2nd Amendment

The 2nd Amendment to the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution states that "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." There has been much controversy over the meaning of this amendment and where the framers intended to place emphasis, be it on the well regulated militia or the absolute right to keep and bear arms. The amendment has been hotly debated, and is considered a politically volatile subject, particularly in rural congressional districts where hunting is considered to be an American tradition.

The primary controversy over the second amendment stems from the emphasis the founding fathers intended. It has generally been ruled that the amendment applies to individuals, rather than the collective "people" or the militia. Therefore, there has been little legal restrictions placed on the individual right to gun ownership. There have been some notable restrictions on gun ownership, such as the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.

The Second Amendment of the United States constitution is one the most misunderstood and most widely discussed of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights. Debate over the Second Amendment escalated in the late 20th century, when organizations lobbying for gun control in the United States found themselves debating pro-gun lobbies over the precise meaning of this Amendment. The arguments which rage over this Amendment hinge on what exactly it means and who it is supposed to be referencing. Unfortunately for scholars who are interested in the Second Amendment debate, few Supreme Court cases has tested the Second Amendment, making it even more challenging to analyze the intent of these loaded words.