"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
George, The personal or collective thing is THE key. The Court ruled in United States v. Miller in 1939 (That involved shotguns with barrels less than 18 inches used by a gangster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Miller) that the right to "keep and bear arms" was related to the use of weapons that could be part of a militia. That may be a very bad ruling for us gun guys. (I originally thought it held that the right was collective. I have looked and it was not quite that issue.)
The Constitution was written by revolutionaries who were sick and tired of government autocratic control and authority. The comma was not dropped in there at random. There are no other "communal" rights in the Constitution. They are all personal rights to personal freedoms.
A free man was meant to have the right to own guns. And, a free man has the right to use it do defend his freedom if necessary. Course, that can get kinda messy.
Best Regards, Jake
