King, Precedent is important in the rule of law. The meaning of the Second Amendment has been drawn into question by the anti-gun forces and a big part of proof is precedent. How did the framers of the Constitution mean for certain things to be interpreted? While in the minds of those who wrote the Bill of Rights, the meaning was clear because of their contemporary context, words are parsed over the years and bent to the meaning of those who desire to define the Second Amendment as pertaining only to the National Guard. When the other writings of the authors of the Constitution provide the context within which it must be interpreted, then those words have tremendous value, regardless of their age.