That is some good historical perspective. As I see it, the 2nd Amendment is the pillar of trust on which the rest of the constitution rests. The fundamental assumption of democracy is that the average citizen is capable of making responsible decisions. Guns in the hands of responsible citizens will never pose any danger to the wellbeing of society. On the other hand, votes in the hands of irresponsible people pose a tremendous hazard to the wellbeing of a democratic society. Anyone who is responsible enough to be entrusted with the right to vote is certainly responsible enough to own firearms. Thus, if you try to take away the people's right to bear arms, you are implying that they are no longer morally and intellectually capable of self-governing, and so without the 2nd amendment, the rest of our "rights" would become nothing but empty promises scrawled on an old scrap of parchment.