Before you condemn the militia, consider what America's founders have to say:
"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." George Mason (3 Elliot, Debates at 425-426)
"The militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves, ... all men capable of bearing arms;..." -- Richard Henry Lee writing in "Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic", 1788, page 169.
"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress shall have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American ... The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the People." -- Tench Coxe - 1788.There's a lot more to the history of individual arms ownership and the advancement of human liberty. For example, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison comment on the importance of the militia in Federalist Papers number 29 (local copy) and 46 (local copy) respectively. Note that according to current federal law if you are an adult reading this in America you are probably a member of the "unorganized militia." This is defined in Title 10 Section 311 of the United States Code, which is also available at the The U.S. House of Representatives -- United States Code ( http://uscode.house.gov/usc.htm )
Opinions expressed are those of the respective authors.