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.
In 2008 and 2010, the
Supreme Court issued two Second Amendment decisions. In
District of Columbia v. Heller
(2008), the Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an
individual's right to possess a firearm, unconnected to service in a
militia
[1][2]
and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as
self-defense within the home. Additionally, the Court enumerated several
longstanding prohibitions and restrictions on firearms possession that
it found were consistent with the Second Amendment.
[3] In
McDonald v. Chicago
(2010), the Court ruled that the Second Amendment limits state and
local governments to the same extent that it limits the federal
government.
[4]
resource from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution