Looking at what there is about the debates in the Congress regarding the Bill of Rights and specifically the Second Amendment:

1. Yes, Kevin, swords are included. In fact, they are specifically mentioned as something that "belongs" to an American citizen.

2. The idea seems to be that citizens should be able to possess arms to a) protect the country during wartime and, b) insure that the government did not destroy the Rights of citizens (i.e., to allow the citizens to be able to overthrow the government if it became "destructive of these ends" as the Declaration of Independence says).

But most of the debate seems to have centered around

3. The idea that a standing army in peacetime was something not to be tolerated by a free people.

In fact, the notions discussed seem to be that the US military was to be something like Switzerland's.

As a side note, there was also much discussion about including in the Second Amendment language that would exempt those who, for religious reasons, would not carry arms from serving in the militia or any form of the military.