Only 3 countries in the world protect the right to bear arms in their constitutions

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Only 3 countries in the world protect the right to bear arms in their constitutions

Open carry gun rights advocates

Chris Tilley/Reuters

Over 300 people march with loaded firearms in an Open Carry for Freedom March in Inverness, Florida in 2016.

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  • Only three countries in the world currently have a constitutional right to own a gun: the US, Mexico, and Guatemala.
  • Six other countries used to have a constitutional right to bear arms, but they've since repealed those laws.
  • The US is the only country with a right to keep and bear arms with no constitutional restrictions.


The right to keep and bear arms is a longstanding, often glorified right protected by the US Constitution.

Americans own nearly half of all the civilian-owned guns in the world, and on a per capita basis, the US has far more guns than any other nation.

Certainly, many countries are awash with guns. Among the nations with the most firearms are Serbia, Yemen, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.

There are only three countries, however, that have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms: Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States - here's why.

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