"Stevens said that bear arms has a military meaning . So was he saying that the right is individual but existed in connection with militia service ? Is this some kind of hybrid model ? Interestingly , scholars who made similar claims in the past got lumped in with those who supported a collective right by the pro gun crowd . But I suppose it sounds good to say that all nine Supreme Court justices supported an individual rights interpretation ."
"`` 4 JUSTICE STEVENS criticizes us for discussing the prologue last . Post , at 8 . But if a prologue can be used only to clarify an ambiguous operative provision , surely the first step must be to determine whether the operative provision is ambiguous . It might be argued , we suppose , that the prologue itself should be one of the factors that go into the determination of whether the operative provision is ambiguous & # 8212 ; but that would cause the prologue to be used to produce ambiguity rather than just to resolve it . In any event , even if we considered the prologue along with the operative provision we would reach the same result we do today , since ( as we explain ) our interpretation of & # 8220 ; the right of the people to keep and bear arms & # 8221 ; furthers the purpose of an effective militia no less than ( indeed , more than ) the dissent & # 8217 ; s interpretation . See infra , at 26 & # 8211 ; 27 . 5 JUSTICE STEVENS is of course correct , post , at 10 , that the right to assemble can not be exercised alone , but it is still an individual right , and not one conditioned upon membership in some defined & # 8220 ; assembly , & # 8221 ; as he contends the right to bear arms is conditioned upon membership in a defined militia . And JUSTICE STEVENS is dead wrong to think that the right to petition is & # 8220 ; primarily collective in nature. & # 8221 ; Ibid . See McDonald v. Smith , 472 U. S. 479 , 482 & # 8211 ; 484 ( 1985 ) ( describing historical origins of right to petition ) . `` DC v. Heller Pages 8 and 9"
"Stevens said that bear arms has a military meaning . who supported a collective right by the pro gun crowd"
"criticizes us for discussing the prologue last ."