I had another topic in mind for this post, but world events over the past week have shifted focus to once again contemplating potential terrorist attacks and the duty of we citizens to respond under the Second Amendment. It stipulates that the militia be "well regulated" which in historical context is synonymous with "professional." Add to the fact that (for a variety of reason that will not be delved into here) the US military is weakening before our eyes in the face of a recruiting crisis, I for one anticipate the militiaman will take on a more prominent role in the near future.
There are so many ways to go about this I will try to stay within the realm of making recommendations as opposed to stipulating directives. The fact is each militiaman is his own entity and (unless ties are made already with a particular group) there is no overarching system of standards beyond "be as prepared as you can be." That being said, those looking for a good general starting point already got one available in form of the Light Foot Militia Standards which I recommend because, rather than conform to a narrow set of military-type regulations, it leaves open a diversity of alternatives while addressing the strengths & weaknesses of different choices (understandable since some good options are unavailable due to being restricted by local laws): http://lightfootmilitia.com/lfms.html
Weapon: US/NATO Standard The 21st century is (at least here in America) a golden age of choice for both any caliber and the means one chooses to shoot it. While the sole militiaman is free to stock up on any choice (and should for any he can shoot well) resupply and interoperability factors highly favor 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm for main rifle calibers with 9x19mm and .45 ACP for pistols. NATO standard magazines (i.e. PMAG M2s are made for AR-15 magwells while M3s are designed for wider compatibility) are helpful but not as vital as having something that works well with one's chosen platform. Since Beretta, SIG Sauer and Glock are the most prominent sidearm standards in the First World choosing any of those pistols increases the possibility of being able to resupply with other militia groups or official uniformed services.
I opine everyone who can ought to have at least one 5.56 NATO platform and learn to master it because its advantages so vastly outweigh its drawbacks. As for 7.62 NATO things are not so clear-cut, especially in recent days when the cost per round (even for military overruns) has grown to a challenging point. As not everyone can manage a full-power battle rifle anyway I would regard 7.62x39mm Soviet as a shorter-ranged but more cost-effective alternative, considering the .30 caliber option is best used the same way the regular military uses it today: in supporting (i.e. sniper, machine gun) rather than general issue roles.
Uniform: More Than One
The weapon is what makes a citizen a militiaman so that had to be addressed first; uniforms is the point I cross the line into accounting for source and availability balanced with effectiveness. Anyone can go to a local military surplus store and acquire a set of cheap Chinese-made BDUs in a variety of camouflages and cuts, and while that is certainly better than nothing (and with understanding that it may be all some are able to afford) I submit it falls short of well regulated because the cheap stuff simply will not hold up to serious use. Granted, anything can happen anyway and that is why I premise by agreeing with several other sources in that everyone should stock up a bare minimum of two full sets of field uniforms (military standard issue is four sets which would be more ideal). Especially avoid going cheap on the boots since those will take the most pounding; my old-school USGI leathers cost over $110 but I have no complaints regarding how good a condition they remain after 7 years of both Civil Air Patrol and casual use.
Camouflage pattern choice has been touched on in this blog before and is also addressed in the Light Foot Standards, but in general nothing is imposed because 1) it is contingent on availability and budget and 2) even a more cost-effective solid-colored uniform can still be quite effective so long as one learns to use terrain to his advantage (after all, such was the case through most of the 20th century). Of all the favored patterns for US terrain the recommended trends appear to be (in increasing order of cost) old US M81 Woodland, Bundeswehr surplus original Flecktarn, and current US Army OCP or another variant of Crye MultiCam. I will address these in the rest of the section but in any case these are recommended as general starting uniforms since they "just work."
Save for those operating in desert or wintry terrain I cannot recommend M81 enough, even though it is a more specialized than general pattern pattern, because it gets the job done. Surplus BDUs are still out there proving how well they were made after years of use, and new ones continue to be churned out by private manufacturers such as Tru-Spec who offer a variant in the new Army-style cut (they call it the TRU since they cannot say ACU without running into legal liabilities) thereby granting the same old effective pattern in a more effective uniform. There are also combat shirts (designed to be worn with body armor) and choice of headgear; ergo, the old-school Battle Dress Uniform served well over 4 decades for good reason and it remains the most accessible and recommended militia starter for the foreseeable future. The more subdued German Flecktarn is a strong contender for wooded and mountainous terrain which covers so much of the continental United States. I have no personal experience with it and will not make any uninformed assertions here, however I notice its accessibility is declining (that is, supply is dwindling and prices going up) as the Bundeswehr seems to be jumping on the universal camouflage bandwagon (search engine "Multitarn"). In any case this looks to be at least as specialized a pattern as anyone else's woodland so its suitability in that regard would need to be accounted for, however for now it remains at a more reasonable cost than the third popular choice. It is one of those typical tales of money-grubbing politics that the US Army asserted the right to develop what became OCP so that it would not legally be a MultiCam variant thus avoiding owing Crye royalties. I say that to reflect the key point that needs to be made: MultiCam may be possibly the most effective "universal" camouflage pattern in the world today but it is also quite expensive with a complete uniform invariably breaching 3 figures USD. I have opted not to invest in this pattern (despite having an available budget for it) because in my experience I find universal camouflage to be too limited a substitute for the late 20th century system of multiple specialized camouflage patterns. However, for those who can afford multiple sets I must acknowledge its superb effectiveness in a variety of terrain is an asset (just try to get surplus OCPs instead of commercial MultiCam since those may run cheaper plus will likely have the NIR protection).
Load Bearing Gear: Ounces = Pounds, Pounds = Pain
I realize up-front I cannot do this subject justice in part of a single post (or even three). However, I take issue with militia groups who standardize uniforms and equipment to the point of emulating the real US military (unless, like with some State Guards, there is already an order of understanding that anticipates interoperability with the military) because 1) it potentially runs afoul of stolen valor charges or other false associations that could needlessly complicate operations and 2) it misses the point that militia are not to be reserve troops but rather have a community-based role different enough for each individual unit to craft its own "service identity." I will keep saying it: "well regulated" does NOT mean attaining regular military standard which, if one looks at history, will be noticed as never having been the case anyway.
I contemplate making load bearing gear overviews its own subseries on this blog because of the sheer variety of choice weapons, compatible equipment, and scenarios for which either can be suitable or not. The point having been made the the militiaman is not obligated to standardize the means he chooses to carry his equipment, I will also emphasize that surplus USGI gear (in particular, from the late Cold War all the way to the present) is a great start. Despite its standard issue (meaning low bid) status there is much to be said about gear built tough enough to withstand the roughest of field conditions while its surplus status makes it affordable to the average citizen. It is far from perfect and that will be covered in greater detail, but try finding better at its available price point.
This Was a Flyover I have spent years accumulating my own militia loadouts and I make them my own (I am unaffiliated with any militia group at this time) so I will be writing on this from direct experience. Decades of service in the Civil Air Patrol have ingrained in me an emphasis on appearance and uniformity of standards which I follow even in my own militia domain, but I am fighting that inclination and trying to be objective since I understand neither is that high a priority should my community or country need my services. Everyone's situation is different but, as has happened many times in America's history, that will not matter when the need is for as many willing volunteers as can muster.