I am glad to see that you are interested in finding out more about the Militia. I am not an expert in any of these areas, having only been involved for about half a year. But I would be happy to answer any questions you might have to the best of my ability. They did not view these rights as coming from government, but as precedent to and in fact superior to government itself - in fact, governments were created to protect these rights. The Militia is made up of civilians, and during times of peace is not normally rigidly organized.
Most State constitutions say the same thing.
States such as Florida which have abolished gun control have seen significant reductions in violent crime. This is the toughest question of all. The Constitution, which is the highest law of the land, as well as other vitally important principles upon which this nation was founded, have been ignored or forgotten, not only by the policitians, but by many of the People as well. In the process we have lost sight of liberty and justice - two things people have yearned for since the beginning of history, but have so seldom actually realized. We need to regain these things, and that is no easy task.