# Reviving universal militia training- yea or nay?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reviving-universal-militia-training-yea-or-nay/648014>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 22, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reviving-universal-militia-training-yea-or-nay/648014 "2013-01-22T16:41:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reviving-universal-militia-training-yea-or-nay/648014/21 "2013-01-22T22:51:50Z")

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> [@Recusant](#):
>
> Above and beyond any desire on my part, the idea is definitively illegal- the 13th amendment prohibits it. Even if it weren’t, though, it wouldn’t have my support; this kind of forced labor is grossly immoral (and we already fought two wars to prove that).

As stupid as I think the OP’s idea is I’m pretty sure it’s constitutional. After all the draft isn’t. What would be really interesting to see is a single _state_ trying to do this, without federal involvment. That’s also probally constitutional, but there’s so very many practicle problems. Actually I think some states do still have a militia of all able-bodied adult males on paper, but that’s just because of old laws never being replealed or enforced.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reviving-universal-militia-training-yea-or-nay/648014/22 "2013-01-22T23:31:22Z")

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I went into High School Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps, and it was a great experience.  
I learned:  
[ul]  
[li]Red Cross First Aid[/li][li]CPR[/li][li]Map Reading[/li][li]Rifle Safety[/li][li]Rifle Use[/li][li]How To Teach A Training Course[/li][/ul]

10,000X more useful than Gym, which I did not have to take.

So, do _that._

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reviving-universal-militia-training-yea-or-nay/648014/23 "2013-01-23T00:53:34Z")

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> [@msmith537](#):
>
> Why does the Swiss even have such a system? They are a neutral country of 8million people surrounded by Alps.

As recently as 1940-1945, being surrounded by the Alps and having an armed populace helped the Swiss _remain_ neutral.

I confess that somehow I failed to anticipate the most commonly given objection to the premise: that it would be more or less useless. What practical use 150 million rifle bearers would be is indeed a good question. :smack: For better or worse the US is today a quasi-empire and even the most unlikely paleoconservative, isolationist movement probably wouldn’t change that.

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