I was following you, up until this...
the comma.... as an indicator of pause in speaking, a use it no longer has.
I claim no great expertise in linguistics, being only a humble graduate of public school in the 1970s, BUT, at that time, and as far as I can tell, ever since, the comma's most common usage is as a visual indication of a pause in speaking.
Now while the comma has been determined to have other usages, particularly in parsing legal phrases, at the time the Constitution was written, I believe that it had no such significance.
I have a fine old geography book (an original), printed in May 1803, in Boston. The language used, both in spelling and punctuation is noticeably different from what is in common usage today. Therefore, I find that any attempt to apply the standards in use today to the language of the past is a serious error. As noted, there were several different usages common in the past, and no single standard that they were, or could be held to.
I find myself in basic agreement with the Heller ruling, stating that the opening clause of the 2nd Amendment is an explanation of why the right is important, and not a requirement for the right to exist.
I am in agreement with the proper role of government being able to regulate the ownership of certain things that fall under the general description of "arms". Where I disagree with many is which "arms" should be regulated, and how much.
And I am in complete disagreement with outright prohibitions, particularly when ordinary small arms are concerned. I find the govt. believing it to be right and proper that they can tell you that you cannot own a springloaded metal box above a certain size repugnant.