“[Individual disarmament] palsies the hand and brutalizes the mind; an habitual disuse of physical force totally destroys the moral; and men lose at once the power of protecting themselves, and of discerning the cause of their oppression.”

OK, probably. I kinda see where he's going. All things have their opposite; and, if a talent is not exercised it atrophies. Ahh, I get the time to prepare to morally defend yourself is before it is needed. A string of truth is there somewhere but, does habitual disuse of physical force really destroy the moral? hmm, I think not. As to discerning the cause of their oppression, absolutely.

One could say that the disuse of physical duties is already a sign of weakened morality, and thus with a palsied hand and an unsupported morality, oppression fills the void. Whether the disarming is of the hand gun or any form of self-defense (physical, intellectual, spiritual), the goal is the same: servitude of the common man.

I believe it was Oliver Cromwell who said, "Put your trust in God but keep your powder dry."

And we see the proof all around us.