When the British marched on Concord, it was to seize the militia stores. Among those stores for militia use were fieldpiece cannons, powder, and cannonballs.

The Constitution also makes provision for the issuance of Letters of Marque and Reprisal. That was federal permission for private individuals to take THEIR OWN WARSHIPS to go after a declared enemy at sea. The warship was the most powerful weapon system of the 18th century. It could enter a harbor and bombard the township or fortress there with impunity.