What does the 2nd Amendment protect?

Asked by: Prof. Jovanny Kautzer  |  Last update: November 25, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (5 votes)

Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 2 – “The Right to Keep and Bear Arms” Amendment Two to the Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791. It protects the right for Americans to possess weapons for the protection of themselves, their rights, and their property.

What does bear arms mean in the Second Amendment?

right to possess or carry arms for personal self-defense. The right would be. for a government organized militia, or at best, to exercise what the.

What right does the 2nd Amendment guarantee you?

Second Amendment Right to 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.

What was the original purpose of the Second Amendment?

Abundant historical evidence indicates that the Second Amendment was meant to leave citizens with the ability to defend themselves against unlawful violence. Such threats might come from usurpers of governmental power, but they might also come from criminals whom the government is unwilling or unable to control.

What is not covered by the Second Amendment?

Cruikshank, one of the Court's holdings was that the Second Amendment only prevented the federal government from infringing on a person's right to bear arms. In other words, the Second Amendment's guarantees do not protect people from private actors or state governments that may try to prevent them from bearing arms.

Why You Were Lied To About The 2nd Amendment

28 related questions found

Does the 2nd Amendment apply to all weapons?

And what that test says is, weapons that are in common use (1) by law-abiding citizens, (2) for lawful purposes get second amendment protection. So, weapons that are not in common use by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes presumptively don't have constitutional protection.

What two amendments were not approved?

In 1789, at the time of the submission of the Bill of Rights, twelve pro-were ratified and became the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Proposed Articles I and II were not ratified with these ten, but, in 1992, Article II was proclaimed as ratified, 203 years later.

What did the founding fathers intend with the Second Amendment?

The Founding Fathers felt that citizens should be able to protect themselves against the government and any other threat to their wellbeing or personal freedom. The Second Amendment granted citizens that right — giving them the ability to defend themselves and their property.

Does the Second Amendment only apply to militias?

In a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2008, District of Columbia v. Heller asserted that the Second Amendment protected the right of all individual citizens to keep and bear their own weapons to defend themselves, instead of only being for a state-run militia.

What might happen if there were no second amendment?

Without the Second Amendment, states and the federal government would be able to regulate the manufacturing, sale and use of fire arms any way they like. Government could even go as far as strictly prohibiting anyone from owning or using firearms. There is actually some debate about what the Second Amendment means.

What are the benefits of the Second Amendment?

Our Constitution's framers affirmed our right to bear arms through the Second Amendment for an important reason; to provide Americans with means of protection and self-defense.

What amendment stopped soldiers from entering your home?

Third Amendment. No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Is the Second Amendment still relevant today?

The 2nd amendment is absolutely still relevant today. The law abiding citizens of this country have the right to bear arms. It is clearly stated and must not be infringed. That means that no one can take our guns away.

What are the exact words of the Second Amendment?

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.

Is gun control unconstitutional?

The Second Amendment was written to protect Americans' right to establish militias to defend themselves, not to allow individual Americans to own guns; consequently, gun-control measures do not violate the U.S. Constitution.

What is your fourth Amendment?

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things ...

What is amendment 7?

Amendment Seven to the Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791. It protects the right for citizens to have a jury trial in federal courts with civil cases where the claim exceeds a certain dollar value. It also prohibits judges in these trials from overruling facts revealed by the jury.

Who wrote the Second Amendment and why?

The Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, was proposed by James Madison to allow the creation of civilian forces that can counteract a tyrannical federal government.

How does the NRA support the Second Amendment?

The NRA systematically deletes the phrase "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state," from the often-quoted second phrase, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." There is an extensive body of legal authority that interprets the amendment to guarantee the ...

What did James Madison say about the 2nd Amendment?

Drafted by James Madison, the final version of the Second Amendment on September 25, 1789, reads, “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.” Understanding the disputes and previous drafts of the Second Amendment ...

What is a famous quote about the Second Amendment?

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country." "...the ultimate authority, wherever the derivative may be found, resides in the people alone..."

What are the arguments against the Second Amendment?

The anti 2A community often argues that it is too easy to purchase a firearm if you're a bad person and that nobody should be allowed to own an automatic weapon or the accessories for one. This is more common towards the northern parts of the states.

Which states did not ratify the 2nd amendment?

So everything depends on what we can find out about Massachusetts and Connecticut. For the original Second Amendment—what we shall call “the Congressional Pay Amendment”—to be part of the Bill of Rights would have required one of the following three states to agree: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Georgia.

Which amendment is no longer valid?

The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, making it the only constitutional amendment in American history to be repealed.

What is the only thing that Cannot be amended in the Constitution?

What is the only thing in the US Constitution that cannot be changed by an amendment? There isn't anything that can't be changed by an amendment or two. There's one thing which can't be changed by a single amendment: The equal representation of the States in the US Senate.