Right to Keep and Bear Arms

"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."

The Second AmendmentSecond AmendmentProtects an individual right to keep and bear arms, held incorporated against the states in 2010. Regulation is analyzed against historical tradition.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) concerns the right to keep and bear arms. Its precise scope, including which regulationsregulationA binding rule written by a federal agency under authority Congress gave it. It has the force of law, but it is not a statute and can be changed without Congress.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) are permitted, has been addressed by the Supreme CourtSupreme CourtThe only court the Constitution itself creates. Nine Justices, life tenure, and near-total control over which cases they hear.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) in several decisions and remains the subject of active litigationlawsuitA dispute brought to court for decision. Litigation is the process of conducting one, from complaint through discovery, trial, and appeal.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) and legislation. This library presents the text and the plain-language reading without taking a position.