The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms,
shall not be infringed.
The intent of the writers of the Second Amendment was to assert each individual's right to keep and bear arms. This was my father's view and his father's view. This has been the common American view since the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791. Yet in recent times, whether out of misguided good intention or nefarious agenda, some are saying that the Second Amendment asserts the right of some government entity to keep and bear arms. This is convoluted reasoning in light of the historical context of the mid to late 1700's and of the American Revolution.
The American Revolution sprang from the Reformation (reforming the church to Biblical standards) that began in Europe in the 16th century and The Enlightenment (an intellectual movement that rejected spiritual authority) that began in Europe in the 17th century. One of the major themes of these movements was that all people have certain unalienable rights. The Reformation asserted that these rights are granted by God. Those of the Enlightenment asserted the rights come from some natural law. (The Reformation got it right.) Both agreed that government doesn't grant such rights but exist to protect them. *
One of the most influential persons of this movement was John Locke, who's writing inspired the notion that people everywhere are born with equal rights to life, liberty, and property.
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The First Amendment was written to assert (among other things) each individual's freedom of speech and practice of religion. It would be a departure from the sentiment of the times and of the American Revolution that the right to keep and bear arms should be expressed as anything other than that of every individual person.
If we have unalienable God-given rights to life and liberty, do we not also have the right to defend them? The logical answer is yes, we do, and by all appropriate means, up to and including deadly force.
*The primary driving force behind the American Revolution was The Reformation, whereas the primary driving force behind the French Revolution was The Enlightenment. Hence the different natures of these events and their outcomes.