Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quoteShare via Email Print this Page Daily Quotes Archives2022-06-12 Jun 10, 2022The 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 ConstitutionWhat country before ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.~ Thomas JeffersonSelf-defense is a part of the law of nature; nor can it be denied the community, even against the king himself.~ William Barclay Jun 9, 2022The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out unless the government has a 'compelling interest' in censoring the Internet. The Second Amendment doesn't say you have the right to keep and bear arms until some madman plants a bomb. The Fourth Amendment doesn't say you have the right to be secure from search and seizure unless some FBI agent thinks you fit the profile of a terrorist. The government has no right to interfere with any of these freedoms under any circumstances.~ Harry Browne... in all countries where personal freedom is valued, however much each individual may rely on legal redress, the right of each to carry arms -- and these the best and the sharpest -- for his own protection in case of extremity, is a right of nature indelible and irrepressible, and the more it is sought to be repressed the more it will recur.~ James PatersonArms in the hands of individual citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defence of the country, the over-throw of tyranny, or in private self-defence .~ John Adams Jun 8, 2022It is unreasonable ... to oblige a man not to attempt the defense of his own life.~ Charles de MontesquieuTo preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them.~ Richard Henry Lee[It is a basic principle of a tyrant] to unarm his people of weapons, money, and all means whereby they resist his power.~ Sir Walter Raleigh Jun 7, 2022Because this right [of self-defense] cannot be effectively exercised with bare hands, the right to keep and bear arms is the only efficient way to secure the fundamental right of self-defense.~ Robert DowlutOne sword keeps another in the sheath.~ George HerbertThe prohibition is general. No clause in the Constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to give congress a power to disarm the people. Such a flagitious attempt could only be made under some general pretense by a state legislature. But if in any blind pursuit of inordinate power, either should attempt it, this amendment may be appealed to as a restraint on both.~ William Rawle Jun 6, 2022Americans need never fear their government because of the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation.~ James MadisonThe right of ordinary citizens to possess weapons is the most extraordinary, most controversial, and least understood of those liberties secured by Englishmen and bequeathed to their American colonists. It lies at the very heart of the relationship between the individual and his fellows, and between the individual and his government.~ Joyce Lee MalcolmHow a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual… as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of.~ Suzanna Gratia Hupp Previous week's quotes Next week's quotes Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print