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The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly guarantee that every U.S. citizen has the right to bear any type of arm they desire. If you read the actual text of the Second Amendment, it states, “[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.” So, what exactly does the Second Amendment guarantee? It’s hard to say. Even the most brilliant scholars in constitutional law disagree.

Historically, the Second Amendment was interpreted only as protecting state militias from disarmament by the federal government. It was only recently, in a 2008 court case, District of Columbia v. Heller, that the Supreme court in a 5-4 decision held that the individual right to bear arms was recognized. However, how far this right extends is open for debate.

The ambiguity of this text was crafted purposefully by our founders: they wanted to write a document that would be able to withstand the test of time. While it is frustrating to not have an exact definition of what is guaranteed we can look to other amendments in our Constitution and see a similar pattern. For example, the First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech. However, the Supreme Court has imposed certain limits on free speech (e.g., you can’t yell “fire” in a public setting without reason).

Thus, nobody is trying to take all your guns. Rather, politicians are debating what limitations should be placed on this right. It is the same conversation we have with all other rights. The conversation shows we have a healthy democracy that encourages open dialogue and balances rights with appropriate regulations. So please, don’t sensationalize the truth about our right to bear arms.