Do you know what the longest war in US history is?
It isn't Afghanistan. Although, that one has surely gone on way too long.
It isn't Vietnam, although the casualties from that war are still increasing from day to day. Much to our national shame because so many of these casualties are preventable.
It isn't the war on drugs which is actually the wrong name. It should be the war on poor people and people of color, because those are the real people caught up in that war.
Have you guessed it yet? I am sure that there are many who have guessed the answer.
The longest war in US history predates the United States. It started almost the minute that the first English settlers landed in North America. It didn't end until the turn of the 20th century. If you haven't guessed by now, it was the war against the indigenous peoples of North America, who most people refer to as either Native Americans or Indians.
Most people think of the US Civil War, or maybe World War I as the first "total war". It wasn't. The first total war was the war to remove the indigenous peoples and occupy their land. There was no such thing as a "non-combatant" in the eyes of either side. Anything went, up to and including killing of women, children, old people, and the use of germ warfare.
Although the frontier was consistently moving west, there was no true "front" in this war. This was a fact of life for anyone at the time. During the French and Indian War, cities like Albany, and the outlying villages around Philadelphia were under constant fear of attack even though the "frontier" was 50 to 100 miles away, give or take. The same was true later for cities like Pittsburgh when the Constitution and the first Ten Amendments were ratified. This reality didn't end until the last "hostiles" were subdued in the early 20th Century.
This was the greatest reason for needing a "well regulated militia". There were other reasons for a need for a militia, primarily the distrust of a standing army; the threat of attack from foreign powers like Great Britain, France, and Spain; and a threat of insurrection. In addition, there was a true lack of authority in areas that were on the frontier or had recently been settled.
In this, our longest war, every person who was male, physically able, and within a defined age was expected culturally and often legally to be proficient with firearms , to be able to defend themselves, come to the defense of others, and to participate in offensive operations against the enemy when called upon to do so.
I have great news for our Second Amendment strict constructionist, absolutists, or whatever they prefer to call themselves. The war is over.. It ended over 100 years ago.
In addition, the other reasons for all able-bodied males within the defined age requirement to own a weapon also are no longer operable. We now have law enforcement throughout the country so you no longer need to jump on your horse and join the pose to catch the bad guys. Great Britain, France, and Spain are no longer enemies but are our friends, see NATO as proof.
We do have a standing army. That is a bit troubling, but to me more because of the amount of money it sucks up rather than its mere existence. In addition, if that army, or the police for that fact, were to come after you, your M4 or AK47 assault rifle or even a .50 cal sniper rifle isn't going to help you much. Unless you can take out a Predator Drone, or shoot down a "smart bomb" then they can get you if they want.
If tyranny is your concern and you want to prevent it, then please focus on other areas like the almost complete dismantling of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. These, other amendments, and the right to vote, not the Second, are the true safeguards against a tyrannical government and while you have been cradling your weapon or whatever they have been whittled to nothing. So if the police with "proper authority" do enter your home and you shoot them, you just went from law abiding to criminal in one quick second.