Often, Americans speak of the US Constitution as if it is the fountain from which political truth originates. Even those who fight stridently for constitutional orthodoxy sometimes forget that the US Constitution and the rest of America’s founding documents were just as much a climax of political thought as they were a beginning.
Brown Bess: The AR-15 of 1776
Yes, there were effective, efficient, and deadly military-specific weapons at the time the 2nd Amendment was written. In fact, the wars of the 18th century saw newer and more deadly weapons and tactics utilized in a way that created whole new schools of military doctrine.