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 Vermont, the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution is recognized and provides for the right to keep and bear arms. Vermont has some of the most permissive gun laws in the United States, reflecting the individual rights interpretation of the Second Amendment. The state does not require permits for the purchase or carry of firearms, including concealed carry, for individuals who are legally eligible to possess firearms under federal law. Vermont's approach aligns with the view that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess firearms, rather than a collective right tied solely to militia service. However, there are federal laws and regulations that apply within Vermont, as well as state statutes that address certain aspects of firearm possession, such as prohibiting firearm possession by certain individuals and regulating the transfer of firearms. The debate over the individual rights versus collective rights interpretations of the Second Amendment continues at the national level, but Vermont's laws currently favor the individual rights perspective.