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If you think about what that really means, it's still worth thinking about. What it actually says is that if you want to have your own private military and equip them with heavy military equipment then you need to make a deal with the government in whose area you reside and operate. Pretty common sense because you're doing the kind of thing that would make a nation and its people pretty nervous if you haven't "made nice" with the government. After all, governments are there to protect their people from external threats and a guy that appears to be building an army/navy is a clear concern both to the people of a nation and the government over them.
So if you want your own fully equipped army/navy, you need permission from the government. For anything less, up to and including cannons, nothing at all was required.
I still don't think civilian owned vessels used for war is a good example to use. Even the building of one ship in peace time back then that was clearly intended to be a real Ship of the Line warship would probably have the government believing it was intended for piracy and seizing it. As far as ownership of cannons by civilians I agree the government was not claiming any right to prohibit it.