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In the United States, the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right[1][2][3] protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, and by the constitutions of most U.S. states.[4] The Second Amendment declares:
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.[5][6]
Stemming from English common law tradition, the concept of a right to keep and bear arms was recognized prior to the creation of a written national constitution.[7]