When facing weapons charges in Chicago, defendants may employ several constitutional arguments rooted in the Second Amendment. 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.The court ruled in Heller's favor, affirming an individual right to keep handguns in the home for self-defense. The Second Amendment prevents the government from infringing on one's right to keep and bear arms. Illinois Gun Laws​​ "Subject only to the police power, the right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Amendment Two to the Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791. It protects the right for Americans to possess weapons for the protection of themselves. In a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2008, District of Columbia v. 2783 (the Second Amendment codifies a preexisting "individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation"). Even though the decision in DC v.