🚀 go-pugleaf

gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman) writes:
> In article <17888@autodesk.COM> drake@Autodesk.COM (Dan Drake) writes:
> >
> >Query: Can anyone tell me what the word ``well-regulated'' means when
> >used in the 2nd Amendment?
> 
> It's an archaic firearms term meaning "adjusted to strike to point of
> aim." A double barrel shotgun is said to be well regulated when both
> barrels fire to the same point of aim. When applied to the militia,
> it means that the militia is practiced in the effective use of weapons.

This is one of several responses to my query, most of which came by
e-mail.  My thanks to all the people who troubled to respond.

I admit with embarassment that only after getting these replies (many of
which were along the same lines as this one) did I consult a scholarly
source, one absolutely unbiased relative to American gun laws.  I invite
anyone to do the same: look into the Oxford English Dictionary and form
your own conclusions about the historical meanings of regulate and
regulated; use the full multi-volume set, with the historical examples.
For myself, I don't find a strong balance of probability that the word
as applied to a militia just means able to aim a gun accurately.

By the way, the last definition given for "regulated" refers
specifically to armed forces; it essentially means "disciplined".  Not a
good omen for well-regulated militia meaning any bunch of guys that have
guns.  In all fairness, I must note that this definition is marked
obsolete and rare, with an example from the late 1600s, so it can be
dismissed as irrelevant if one wishes to.  That leaves plenty of other
material, on which you can draw your own conclusions.

--
Dan Drake                 In software, the *complete* design *is* the software!
drake@Autodesk.com        --Hugh Lamaster