Into the Night
Contributor
It's meaning hasn't changed. It means to be well trained and disciplined.What did it mean to be well regulated?
The meaning hasn't changed.One of the biggest challenges in interpreting a centuries-old document is that the meanings
of words change or diverge.
The meaning hasn't changed."Well-regulated in the 18th century tended to be something like well-organized, well-armed,
well-disciplined," says Rakove. "It didn't mean 'regulation' in the sense that we use it now, in
that it's not about the regulatory state. There's been nuance there. It means the militia was
in an effective shape to fight."
The State creates the militia. The State trains the militia. The State funds the militia. The State controls the militia. The State disbands the militia.In other words, it didn't mean the state was controlling the militia in a certain way, but rather
that the militia was prepared to do its duty.



