“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country.” - James Madison, author of the 2nd amendment

The founding fathers actually had considerable disdain for standing armies, based primarily on their experience with the british. They viewed the citizenry as a capable alternative in non-war times, which still places things well within the context of maintaining a militia. Do you want to disband the army and take it’s place? Likely not.

This and hunting were the primary purposes of individual gun ownership in the late 1700s. The notion of gun’s for individual protection didn’t become a predominate idea until after the Civil War.