John Jay: "a well regulated camp"

[M1911Owner]

I have seem a number of discussions on THR that go round-and-round about the meaning of "well regulated" in the Second Amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I recently ran across a usage of "well regulated" that is precisely on point regarding its meaning in the Second Amendment.

It occurs in The Federalist, in the context of discussing the fallacy that republics are less addicted to war than monarchies:

Sparta, Athens, Rome and Carthage were all Republics; two of them, Athens and Carthage, of the commercial kind. Yet were they as often engaged in wars, offensive and defensive, as the neighboring Monarchies of the same times. Sparta was little more than a well regulated camp; and Rome was never sated of carnage and conquest.

-John Jay writing as Publius, The Federalist, Paper Number 6. Emphasis added.

I note several things here:

• "Well regulated" clearly has a specific meaning relating to the military--Jay doesn't find it necessary to qualify "well regulated" by saying "well regulated army" or "well regulated militia"; his statement of "well regualted camp" is sufficient to convey the military nature of the statement.
• That specific meaning clearly has senses of "well-armed," "well-drilled" and "prepared for war."
• As one of those who was deeply involved in the circles that wrote and argued for ratification of the Constitution, and as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at about the time that the Bill of Rights was written, it can reasonably be argued that John Jay's usage of the term "well regulated" was precisely the same as the the usage of the Framers of the Second Amendment.

 

[Thumper]

Good eye.

 

[chas_martel]

Ahhhh.......duh............


I believe one of the reasons the "left" seek to dumb down the population is so
"we" are incapable of figuring stuff like this out.

This "should" be a non-issue for everyone.

OH I forgot this is a nation that argues over the meaning of "is"......

 

[Cool Hand Luke 22:36]

M1911Owner:

That specific meaning clearly has senses of "well-armed," "well-drilled" and "prepared for war."

Good points and an excellent reference. It (IMO) implies that "well regulated" refers to an armed civiian population ("...nothing more than...") with experience in the use of those arms and in posession of them at all times.

 

[Cool Hand Luke 22:36]

chas_martel:

I believe one of the reasons the "left" seek to dumb down the population is so
"we" are incapable of figuring stuff like this out.

This "should" be a non-issue for everyone.

It is a non-issue for many, but not in the way in which you use that phrase. There are pleanty of people in this country who fully agree that the 2nd does grant an individual right to KABA but just don't care.

Soccar moms in particular are a group that would be happy to live in a Soviet-style system with no individual rights so long as there were good after school programs and safe mall parking lots.

 

[retiredsgt]

Well regulated

And I thought I was the ONLY person who has read the Federalist Papers.
A MUST READ for every American! Yeah, yeah, I know I am preaching to the Choir.

 

[M1911Owner]

Luke, I like your additional point about the quote having a tone of it being an armed civilian population. I'll add that the next time I have occasion to talk about this subject.