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. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no change in the meaning of words or in usage that would affect the meaning of the amendment.1 Whatever the Amendment may mean, it is a bar only to federal action, not extending to state2 or private3 restraints. In the wake of tragic events, it's important to first speak to children's feelings. 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 emerging part three of the two-part test, then, is the application of per se rules to certain especially burdensome gun laws. Director, Independence Institute, Golden, Colorado. The courts have found that even allout bans on assaultstyle weapons are in harmony with the right to keep and bear arms.