RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
IN STATE CONSTITUTIONS
That every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state.
A well-regulated militia being necessary to the
security of a
The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state
shall not be impaired, but nothing in this
section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations
to organize, maintain, or employ an armed body of men.
The citizens of
this State shall have the right to keep and bear arms for
their common defense.
The right of no
person to keep and bear arms in defense
of his home, person and property,
or in
aid of the civil power when thereto legally summoned,
shall be called
in question; but nothing herein contained shall be
construed to justify
the practice of carrying concealed weapons.
Every citizen has a
right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state.
A person has the
right to keep and bear
arms for the defense of
self, family, home, and State, and for hunting and recreational
use.
The right of the
people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the
lawful authority of the stat shall not be infringed, except that the
manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law.
The right of
the people to keep and
bear arms, shall not be infringed, but the General Assembly shall have power to prescribe
the manner in which arms may be borne.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the
security of a
The people have the right to keep and
bear arms, which right shall not be abridged; but this provision shall not prevent the passage of
laws to govern the carrying of
weapons concealed on the person
nor prevent passage of legislation providing minimum
sentences for crimes committed while in possession of a firearm, nor
prevent the passage of legislation providing penalties for the possession of firearms by a convicted felon,
no prevent the passage of any
legislation punishing the use of a
firearm. No law shall impose licensure,
registration or special taxation on the ownership or possession of
firearms or ammunition. Nor shall any law permit
the confiscation of firearms,
except those actually used in
the commission of a felony.
Subject only to the police power, the right of
the individual citizen to keep
and bear arms shall not be
infringed.
The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the
State.
Ind. Constitution
Article I, Section 32
The people have the right to bear arms
for their defense and
security; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous
to liberty, and shall not be tolerated, and the military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power.
All men are, by nature, free and equal, and have
certain inherent inalienable
rights, among which may be
reckoned: ... The right to bear arms in defense of themselves
and of the State,
subject to the
power of the General
Assembly to enact laws to
prevent persons from carrying concealed weapons.
The right of each citizen to keep and
bear arms shall not be abridged but this provision shall not
prevent the passage of laws
to prohibit the carrying of weapons concealed on the person.
Every citizen
has the right to keep and
bear arms for the common
defense; and this right shall never be
questioned.
The people have
a right to keep and bear arms for the common defence.
And as, in time of peace, armies are dangerous to
liberty, they ought not
to be maintained
without the consent of the
legislature; and the military power shall
always be held
in an exact subordination to the civil authority,
and be governed by it.
Every person
has a right to keep and bear arms
for the defense of
himself and the state.
The right of every citizen to keep and bear arms
in defense of his
home, person, or property, or in aid of the civil
power where thereto legally summoned,
shall not be called in question, but the legislature may regulate or forbid
carrying concealed weapons.
That the right of every citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person and property, or when lawfully summoned in
aid of the civil power, shall not be questioned; but this shall
not justify the
wearing of concealed weapons.
The right of any
person to keep or bear arms in defense
of his own home,
person, and property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto legally summoned, shall not be
called in question, but nothing
contained shall be held to
permit the carrying of
concealed weapons.
Every citizen
has the right to keep and
bear arms for security and defense, for
lawful hunting and recreational
use and for other lawful purposes.
All persons have the right to keep and bear arms
in defense of
themselves, their families,
their property, and the state.
No law shall
abridge the right of the citizen to
keep and bear
arms for security
and defense, for lawful hunting and
recreational use and for
other lawful purposes,
but nothing herein shall be held
to permit the carrying of concealed weapons.
N.M.
Constitution Article II, Section 6.
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; and, as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they
shall not be maintained, and the military shall be kept
under strict subordination
to, and governed by, the civil
power. Nothing herein shall justify the
practice of carrying concealed weapons,
or prevent the General Assembly from enacting penal statutes
against that practice.
N.C. Constitution Article I, Section 30.
All individuals are by nature equally
free and independent and have certain
inalienable rights, among which are ... to keep and bear arms for the defense of their person,
family, property, and the
state, and for
lawful hunting,
recreational, and other
lawful purposes, which shall not be infringed.
The people have the right to bear arms
for their defense and
security; but standing armies, in
time of peace are dangerous to liberty,
and shall not be kept up;
and the military shall be in
strict subordination to the civil power.
The right of a
citizen to keep and bear
arms in defense of his home, person, or property, or in aid of the civil power,
when thereunto legally summoned, shall
never be prohibited; but nothing herein contained shall
prevent the Legislature from regulating the carrying of weapons.
The people shall
have the right to bear
arms for the defense of themselves, and the State, but the
Military shall be kept in
strict subordination to the civil power.
The right of
the citizens to bear arms in defence of
themselves and the State shall not be questioned.
The right of the
people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
R.I.
Constitution Article I, Section 22.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the
security of a
S.C.
Constitution Article I, Section 20.
The right of
the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the state shall
not be denied.
S.D.
Constitution Article VI, Section 24
That the
citizens of this State have a right
to keep
and to bear arms for their common defense; but
the Legislature shall
have power, by law, to regulate the wearing
of arms with a view to prevent crimes.
Every citizen shall have the right to
keep and bear arms
in the lawful
defence
of himself or the State; but the
Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate
the wearing of arms, with a
view to prevent crime.
The people have the right to bear arms
for their security and
defense, but the Legislature may regulate the exercise of
this right by law.
That the people
have a right to bear arms for the defence of
themselves and the State -
and as standing armies in time of
peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be
kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to and
governed by the civil power.
That a well regulated militia, composed
of the body of the people,
trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a
free state, therefore,
the right of the
people to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed; that standing armies, in
time of peace, should
be avoided as dangerous to liberty;
and that in all cases the
military should be under strict subordination, to, and governed by,
the civil power.
The right of the individual citizen to bear arms
in defense of himself, or the
state, shall not be impaired, but
nothing in this section
shall be construed as
authorizing individuals or corporations
to organize, maintain, or employ
an armed body of men.
A person has the
right to keep and bear
arms for the defense of
self, family, home, and state,
and for lawful
hunting and recreational use.
The right of
the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the
state shall not be denied.
STATES
WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS:
Eight states do
not have (as of June 1, 1988) constitutional provisions on the
right to keep and
bear arms. They are