Massachusetts Constitution Quote

“The people have a right to keep and bear arms for the common defense. And as, in times 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.”

~ Massachusetts Constitution

Part of the First, article xvii.

Ratings and Comments


Mike, Norwalk

In a Common Wealth where socialism reigns supreme, this is on the low end of the halfway mark of man's inalienable right. The individual is sovereign with individual right to keep and bear arms for any lawful purpose (natural law, not legal positivism) To the young nation of freedom loving people, police departments were considered a standing army to carry out the dictates of a foreign despot. As evidence of that concept, the police are the Mayor's military (armed and dangerous); enforcing compelled compliance, license, victimless crimes, governmental larceny with impunity (civil penalties for alleged criminal acts for one) denial of individual inalienable rights, denial of ownership (being replaced by title, etc.) and all other forms of tyranny contrary to the individual free sovereign. Civil authority now is nothing more than a pawn in the foreign despots' legions.

J Carlton, Calgary

Besides the obvious statement of our right to self defense...one of the most basic laws of nature, the standing armies being at the consent of the legislature is very much in question at this time. Our military is no longer "standing" in the defense of the nation, it is on a mission determined by the anti-American UN and performing various police actions of dubious purpose all over the globe. We are party to UN treaties that allow for foreign soldiers at arms to be on American soil in times of civil unrest. If that were to actually occur...we're right back to the original intent of the 2nd Amendment.

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