People who were aware of Protestants being murdered by the King of England. People who were aware of the Salem Witch Trials. People who have seen over and over again the natural tendency of power to collect in fewer and fewer hands until there's a revolution and a bunch of bloodshed.

People who understood that power is best kept distributed. People who understood that small groups of citizens needed to have some real kind of threat against tyrannical government actors.

That doesn't mean you need to allow every psychopath have a gun, especially the ones who talk about murdering their peers or are known to torture and kill animals.

I believe well regulated militias are still relevant to this day.