1. The Right to Bear Arms in the Virginia Constitution and the Second Amendment
- Author:
- Stephen Halbrook
- Publication Date:
- 06-2017
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Independent Institute
- Abstract:
- The right to keep and bear arms in Virginia is guaranteed by both the state and federal constitutions. Article I, section 13, of the Virginia Constitution provides in part: ‘‘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 . . . .’’ The first clause dates to 1776, while the second clause was not adopted until 1971. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted in 1791 and provides: ‘‘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.’’
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation
- Political Geography:
- America