The core of Paul Wilson's argument is his un-credited reference to a Supreme Court case from 1875, United States v. Cruikshank. Quoting the first part of a sentence from the decision “The right to bear arms is not granted by the Constitution.” it appears to support the assertion laid out in the rest of his letter. If one reads the sentence in it's entirety "The right to bear arms is not granted by the Constitution; neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence." it becomes clear that the proper interpretation is that the right preexists the Constitution, as do all rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights. The Cruikshank decision does not in any way support Paul's argument.