Which amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms?

• A. Amendment I
• B. Amendment III
• C. Amendment IV
• D. Amendment II

Answer: (D)

The right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment. This amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, was included to acknowledge an individual right to possess firearms for self-defense and for participating in a state militia. The text ties that right to the people and to the idea that a well-regulated militia is necessary for national security, but in practice the takeaway is that individuals generally have the right to own firearms, subject to reasonable regulations. Modern court decisions have reinforced this individual right while allowing limits such as background checks, age restrictions, and prohibitions for certain dangerous individuals. The other options protect different rights: one secures freedom of expression and related liberties, another forbids quartering soldiers in private homes, and the last guards against unreasonable searches and seizures.