What does well regulated militia mean?

Answer 1

A "well regulated militia", back when, our constitution was written meant every able bodied and armed man who was not in the Army whose help could be requested in a time of danger.

(The meaning of many words gradually changes over time. For example the word "awful" once meant the exact opposite of what people now mean when they use it. )

When the Constitution was written the term "Militia" meant all armed men who were not in an "army". An "army" was a collected group of structured and organized men at arms. The term "regulated" when applied to a militia, at the time our constitution was written, did not carry the same nuances it does today. During our revolution there were those in the "Continental Army" and there were militia (ordinary people not subject to military discipline who could fight when they wanted and go home when they needed to do so.)

When the Constitution was ratified, most states passed laws requiring all adult men not in the Army to maintain their own guns and ammunition, and to know how to use them, should a dangerous situation arise. The specific intent was to minimize thee need for the government to maintain an army. The citizens at that time were extremely opposed to any army which could be misused to control ordinary people. It was in fact that very issue which had triggered the American Revolution (Think about the Quartering Act, the Boston Massacre, the battle of Concord, etc.) If you consider the discussions and correspondence among the new country's leadership at the time it becomes clear The terms "well regulated" were intended to signal strong limits on the government's utilization of the militia (the people with arms) rather than limits on the armed people themselves.