{"data":{"id":"us-va/va.-const.-art.-i-section-13","jurisdiction":"us-va","citation":"Va. Const. art. I, § Section 13.","heading":"Militia; standing armies; military subordinate to civil power.","body":"That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.","path":["Virginia Constitution","Article I. Bill of Rights"],"source_url":"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/","current_through":"9/4/2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-04T15:18:29Z","sha256":"f50089c840203b802391c631b10fdff8a1fe83901ab62d3fa0a7bc03c9e82f18","source_id":"us-va","stale":true,"prev":"us-va/va.-const.-art.-i-section-12","next":"us-va/va.-const.-art.-i-section-14"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}