Amendments
Amendment II
Constitution of the United States
Official text
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Proposed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791.
In plain English
The people have a right to keep and carry weapons, and the government may not infringe it. The opening phrase about a "well regulated Militia" gives a reason for the right; it does not limit who holds it. In 1791 the militia meant the body of ordinary citizens able to bear arms.
The Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), that the right belongs to individuals, and in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022), that gun laws must fit the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation.
"...the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation..."
- James Madison, The Federalist No. 46 (1788)
Plain-English summary drafted by Christian Vote USA; editor review pending. Always read the official text above.
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Learn more
- The Second Amendment: The Right to Keep and Bear Arms (The Bill of Rights)
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