Second Amendment

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that protects a right to keep and bear arms from infringement by the federal government, including federal enclaves and Washington, D.C. The Second Amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller, ruled that "[t]he 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" and "that the District’s ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense."