[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

I agree with you in principal but I am taking “confer” in cotext to what Justice Thomas is writing in that specific passage.

I believe he is talking about the Right to keep and bear arms being confered from British law to American law.

Thomas believes in Natural Law. I have no doubt in my mind he would agree with you that the Constitution recognizes natural or God-given Rights, rather than creating them. So I really believe in my heat of hearts what Thomas is doing here is a little political strategem for Democrats who want to believe the USA created some Right to keep and bear arms here. He is not even going there. He is say, hey we already had that right under British law and we are just transfering it here to the USA. The right pre-existed the US Constitution.

It sounds legal, not absolute to me. I am sure in my heart that Justice Thomas knows Rights are natural or God-given, and not created by scraps of paper that can just be crumpled up and so the Rights evoked.

[itsahoot]

I believe he is talking about the Right to keep and bear arms being confered from British law to American law.

I have no problem believing that Judge Thomas is a patriotic Christian, but If our rights are to be dependent on British law I might remind you that the British have no such right to firearms.