SECOND AMENDMENT

an amendment (= change) to the American Constitution , part of the Bill of Rights , passed in 1791. The Second Amendment gives people the right to bear arms (= to own and carry weapons). This has become an issue because of a number of recent tragic events when one armed person has shot a number of people. There is now much disagreement over what this Amendment actually means. Some people believe it only applies to the military and others that it applies to all citizens. It states: ‘A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.’