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yes, the present national guard is very much a government entity, and held to the same training standards as federal armed forces. they regularily hold joint training.

the people at large however are not prevented from forming a militia or a posse, or volunteering to be deputized by a local police force.

the common element is that they are responding to a domestic threat originated from government activities.

the original conception of american government insists that the government exist at the consent of the governed, in service of the governed, and this consent is revoked when that government fails to colour inside the lines when interpreting the constitution of the USA





Many US states also have a state guard that is under the sole control of the state government: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_defense_force

These forces are distinct from the state's National Guard and cannot be federalized.


Yes, but these state militia units would not be capable of offering much resistance to any federal forces (I was a trooper in the CT Governor’s Horse Guard. My company did have some guns, and we got a little bit of firearms training, but nothing compared to the National Guard or Army).



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