Reply #11: In 1786 mercenaries were"militiaized" to help bankers [View All]

Bankers in 1786 paid mercenarys hired to put down a grass roots rebellion against debtor's prisons.
The mecenaries were then legitimized as "militia". The 2nd amendment has been broke since the beginning. From Wikepedia

Rebellion

Calling themselves Regulators, men from all over the western and central parts of the state began to agitate for change. Initial disturbances were mostly peaceful and centered primarily on freeing incarcerated farmers from debtor's prisons. In the late summer of 1786 the conflict escalated when armed Regulators shut down debtor courts in Northampton, Worcester, Concord, and elsewhere. After the passage of the Riot Act, the Regulators seized arms from the Springfield Armory. Militia groups called out to fight the Regulators often switched sides.

The rebellion eventually gelled into an organized army, led by one Daniel Shays, a farmer from East Pelham and a former captain in the American Revolutionary War. Another leader, Luke Day, was the son of a wealthy family in West Springfield. While the Regulators are usually thought of as a rabble of poor farmers, many of them were members of prominent local families, including the Dickensons of Amherst. In addition, many of the rebels were former soldiers who fought in the American Revolution.

The lack of a standing army under the government of the time (set up by the Articles of Confederation) prevented Congress from sending Federal forces. Due to a lack of funds and some empathy for the Regulators, the Massachusetts legislature was unwilling to approve a raising of the militia. Desperate for a solution, Governor James Bowdoin and a number of Boston-area bankers then assembled 4,400 privately-paid mercenaries (who were later legitimized as a militia) under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln to quell what was becoming an increasingly effective rebellion. When the Regulators heard about the mercenary army, they planned to return to the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts for more weapons. A column of rebels led by Luke Day was delayed by heavy snows, but were repulsed by forces under Gen. William Shepard, allowing Lincoln's as-yet illegitimate army to seize the armory's weapons first. When the other column of Regulators arrived, an extended conflict between the rebels (of some 2000 men) and the Lincoln's army (of around 4,400 men) followed. In the end, this "Battle of Springfield" resulted in a rebel defeat, although only four rebels were actually killed.
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays_Rebellion>

Sounds like Blackwater mercenaries in New Orleans. The 2nd amendment has always been about allowing the rich to protect themselves and their property including slaves.