gun rights
plural noun
U.S. 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
In a separate statement, Justice Brett Kavanaugh told gun rights advocates to come back in a year or two.
—
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 4 June 2025
Several gun rights groups filed a lawsuit to dismantle what is left of the National Firearms Act (NFA) shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump signed his package of tax breaks and spending cuts into law on Friday.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025
And these people are fighting for gun rights to protect themselves.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 July 2025
In an opinion released Wednesday, the 1st District Court of Appeals said a state law that seeks to prohibit municipalities from infringing on gun rights has already been upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court, in a case out of Cleveland.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 June 2025
Key Background Gun control and the Second Amendment have become a hot-button topic at the Supreme Court in recent years, both as gun violence continues to be a major issue in the U.S. and as the court has issued sweeping opinions on gun rights.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
State militias — acknowledged and recognized in the Second Amendment (which was about keeping those militias vital, not establishing individual gun rights) — were a check on the central authority of a president who was also commander in chief.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
It was enacted in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2008 decision striking down the district’s handgun ban and for the first time saying the Constitution protects individual gun rights.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 7 June 2025
Both Minnesota and the individuals and gun rights groups that challenged the law sought Supreme Court review because courts around the country have reached different conclusions regarding the lawfulness of limiting young adults’ gun rights.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025
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Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 4 June 2025
Several gun rights groups filed a lawsuit to dismantle what is left of the National Firearms Act (NFA) shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump signed his package of tax breaks and spending cuts into law on Friday.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025
And these people are fighting for gun rights to protect themselves.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 July 2025
In an opinion released Wednesday, the 1st District Court of Appeals said a state law that seeks to prohibit municipalities from infringing on gun rights has already been upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court, in a case out of Cleveland.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 June 2025
Key Background Gun control and the Second Amendment have become a hot-button topic at the Supreme Court in recent years, both as gun violence continues to be a major issue in the U.S. and as the court has issued sweeping opinions on gun rights.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
State militias — acknowledged and recognized in the Second Amendment (which was about keeping those militias vital, not establishing individual gun rights) — were a check on the central authority of a president who was also commander in chief.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
It was enacted in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2008 decision striking down the district’s handgun ban and for the first time saying the Constitution protects individual gun rights.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 7 June 2025
Both Minnesota and the individuals and gun rights groups that challenged the law sought Supreme Court review because courts around the country have reached different conclusions regarding the lawfulness of limiting young adults’ gun rights.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gun rights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gun%20rights. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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