Of course, I have a snowball's chance in hell of ever being elected to anything, but if I did I'd be quite a boogeyman for the conservatives. I feel that the US Constitution can and should be changed in a case like this - I'd push for changing or getting rid of Amendment II.

Firearm technology has advanced a little bit since the Amendment was adopted. You no longer have to reload your musket after every round in order to get that sweet, sweet firing rate of two rounds a minute. Plus, Native American skirmishes and slave uprisings aren't as prevalent today as they were in the 1790s.

As far as citizen militias go when it comes to checking the power of the government... well, if you and your US Government Resistance Cell (tm) amass enough guns and ammunition I suppose that you all could leave a more interesting blend of broken metal and twisted flesh after the government flies their jets and drives their armored vehicles over what's left of your house when they're through with it.