Mass. Const. pt. 1, art. 17
- Constitution
- Constitution of Massachusetts
- Text as of
- October 2026
What does this section say?
The people have a right to keep and to bear arms for the common defence. And as, in time of peace, armies are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be maintained without the consent of the legislature; and the military power shall always be held in an exact subordination to the civil authority, and be governed by it.
The text is copied from the official source: malegislature.gov. This is the stored text for research. It is not legal advice; check the official source before you rely on it.