"Nadav Har'El" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

> by civilians, or carrying automatic weapons) or what do militias have
> anything to do with it (supposedly this part is a relic from the time when
> having a federal army was considered a Bad Thing).

AFAIK, the original motivation for the Amendment was that citizens
had the right to bear arms and organize a militia to protect
themselves from abuse *by the government*. The American revolution was
just that: militia against the regular British forces.

> Note that all of this is about keeping and carrying guns - not about using
> them. Nowhere does it say people are allowed to actually shoot guns...

Absolutely. As I mentioned, in most places carrying (concealed)
weapons is forbidden. Basically, you can only keep a gun at home.

Interestingly, carrying weapons openly is often allowed in the US,
which leads to a curious situation where carrying a pistol under your
jacket is forbidden, but walking around with a rifle is perfectly
legal.
 
-- 
Oleg Goldshmidt | [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
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"... Of theoretical physics and programming, programming embodied 
the greater intellectual challenge." [E.W.Dijkstra, 1930 - 2002.]

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