The "right of the people to bear arms" has been hotly debated in the 21st century. given the historical time frame, why do you think this was an important right for the people to have?

Because at the time, it was much more dangerous for people not to bear arms and be defenseless. If you could protect yourself at the time, it was much easier for you to surive in the hard times that people were living in at the time. This is, of course, much different today and the same laws aren't necessarily applicable.