Quote by Pennsylvania Constitution (1776)
""XIII. That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the state; and as standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; And that the military should be kept under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.""

— Pennsylvania Constitution (1776)

Constitution of Pennsylvania - September 28, 1776

Historical Significance

First state constitutional provision protecting individual arms rights

Context

Revolutionary-era state constitution establishing precedent for Second Amendment

Context

Revolutionary-era state constitution establishing precedent for Second Amendment

Historical Significance

First state constitutional provision protecting individual arms rights