Why doesn't the USA have a militia system?

[Johann]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

 

[SYTFE]

We're already armed to the teeth, so it's a moot point.

 

[MikeK]

[...]

But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise.

[...]

Therein lies the tale!

Back in the seventies and beyond it was possible for the U.S. government to field millions of competent soldiers (veterans) with just two or three weeks of refresher training. That was because as the result of the draft the average American male was a trained soldier.

Today that simply would not be possible.

 

[initforme]

I'm nnow 80 years old. So what do you expect? I cross country skied 7 miles....lifted weights but I'll be damned if I will fight.....not going to happen. Too hard.

 

[WaitingFor2020]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

If you read carefully, you noted that the Swiss also have mandated military service. " The Swiss have long prided themselves on their army, which requires part-time service from each male citizen between the ages of 18 to 34." Think that would fly here? Ha!

 

[WaitingFor2020]

And private militias are allowed. Just ask the dufus in Nevada, Ted Bundy's dad, Cliven Bundy.

 

[owebo]

We do....

 

[westwall]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

We do. It's called the PEOPLE.

 

[owebo]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

We do. It's called the PEOPLE.

Excluding the liberals that is....

 

[Tom Horn]

[...]

But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise.

[...]

Therein lies the tale!

Back in the seventies and beyond it was possible for the U.S. government to field millions of competent soldiers (veterans) with just two or three weeks of refresher training. That was because as the result of the draft the average American male was a trained soldier.

Today that simply would not be possible.

Infantry tactics ain't that complicated...you're basically either ambushing or avoiding an ambush. I could take a bunch of blockheads out into the field for a week, drill them on the basics, and return with a mediocre platoon...enough to represent somewhat efficiently...at least to the point where they weren't shooting each other.

 

[initforme]

Bolt actions required.

 

[beagle9]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

. If a nuke or nukes are detonated above the surface of the earth strategically, and therefore they create a magnetic pulse that knocks out our various defenses as is based upon modern technologies now, and if they are defenses that are depended upon satlelite signal systems, electricity/the grid, and various other ways we utilize such things, then an invasion would come soon after I would think. Such a strike would probably be used in order to soften up the area of entry if we're used in such a way.

 

[Hossfly]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

We do. It's called the PEOPLE.

Excluding the liberals that is....

We have Reserves, National Guard and veterans who are subject to recall in a national emergency. "We don't need no stinkin' liberals!"

 

[beagle9]

I'm nnow 80 years old. So what do you expect? I cross country skied 7 miles....lifted weights but I'll be damned if I will fight.....not going to happen. Too hard.

. Your a veteran of world war two maybe ?

 

[Tom Horn]

. Your a veteran of world war two maybe ?

Last of the bolt-actions was probably Korea.

 

[initforme]

Nope...not a vet. My brother was...he died in a non combat accident many moons ago for nothing. Died for less than nothing in the pacific. Less than nothing. He died with honor...I disagree.

 

[regent]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

We do. It's called the PEOPLE.

Excluding the liberals that is....

We have Reserves, National Guard and veterans who are subject to recall in a national emergency. "We don't need no stinkin' liberals!"

So what is the last war conservatives won?

 

[initforme]

Bolt actions far better than the JUNK american rifles now.

 

[westwall]

I've been reading about the Swiss, and i have to say i'm quite impressed with their system of Militia service. All qualified citizens are issued government automatic rifles and a box of ammunition. Their self-defense laws are very European, but they are a very heavily armed society. Somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/3rd of all citizenry have automatic weapons within reach.

They have training requirements and must qualify with their weapons occasionally. They also have military exercises with their reserve unit.

Under American law, every able bodied male between the ages of 18-49 is considered the 'unorganized Militia'.

In the past, high schools and colleges would have shooting competitions and so on. I believe the Civilian Marksmanship Program(CMP) is a leftover from that era. the NRA, originally, was also focused on that goal before they moved towards a legislative role.

Many have called for bringing back the Draft. We've got a wonderful professional military, and i don't think the draft, at this point, is necessary. But having a large reserve of trained potential soldiers would be very helpful should such a need arise. I think the cost of maintaining such a Militia system would be high. But i think the extra security brought to our nation in case of potential foreign threat would far outweigh the cost.

The United States is geographically very large with a vast diversity of environments. Huge mountain ranges, wide open deserts, dense urban areas, vast winter tundras, forests, Swamps... Surely invading the United States would be much more difficult than invading Switzerland. Once the bridges and infrastructure are destroyed by U.S. military or insurgent forces, traversing this huge country would be a logistical nightmare. We have a huge reserve of former military and LEO forces in our population as well.

One of the big SHTF scenarios talked about doesn't involve zombies, but involves some form of foreign invasion of U.S. soil. Such as by Russia or China. Though the chances of such a hostile invasion of the Mainland United States are low to negligible, it's not an impossible scenario. But would it be worth the cost of such a system?

We do. It's called the PEOPLE.

Excluding the liberals that is....

We have Reserves, National Guard and veterans who are subject to recall in a national emergency. "We don't need no stinkin' liberals!"

So what is the last war conservatives won?

The last one that the progressives started.

 

[westwall]

Bolt actions far better than the JUNK american rifles now.

Not really, but feel free to use whatever you're comfy with.