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The Annoyed Man wrote:

Soap wrote:Chief Acevedo says the 2nd is clear: "Well regulated", he's all for gun control. I'm glad people here in San Antonio got mad and made sure he didn't become out chief of PD.

"Well regulated" didn't have the same meaning in 18th century english that it has today. The meaning of the constitution doesn't change just because word usage changes.

http://www.constitution.org/cons/wellregu.htm

The phrase "well-regulated" was in common use long before 1789, and remained so for a century thereafter. It referred to the property of something being in proper working order. Something that was well-regulated was calibrated correctly, functioning as expected. Establishing government oversight of the people's arms was not only not the intent in using the phrase in the 2nd amendment, it was precisely to render the government powerless to do so that the founders wrote it.

When you combine that with the notion of a irregular militia made up of civilians, the meaning of that opening clause is obvious. It would be read this way: "An irregular militia which is equipped and runs like clockwork being necessary to a free state, the right of individual citizens to keep and bear arms shall not be restricted in any way."