Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Text of the Constitution of the United States - Second Amendment
- Second Amendment
- Constitutional carry of guns - Con 2: The Second Amendment does not protect the right to carry a concealed weapon.
- District of Columbia v. Heller
- Gun control - Con 1: The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects individual gun ownership.
How is the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution worded?
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Second Amendment
The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is worded as follows:
"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."12
Adopted in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, this amendment has been the subject of significant legal interpretation, most notably in the Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller (2008). In that decision, the Court held that the amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home, independent of service in a militia.234