John Louis Coffey Quote

“I join others who throughout history have recognized that an individual in this country has a protected right, within the confines of the criminal law, to guard his or her home or place of business from unlawful intrusions. ... Surely nothing could be more fundamental to the “concept of ordered liberty” than the basic right of an individual, within the confines of the criminal law, to protect his home and family from unlawful and dangerous intrusions.”

~ John Louis Coffey

Quilici v. Village of Morton Grove, 695 F.2d 261, 272, 278 (1982) (dissent) cert. denied 464 U.S. 863 (1983).

Ratings and Comments


Mike, Norwalk

On its face, we hold this truth to be self evident - absolutely ! Individual sovereign(s) have each and every, any and all policing authority and power within self. The individual sovereign's servants, hired to extend the individuals authority and power, can lawfully do nothing the individual couldn't do. De jure policing power is not to protect but, as a domain of justice, it is to assist in bringing to fruition the constant and perpetual disposition of rendering conformity to the law (the law of nature and of nature's God, not the mere arbitrary rules of man) and, every man his due.

Mike, Norwalk

To finish and make sense of my thought, it is not the job of the police to protect my family, property, or me, it is my personal right, privilege, and responsibility.

E Archer, NYC

Interesting that this quote is applicable to all the latest intrusions into our homes and places of business. Not only have we been literally disarmed in our homes and businesses, we have been legally bound to allow government employees and their contractors to enter our homes whenever they say, seize our property without warrant or charges, secretly access logs to what we are accessing on the internet, seize bank accounts, prohibit growing anything on one's own property, prohibit the use of incandescent bulbs, and a whole host of regulations that give bureaucrats police powers over everything while securing corporate monopolies. These intrusions are increasing rapidly while Americans do little to stand up for their rights to real security from government intrusion.

Kimo, USA
  • Reply
Kimo, USA    8/15/11

One of our most fundamental laws.. A RIGHT, under law. Not a privalige, or something one pays for, a RIGHT. To have and bear arms. To protect ones self, and family.So simple, so argued about. Guns dont kill people, people kill people.

Byron, Fort Collins

Imagine how short-lived the recent London riots would have been had the looters ("protesters", in the words of the MSM) been met by an armed populace empowered by a "Make My Day" law.

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