>>514928462
>should be just another element of the community
Oh, hell the fuck no! Every single organized institution that receives an air of respectability and legitimacy by virtue of its role in society or the "community" becomes corrupted. Every. Single. One. You go on about how evil you think profit motive and the gun lobby are. However, all they do is empower individuals to take responsibility for their own safety, INDEPENDENTLY of every other established institution that countless millions of Americans have RIGHTFULLY lost trust in.
>Back then America was a frontier society that relied on militias
Fucking irrelevant. The original intention needs to be respected. In fact, the high tech, fast paced, and globalized society we live in now makes the right bear arms even more important today than ever. Social upheaval, civil unrest, and economic decline could easily precipitate scenarios where individuals will have to take responsibility for their own safety because established institutions just won't be able to do anything to protect civilians.