History tells us another story about gun control.

As Gun control seems to be a huge topic of debate, I felt compelled to revisit why it was so important to have the second amendment in the first place. The question of "Why do we need assault rifles?" comes with a simple answer in my opinion. We don't need it to protect ourselves from our neighbors as much as we need them to protect ourselves from our own tyrannical government who are armed with fully automatic weapons. Let's not forget who runs the media outlets that demonize the guns. If I wanted to disarm the general public, this would be how I would do it. Our Founding fathers experienced this first hand and knew the importance of this. The idea that our government would never turn against us is absurd (Drones used against Americans anyone?) Just wanted to throw that out there as a reminder that the focus of why we should have guns should be to protect us against those who have the bigger guns and have the motive to use them against us. Enjoy these quotes. K1



"A free people ought to be armed."
- George Washington

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
- George Washington

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
- Thomas Jefferson

"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."
- Thomas Jefferson

"The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
- Thomas Jefferson (quoting 18th century criminologist Cesare Beccaria)

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks." - Thomas Jefferson

"The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed."
- Thomas Jefferson

"On every occasion [of Constitutional interpretation] let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying [to force] what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, [instead let us] conform to the probable one in which it was passed."
- Thomas Jefferson

"I enclose you a list of the killed, wounded, and captives of the enemy from the commencement of hostilities at Lexington in April, 1775, until November, 1777, since which there has been no event of any consequence ... I think that upon the whole it has been about one half the number lost by them, in some instances more, but in others less. This difference is ascribed to our superiority in taking aim when we fire; every soldier in our army having been intimate with his gun from his infancy."
- Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Giovanni Fabbroni, June 8, 1778

"Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion in private self defense."
- John Adams

"To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason

"I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people except for a few politicians."
- George Mason (father of the Bill of Rights and The Virginia Declaration of Rights)

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe."
- Noah Webster

"The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops."
- Noah Webster

"A government resting on the minority is an aristocracy, not a Republic, and could not be safe with a numerical and physical force against it, without a standing army, an enslaved press and a disarmed populace."
- James Madison

"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms."
- James Madison

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country."
- James Madison

"The ultimate authority resides in the people alone."
- James Madison

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
- William Pitt

"To 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

"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms."
- Richard Henry Lee

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.... The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun."
- Patrick Henry

"This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty.... The right of self defense is the first law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible. Wherever standing armies are kept up, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction."
- St. George Tucker

"... arms ... discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property.... Horrid mischief would ensue were (the law-abiding) deprived the use of them."
- Thomas Paine

"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."
- Samuel Adams

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them."
- Joseph Story

"What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty .... Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins."
- Rep. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts

" ... for it is a truth, which the experience of all ages has attested, that the people are commonly most in danger when the means of insuring their rights are in the possession of those of whom they entertain the least suspicion."
- Alexander Hamilton

Yes! Thank you very much, excellent compilation of quotes. You are correct the only people a law will disarm are in fact law abiding citizens...ridiculous for a free thinking person to even consider!

reply to post by kleverone

Nice quotes. It should clear up any doubts for those who were unclear as to the intentions of the 2nd Amendment.

Here is another quote which seems to have been missed:

"Try to take my guns, and expect a size 12 where the sun dont shine."
- gladtobehere

Good luck winning a domestic war against the US government. All you will do is put the country in a state of Marshall law and loose all the freedoms we have. You will be the minority, the majority isn't going to fight........

reply to post by kleverone


S&F Great O/P, the only problem I see is that many people on this site have no sense of history.I have been told many time's that it doesn't apply now.That is public education's fault.

So you left one quote out.

" Those who cannot remember the past are comdemed to repeat it." George Santayana

reply to post by WaterBottle


I dont foresee an all out civil war type scenario in the US.

I believe there would be civil disobedience more than anything else.

But TPTB arent stupid. If you look at the history of the central bank in the US (ie Federal Reserve) it was fought against for nearly a century until they finally won in 1913. They just keep coming and enact their laws incrementally.

This is exactly why gun owners are resistant to any reforms (even the slightest) because they understand the true nature of government.

Originally posted by gladtobehere
reply to post by kleverone

 

Nice quotes. It should clear up any doubts for those who were unclear as to the intentions of the 2nd Amendment.

Here is another quote which seems to have been missed:

"Try to take my guns, and expect a size 12 where the sun dont shine."
- gladtobehere

I saw a great quote from another member howmuch4another.he was debating a member.The other member said all they want is assault rifles you will still have handguns.

His reply was.....

" A handgun is used to fight your way back to your rifle"

reply to post by WaterBottle


aw, the point being made sailed right on by ya....]
rethink your position on logic....

reply to post by GBP/JPY


Poster was not going for a point was going fot stars.Wait and watch posters tag line for stars is neocon.I kind of think the reply was culturally insensitive to freedom loving people.

reply to post by gladtobehere


Alexander Hamilton started the first central bank during the George Washington presidency. Hamilton was a banker shill and even became a banker later on in life. It was quite similar to the federal reserve...

he President, Directors and Company, of the Bank of the United States, commonly known as the First Bank of the United States, was a central bank, chartered for a term of twenty years, by the United States Congress on February 25, 1791. Establishment of the Bank was included in a three-part expansion of federal fiscal and monetary power (along with a federal mint and excise taxes) championed by Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton believed a central bank was necessary to stabilize and improve the nation's credit, and to improve handling of the financial business of the United States government under the newly enacted Constitution.

Officially proposed to the first session of the First Congress in 1790, Hamilton's Bank faced widespread resistance from opponents of increased federal power. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and James Madison led the opposition, which claimed that the bank was unconstitutional, and that it benefited merchants and investors at the expense of the majority of the population.

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by WaterBottle


Yea we know you have posted that about 10 times.

reply to post by rockymcgilicutty


And I'm going to keep posting it until people stop acting like the federal reserve was the only central bank in American history.

The US was in the bankers paws since its inception.

reply to post by WaterBottle

Well at least I cut out your other two tag lines "Neocon" and "culturally insensitive".

Would you mind addressing the topic?

Originally posted by WaterBottle
Good luck winning a domestic war against the US government. All you will do is put the country in a state of Marshall law and loose all the freedoms we have. You will be the minority, the majority isn't going to fight........

We don't need a majority. Only enough to win. 3% of gun owners should do the job quite nicely.

And thanks for quoting my avatar _\oo/

reply to post by rockymcgilicutty


I already did the first time I posted in this thread.

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

Originally posted by WaterBottle
Good luck winning a domestic war against the US government. All you will do is put the country in a state of Marshall law and loose all the freedoms we have. You will be the minority, the majority isn't going to fight........

We don't need a majority. Only enough to win. 3% of gun owners should do the job quite nicely.

And thanks for quoting my avatar _\oo/

Good point I didn't feel the need to educate the poster.But durning the American revolution only about 1/3 of the people took part

reply to post by AwakeinNM


Right. I forgot these rebels are going to have millions of dollars in funding and someone supplying them to keep up with the US military.

Originally posted by WaterBottle
Good luck winning a domestic war against the US government. All you will do is put the country in a state of Marshall law and loose all the freedoms we have. You will be the minority, the majority isn't going to fight........

Are you talking about the "Marshall Doctrine" type of thing? Or "Martial Law?" There is a difference. I'm kidding! I get what you're saying.

Please remember, all war starts out small and then expands. We are all currently experiencing is called Influence Operations, (Once called Information Warfare, PSYOP, PSYWAR, etc).

The thing is with the above tactic, it requires patience to successfully pull it off. Months, Years and even Decades.

The interwebs have thrown all that to the wind and leaders (I say that loosely) always want to see results immediately. Hence they usually make bad decisions during these types of campaigns, thereby negating any actual influence in the long run.

Originally posted by WaterBottle
reply to post by AwakeinNM

 

Right. I forgot these rebels are going to have millions of dollars in funding and someone supplying them to keep up with the US military.

You mean from places like France, Netherlands and Spain?

reply to post by AwakeinNM


Oh you mean NATO is really gonna fund right wing extremist rebels in the US?