The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution provides for the right to keep and bear arms, and reads: "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."

Some people believe this language creates a Constitutional, individual right for citizens of the United States to keep and bear arms, and prohibits Congress and state legislatures from prohibiting or restricting the possession of firearms.

Others believe the beginning words ("A well regulated militia being necessary”) indicate the intent of the Amendment was only to restrict Congress from limiting a state’s right to self-defense. This collective rights theory of the Second Amendment holds that citizens do not have an individual right to possess firearms, and that federal, state, and local legislative bodies may regulate the possession of firearms without implicating a Constitutional right.

At the time the First Amendment was ratified, some militia members used their own weapons, and some used weapons from their state’s militia stores.

In Hawaii, the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution is recognized, but the state has implemented its own regulations regarding firearms. Hawaii's laws are known for being some of the strictest in the nation. The state requires permits to acquire firearms, registration of all firearms, and a licensing system for gun owners. Hawaii law also mandates a 14-day waiting period for the purchase of any firearm, and individuals must pass a background check. The state does not recognize the concealed carry of firearms by the general public, with very limited exceptions. The debate over whether the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear arms or a collective right related to state militias has been largely settled by the U.S. Supreme Court in decisions such as District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which recognized an individual's right to possess firearms unconnected with service in a militia, and McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), which held that the right of an individual to keep and bear arms is incorporated by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and is applicable to the states. Despite these rulings, states like Hawaii continue to exercise their power to regulate firearms to ensure public safety, within the boundaries established by the Supreme Court.