What is the full Second Amendment?

Asked by: Mrs. Dorris Bayer  |  Last update: February 11, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (50 votes)

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.

What is the full explanation of the Second Amendment?

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 is the limit of the 2nd amendment?

Age Limitations: The right to bear arms is limited to individuals who are at least 18 years of age for long guns and 21 years of age for handguns. Federal law prohibits the sale of firearms to individuals under these age limits, and many states have enacted similar restrictions.

What did founding fathers say about the 2nd amendment?

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and ...

What guns are not protected by the 2nd amendment?

That right, however, is limited to those “in common use at the time for lawful purposes like self-defense.” Id. at 624-25, 627. Indeed, this limitation is “fairly supported by the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons,” such as short-barreled shotguns and machine guns.

Why You Were Lied To About The 2nd Amendment

16 related questions found

Does the Second Amendment allow owning guns for self-defense?

Heller, the Supreme Court held that the "Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home."

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 was the intention of the framers behind the 2nd Amendment?

Some historians argue that the primary reason for the Second Amendment was to prevent the need for the United States to have a professional standing army. Alexander Hamilton argued this point in the Federalist Papers. Others say the fear of a standing army is the reason for the Second Amendment protections.

Which amendment gives the right to overthrow the government?

“The fanciful claim that the Second Amendment exists to allow armed groups to overthrow the government is the basis for the equally deranged claim that the people must have an arsenal equal to the government's.

What are the disadvantages of the Second Amendment?

The Second Amendment does not guarantee: (i) weapons of indiscriminate destructiveness such as cannons, (2) any right of violent felons or of other felons whom legislatures reasonably identify as likely to misuse weapons.

Which amendment protects you from having the military stay in 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.

Can states override the 2nd Amendment?

City of Chicago (2010) the Supreme Court ruled that state and local governments are limited to the same extent as the federal government from infringing upon this right. New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen (2022) assured the right to carry weapons in public spaces with reasonable exceptions.

Why do we have the right to bear arms?

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 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.

Who wrote the 2nd Amendment?

Who wrote the Second Amendment? 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.

What is the exact wording 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.

What would the founding fathers think of the Second Amendment today?

The Founding Fathers, if they could have foreseen the terror of today, would surely have revised the Second Amendment. They would urge us to implement gun control today. There must be some limitations on the right to bear arms of the Second Amendment. There must be gun control including banning assault weapons.

What is a famous quote about the Second Amendment?

“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”

Does the Second Amendment only apply to militias?

Starting from a precedent

In that landmark case, the Supreme Court held, as Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, that the amendment protects a right to possess a firearm unconnected to military service and that individuals are free to use such weapons for “traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

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 are the two opposing views regarding the 2nd Amendment?

Modern debates about the Second Amendment have focused on whether it protects a private right of individuals to keep and bear arms, or a right that can be exercised only through militia organizations like the National Guard. This question, however, was not even raised until long after the Bill of Rights was adopted.

Is ammunition protected by the 2nd amendment?

Petitioner shows that the public who ratified the Second Amendment understood that every type of firearm and ammunition available was protected by the guarantee, and that the Founders intended the People to have unfettered access to even military weapons, so the People would have equal footing in resistance to military ...

Does banning guns violate the Second Amendment?

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 did Justice Scalia say about the 2nd amendment?

Writing for the majority, Justice Scalia noted: “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. [It is] not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”