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 noun

gun 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 Robinson first rose to prominence for his fervent defense of gun rights as a citizen at a Greensboro City Council meeting in 2018. —

Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024 Within days, Robinson appeared on Fox News, defending gun rights. —

Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024 Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody declined to represent a state prosecutor and county sheriff being sued by a gun rights group over the state’s ban on open-carrying firearms. —

Elaine Mallon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 24 Sep. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gun rights.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.