I have several friends in the National Guard.
That is pretty neat. The National Guard is part of the reserve component of the United States Armed Forces.
Yes, it is.  Do you know when it was founded?
I am not sure but all members of the National Guard are also members of the militia of the United States.
Is that the militia that is mentioned within the second ammendment?
Yes, it is a federal militia as defined in the Constitution. National Guard units are under dual control of the state and federal government.
That's cool.  How large is it?  How many people are part of it?
United States National Guard
The United States National Guard, also commonly referred to as the National Guard, is part of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. It is a reserve military force composed of National Guard military members or units of each state and the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, for a total of 54 separate organizations. All members of the National Guard of the United States are also members of the militia of the United States as defined by
are those aliens not having declared their intent to become citizens of the United States (10 USC 246) and former regular component veterans of the armed forces who have reached the age of 64 (32 USC 313). All female citizens who are members of National Guard units are also included in the reserve militia pool ().
Other persons who are exempt from call to duty () and are not therefore in the reserve militia pool include:
- The Vice President (also constitutionally the President of the Senate,