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 Oklahoma, the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution is upheld, recognizing the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. This interpretation aligns with the individual rights theory, which has been supported by the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), affirming that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia. Oklahoma state statutes reflect a strong tradition of gun rights, allowing for open carry and concealed carry of firearms with a proper license. The state preempts local governments from enacting gun control laws that are more restrictive than state laws. While there is a national debate over the individual rights versus collective rights interpretations of the Second Amendment, Oklahoma's laws and regulations tend to favor the individual rights perspective, allowing for relatively permissive firearm possession and use within the bounds of federal and state law.