No, not really. They never imagined it would be used to confer a private right of ownership. Only a collective right through the militia. I think you’re not giving them enough credit. An incredibly well educated a bright group, actually.
Originally Posted by TexTushHog
Not so.
Putting the Militia and private gunowner ship into context...
In Federalist 46 Madison argues that,
"Militia, as constructed, is a voluntary gathering of armed people, created from the people, not the government. Without individual rights to arms such a militia cannot be created."
and,
"The leadership of the militia is self-appointed, and requires no governmental involvement, or approval."
In Federalist 29 Hamilton (as Publius) writes,
"In times of insurrection, or invasion, it would be natural and proper that the militia of a neighboring State should be marched into another, to resist a common enemy, or to guard the republic against the violence of faction or sedition."
There are additional and abundant examples but it is clear that the Founders contextual definition of "militia" at the time clearly meant PRIVATELY ARMED CITIZENRY organically derived from the people distinct, different, and separate from a standing army. Further, as codified within the Constitution, the right to keep and bear arms by that armed private citizenry shall not be undermined or hindered (aka infringed). Even more so, the Founders foresaw the potential of a tyrannical central government attempting to subdue the citizenry for subjugation and that in order for the citizenry to fight off said attempt, the citizenry needed private gun ownership.
The British in their Bill of Rights of 1689 outlined the rights of an individual to keep firearms. The right to bear arms in English history is regarded in English law as a subordinate auxiliary right of the primary rights to personal security, personal liberty, and private property (Wiki). Sir William Blackistone (1723-1780) wrote extensively on the subject in "Commentaries on the Laws of England" (1765) and argued the English right to keep privately held firearms.
The obviousness of the argument and written codification of private gun ownership is clear.
So at the time and contextually "the militia" meant armed private individuals and not a federalized collective army. And the SCOTUS has held this in numerous high profile decisions including District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022).