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.
Well, I guess the right to free speech doesn't apply to radios, the internet, TV, etc. After all, the Founders couldn't have predicted those things and how they would affect communications.

The 2nd was made to arm people against a tyrannical government, and as the firepower of the government increases, so too must the people's. The reality of having to fight for your freedom has not changed.

I wonder if the Irish in the early 1900s had such bemusement about a 'hangup' over guns.

Crazed Rabbit