perceive events before they unfold, becomes commonplace. Martial training inculcates strategic thinking and, along with it, a faculty for foresight.
This is a way of saying that everyone will benefit from regular martial arts training and regularly handling lethal weapons. The lethal nature of martial tools and tactics demands attention to detail, situational awareness, and careful observation of the rules of order.
It is no exaggeration to assert that an armed population makes for a polite society. Understanding that everyone carries with them the capacity to destroy life leads one to avoid making offense and, as the great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi advised in his Book of Five Rings, to be careful even in small matters. Being detail oriented and courteous becomes essential for functioning in such a consequence laden environment.
Indeed, having individuals armed and trained for their own protection contributes to a virtuous cycle of self-actualization and good manners. As laudable as these personal attributes may be, to fulfill the design of political self-government, such individual capacities must be channeled further into a social good.
In other words, armed and trained individuals are not enough to secure a free state (and thereby put an end to gun control). Those individuals must deliberately organize for political purposes. The individual must contribute their martial capacities (arms & training) to the
well-being of their fellow citizens.
Understanding the standards of justice, discriminating between valid property claims and violations of property or contract, must accompany the capacity to employ arms. Discernment must inform when the use of force is legitimate.
Those groups that form up in pursuit of mutual security must align with the legitimacy of lawful self-governance. At this point it should also be mentioned that there are many forms of governance and, with the failings of the current political situation on full display, one could easily join with Lysander Spooner in stating that the US Constitution either gave rise to this sad state of affairs or failed to prevent it.
As true as this may be, the real fault in allowing tyranny to rise rests upon an apathetic public, unwilling to perform their civic duty, and this requirement would remain regardless of the form of government (or even lack thereof) enacted.
Even if the US Constitution did not exist, or if the militia of the several states were not declared necessary to the security of a free state, We The People would still need well-regulated militia to uphold law, security, and justice.
Indeed, the various “forms” of government (republic, democracy, monarchy, parliament, anarchy, etc.) are irrelevant to the core purpose of providing justice and security services to individuals and their property. What is important is that the law be based upon the universal standard of property rights, and that all legislation be made in pursuant to putting the Common Law (Do all you have agreed to do and do not encroach upon others or their property) into operation.
Further, any and every form of government made pursuant to the universal standards of justice stated in the Common Law are best maintained along two lines of effort: money & militia. Both are facilitated by a free market of exchanging private property voluntarily between consenting individuals and groups.
It just so happens that the founders of the United States determined at the time, and after extensive historical analysis, that a republic was most conducive to the mutual security of the free and independent states that had just seceded from an illegitimate ruler.
We are fortunate to build upon that foundation in the present era. The US Constitution makes it clear that gold and silver purchased on the free market will be minted into money of fixed weights and measures, that governments cannot issue bills of credit, that the President will ‘take care’ that the laws will be faithfully executed as Commander in Chief, and that Congress will call forth the militia of the several states to execute the laws of the union.
All the necessary pillars and institutions for the maintenance of a free society are present in the ‘supreme law’ and awaiting activation.
One could argue that had these principles been maintained in practice the republic would have stayed on solid footing. However, that is not what occurred. Today, Federal Reserve Notes are debt instruments imposed upon the people to use as money and “legislation” undermines the rule of law while being enforced by incompetent bureaucracies.