The "right to bear arms" was written in a time before automatic weapons, tanks, aircraft and nuclear missiles. Heck, it even outdates battleships, Napoleon and modern science. The practical considerations of that era no longer hold true today, nor have they for a long time. The rules of the day were written with plantation owners, frontiermen and hunters in mind, certainly not for huge urban centers and all the sociological, cultural and technological changes that have taken place since over the last 200 years. It was written in a time of battle lines, cannon and cavalry, a time where wind powered sailships and industrialisation had not taken off yet. Warfare and weaponry have changed beyond all recognition, and with that their application. To be honest, I think the rest of the world is a little confused and bemused by some Americans' hangup with guns.