Which amendment protects the right to bear arms?

• A. The First Amendment
• B. The Second Amendment
• C. The Eighth Amendment
• D. The Ninth Amendment

Answer: (B)

It tests which amendment protects gun ownership. The protection comes from the amendment that states the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. That wording makes bearing arms an individual liberty tied to personal security and, historically, to the idea of a militia. While the text mentions a militia, the modern understanding is that individuals have a right to possess firearms, with regulation allowed. The other listed amendments address different rights—freedom of speech, religion, and assembly; protections against cruel and unusual punishment; and rights retained by the people not specifically listed—so they don’t address bearing arms. In short, the amendment that explicitly protects the right to bear arms is the one that guarantees that right shall not be infringed.