gun rights
plural noun
US politics
: legal rights that allow civilians to own, use, and sell guns
supporters of gun rights
—often used before another noungun rights advocates/groups
Note: The term gun rights often suggests support for an interpretation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that favors broad rights to gun ownership.
Examples of gun rights in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Such bans have been passed in response to mass shootings, but gun rights advocates argue that millions of Americans own AR-15s for self-defense.
—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
The court, which has a conservative majority, has expanded gun rights, including in two cases this term.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
But the administration’s lawsuits and its recruitment of a legal team steeped in Second Amendment issues were welcomed by gun rights advocates.
—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2026
Three years after John Roberts became chief justice, the court ruled for the first time in 2008 that the 2nd Amendment protected individual gun rights, not just state militias.
—
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
In a dissenting opinion by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Jackson argued the case is not about gun rights, but rather property rights, since there is no constitutional right to enter private property without permission.
—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Under Bruen, when Congress limits gun rights, the government must demonstrate an analogy between the restriction on bearing arms and some founding-era legal practice.
—
Noah Feldman,
Twin Cities,
25 June 2026
The Supreme Court barred the government from restricting the gun rights of casual drug users in a case involving the same statute used to convict Hunter Biden.
—
Josh Feldman,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
The Supreme Court ruled to limit the power of the federal government to restrict the gun rights of casual drug users.
—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
The court, which has a conservative majority, has expanded gun rights, including in two cases this term.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
But the administration’s lawsuits and its recruitment of a legal team steeped in Second Amendment issues were welcomed by gun rights advocates.
—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2026
Three years after John Roberts became chief justice, the court ruled for the first time in 2008 that the 2nd Amendment protected individual gun rights, not just state militias.
—
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
In a dissenting opinion by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Jackson argued the case is not about gun rights, but rather property rights, since there is no constitutional right to enter private property without permission.
—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Under Bruen, when Congress limits gun rights, the government must demonstrate an analogy between the restriction on bearing arms and some founding-era legal practice.
—
Noah Feldman,
Twin Cities,
25 June 2026
The Supreme Court barred the government from restricting the gun rights of casual drug users in a case involving the same statute used to convict Hunter Biden.
—
Josh Feldman,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
The Supreme Court ruled to limit the power of the federal government to restrict the gun rights of casual drug users.
—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gun rights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gun%20rights. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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