Second Amendment

Text

“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.”

Plain English

Citizens have the right to own and carry firearms. The amendment also states that a well-regulated militia — meaning a trained, organized, and coordinated body of local citizen defenders — is essential to the security of a free and sovereign state within the Constitution’s federalist design. In this context, “state” refers broadly to the political community: a town, city, county, or state. The term “militia” here does not refer to the modern National Guard.