Amendment II

Debates in Congress

• quoted bySuggested
  House, August 17, 1789, ¶ 1

  …clause of the fourth proposition in the report was taken into consideration, being as folows: * A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms."

  The paragraph gives the words of the committee's proposal, and its words "security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" appear in the Second Amendment.

• quoted bySuggested
  House, June 8, 1789, ¶ 32

  The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country: but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military…

  The paragraph gives the words of Mr. Madison's proposals, and its words "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" appear in the Second Amendment.

• cited bySuggested
  Senate, May 23, 1866, ¶ 20

  …and of the press; the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the Government for a redress of grievances, a right appertaining to each and all the people; the right to keep and to bear arms; the right to be exempted from the quartering of soldiers in a house without the consent of the owner; the right to be exempt from unreasonable seai ches and…

  Among the rights it says are "secured by the first eight amendments of the Constitution," the paragraph names "the right to keep and to bear arms."

The Supreme Court

Cases whose essays in the Constitution Annotated cite them under this clause, oldest first. Each link names the pages it comes from.

• interpreted bySuggested
  Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)60 U.S. 393, decided March 18, 1857

  The Constitution Annotated's essays on this provision cite the case on 2 pages.

  Source: Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (2022 ed.), essays Amdt2.3, pp. 1583, 1584.

• interpreted bySuggested
  United States v. Cruikshank (1876)92 U.S. 542, decided March 27, 1876

  The Constitution Annotated's essays on this provision cite the case on 2 pages.

  Source: Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (2022 ed.), essays Amdt2.1, Amdt2.3, pp. 1579, 1584.

• interpreted bySuggested
  District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)554 U.S. 570, decided June 26, 2008

  The Constitution Annotated's essays on this provision cite the case on 6 pages.

  Source: Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (2022 ed.), essays Amdt2.1, Amdt2.4, Amdt2.5, pp. 1579, 1587, 1588, 1589, 1590, 1591.

• interpreted bySuggested
  McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010)561 U.S. 742, decided June 28, 2010

  The Constitution Annotated's essays on this provision cite the case on 3 pages.

  Source: Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (2022 ed.), essays Amdt2.1, Amdt2.5, pp. 1579, 1591, 1592.