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My understanding is the US constitution’s second amendment has also been interpreted somewhat literally when it refers to a “well regulated militia”. From that

My understanding is the US constitution’s second amendment has also been interpreted somewhat literally when it refers to a “well regulated militia”. From that perspective being able to have lethal weapons is still important, though given the fact that we don’t allow private citizens to have the gear to go toe to toe with a modern military I’m not sure exactly where that ends and more mundane self-defense begins.

inkblotuniverse 5y ago
The taliban can go toe-to-toe with USG using pickup trucks and fertilizer, so I'm sure americans can, too.
- j2bax 5y ago
  Perhaps while we are making some attempt to not just go complete scorched earth on them they can, but if and when there is a threat they don’t have a whole lot they can do about an air strike or drones. I wouldn’t ever want to be on the opposing side of a world super power military…
  - lazide 5y ago
    You’re thinking of it from a normal military perspective - which is why normal militaries always consistently lose these types of conflicts. British, Russians, Americans in Afghanistan. Americans, French, Chinese in Vietnam, etc. For a counter example, look at Britain in India. The more people you kill (regular folk), the more the population turns against you, and less likely you’ll actually be able to stay long term, and the more you get stuck in an endless morass of guerrilla attacks. Because it motivates suicide bombers, desperation, hate. Even more true in a civil war. If you co-opt leadership while nominally supporting the locals and making their lives better, it can help instead. Or go full scorched earth, but that generally doesn’t work in a civil war unless there is only a small region rebelling.
  - afarrell 5y ago
    A scorched-earth campaign would prompt a lot more blue-on-blue attacks and assassinations from people who don’t like having their homes and mothers incinerated.
  - ShrigmaMale 5y ago
    Because scorched-earth counterinsurgency never works. It doesn't usually work tactically amd it never achieves long-term goals strategic or political unless you want the place to stay a smoking crater. This is basically the reason why the communist guerilla tactics pioneered by Mao and used by many others were so effective.
oceanplexian 5y ago
In the 18th century the phrase "Well Regulated" had a different meaning, for example a "well regulated clock". It's a misconception that it refers to regulation as we understand it in a modern sense.
- TheFreim 5y ago
  If mememory serves me, everybody 16 (18?) and up was "the militia" by default.
  - DuskStar 5y ago
    That's still the law in the US today. Specifically, able-bodied men from 17 to 45. "10 USC Ch. 12: THE MILITIA" https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/subtitleA/part1/chapter12&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/sub...

inkblotuniverse 5y ago

The taliban can go toe-to-toe with USG using pickup trucks and fertilizer, so I'm sure americans can, too.

j2bax 5y ago
Perhaps while we are making some attempt to not just go complete scorched earth on them they can, but if and when there is a threat they don’t have a whole lot they can do about an air strike or drones. I wouldn’t ever want to be on the opposing side of a world super power military…
- lazide 5y ago
  You’re thinking of it from a normal military perspective - which is why normal militaries always consistently lose these types of conflicts. British, Russians, Americans in Afghanistan. Americans, French, Chinese in Vietnam, etc. For a counter example, look at Britain in India. The more people you kill (regular folk), the more the population turns against you, and less likely you’ll actually be able to stay long term, and the more you get stuck in an endless morass of guerrilla attacks. Because it motivates suicide bombers, desperation, hate. Even more true in a civil war. If you co-opt leadership while nominally supporting the locals and making their lives better, it can help instead. Or go full scorched earth, but that generally doesn’t work in a civil war unless there is only a small region rebelling.
- afarrell 5y ago
  A scorched-earth campaign would prompt a lot more blue-on-blue attacks and assassinations from people who don’t like having their homes and mothers incinerated.
- ShrigmaMale 5y ago
  Because scorched-earth counterinsurgency never works. It doesn't usually work tactically amd it never achieves long-term goals strategic or political unless you want the place to stay a smoking crater. This is basically the reason why the communist guerilla tactics pioneered by Mao and used by many others were so effective.

oceanplexian 5y ago

In the 18th century the phrase "Well Regulated" had a different meaning, for example a "well regulated clock". It's a misconception that it refers to regulation as we understand it in a modern sense.

TheFreim 5y ago
If mememory serves me, everybody 16 (18?) and up was "the militia" by default.
- DuskStar 5y ago
  That's still the law in the US today. Specifically, able-bodied men from 17 to 45. "10 USC Ch. 12: THE MILITIA" https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/subtitleA/part1/chapter12&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/sub...