Amendment 2 - United States Constitution Interactive

What does it Say?

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.

What does it Mean?

The most relevant part of the second amendment is the highly debated portion that guarantees citizens the right to keep and use arms if necessary. The broad interpretation of this amendment fueled heated debates between gun advocates and gun opponents in the late 1900's. As crimes involving guns increased in the late 1900's, various gun-control laws that restricted gun use and tightened gun ownership laws were proposed. Gun advocates cited the U.S. Constitution in forming arguments that the newly proposed laws violated rights guaranteed in the second amendment.