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.
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Preamble · Seven Articles
Twenty-seven Amendments
Constitutional text
Amendment II
2 selectable clauses · PDF page 12
Source: the uploaded National Constitution Center edition. Historical wording and its bracket markers remain visible; later amendments and the reading notes explain changes.
Reading notes
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Its meaning, historical setting, structural effect, and interpretive debates will appear here.