the Second Amendment
/ðə ˌsekənd əˈmendmənt/
/ðə ˌsekənd əˈmendmənt/
- an amendment (= change) to the American Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, passed in 1791. The Second Amendment gives people the right to bear arms (= to own and carry weapons). This has become an issue because of a number of recent tragic events when one armed person has shot a number of people. There is now much disagreement over what this Amendment actually means. Some people believe it only applies to the military and others that it applies to all citizens. It states: ‘A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.’
第二修正案：1791年通过的对《美国宪法》的修正，是《权利法案》的一部分。第二修正案赋予人们携带武器（拥有和携带武器）的权利。由于最近发生的一系列悲惨事件，一个武装人员开枪射击了许多人，这已成为一个问题。现在，对于该修正案的实际含义存在很多分歧。有些人认为它仅适用于军队，而另一些人则认为适用于所有公民。它指出：“对一个自由国家的安全必不可少的，受到良好管制的民兵，不得侵犯人们拥有和携带武器的权利。”