2nd Amendment: Quote Collection
Every so often the spark of furious anger, burning for truth and securing fundamental rights ignites within me and I am forced to post once again on the importance of the 2nd Amendment. Here I will post some quotes that I gathered at a time when statist tyrants tried once again to assault the people's ,"war doctrine", the fundamental right to self defense and self preservation.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. " -Thomas Jefferson
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms 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 prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." -Thomas Jefferson
"And what country can preserve it's liberties, if the rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take up arms. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -Thomas Jefferson
"The Constitution of most of our states, and 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; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of the press." Thomas Jefferson
"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life, secondly to liberty, thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can." -Samuel Adams
"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
"Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at the individual discretion, in private self-defense." John Adams
"A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves and include all men capable of bearing arms. To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." 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. Every man who is able may have a gun." -Patrick Henry
"The Constitution preserves the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation where the governments are afraid to trust the people 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 people, trained in arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country." -James Madison
"I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." -George Mason
"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
"To ensure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference -- they deserve a place of honor with all that is good." -George Washington
"Tyranny cannot be safe without a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace." -James Madison
"Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American... The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state government, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people" -Tench Coxe
"As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize, as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow citizens, the people are confirmed by the article in their right to keep and bear their private arms." Tench Coxe
Some counter arguments to make.
The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed -- where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once. -- Justice Alex Kozinski, US 9th Circuit Court, 2003
A sword is never a killer; it is a tool in the killer's hands. -- Lucius Annaeus Seneca 4 BC - 65 AD
Congress has no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American. - Tench Coxe 2/20/1788
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men. -- Samuel Adams.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States when men were free. -- Ronald W. Reagan
The most glaring example of the cognitive dissonance on the left is the concept that human beings are inherently good, yet at the same time cannot be trusted with any kind of weapon, unless the magic fairy dust of government authority gets sprinkled upon them. - Moshe Ben-David
There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. - USMC Major General Smedley Butler (won the MoH twice)
More submitted by Commenters below:
Here are some of the corrected ones:
No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms. - Thomas Jefferson, before June 1776.
And what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. [...] 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 it’s natural manure. - Thomas Jefferson, November 13, 1787.
"The constitutions of most of our 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; that they are entitled to freedom of person; freedom of religion; freedom of property; and freedom of the press." - Thomas Jefferson, June 5, 1824.
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined." - Patrick Henry, June 5, 1788.
"The great object is, that every man be armed." - Patrick Henry, June 14, 1788.
"Every one Who is able may have a gun." - Patrick Henry, June 14, 1788.
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprizes of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of. Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." - James Madison, January 29, 1788.
"The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside. And while a single nation refuses to lay them down, it is proper that all should keep them up. Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them; for while avarice and ambition have a place in the heart of man, the weak will become a prey to the strong." - Thomas Paine, July 1775.
"I am thus far a Quaker, that I would gladly agree with all the world to lay aside the use of arms, and settle matters by negotiation; but unless the whole will, the matter ends, and I take up my musket and thank heaven he has put it in my power." - Thomas Paine, July 1775.
"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, June 8, 1778.
"As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprize, and independance 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 the constant companion of your walks." - Thomas Jefferson, August 19, 1785.
"[O]ne loves to possess arms tho’ they hope never to have occasion for them." - Thomas Jefferson, June 19, 1796.
I think the U.S. Constitution laid out a vision for a system of government that was a great improvement over most of what its authors had known. I also think its flaws are increasingly apparent with the benefit of hindsight, and that we should take full advantage of all the additional experience available to us today rather than leaning too hard on the Constitution.
The attempt to prevent tyranny through the balance of power is commendable, but over the centuries we've seen the imperfectly balanced constitutional powers snowball back toward oppression. With the slightest imbalance of power and enough time, power is used to amass more power and the system devolves.
Only by fully recognizing equal human rights and rejecting centralized political authority will we be able to approach a fully balanced and stable society. A ruler is a person who exercises a power imbalance over those who are ruled, and Anarchy is by definition the absence of rulers. The 2nd amendment is powerful and important because it recognizes this reality.
100% agree my friend! The constitution was written by men, men are flawed thus the constitution has flaws. Government is always inclined towards despotism and evil. Limited, de-centralized government is the only safe way to go.
The 2nd amendment is in danger of going the way of the 10th amendment, all but a dead letter in 2018.
Americans must realize that their freedoms are enshrined in the Constitution, not granted by it. There is a huge difference between the two. Freedom and Liberty predates the Constitution. When the laws change and tilt toward tyranny, it becomes the Freeman's responsibility to disobey the laws.
The problem is that the 2nd amendment as a check on government power is a last resort and everyone knows it. Violence is an enormous cost to everyone involved, so people are willing to let things get really bad before they take up arms against government overreach (if they even still can by that point). We need to maintain the same principle of equal rights in exercising economic power as well as violent power in order to keep everyone accountable from the beginning instead of waiting until we can't fix it without a lot of people dying. That means we can't have a monopoly on currency/taxation any more than a monopoly on weapons. That's what I was going for with my 'Agorist Monetarism' post.
I agree that technology has raised the ante so high that betting on violence as a solution is suicide. If anyone is curious to know what lengths the central government would go to in order to maintain its power they need go no further then the American Civil War. If in the 1860s the cost was 600,000 lives, and a total war of attrition against the Confederate States, we can only guess what the cost would be 160 years later with infinitely more powerful weapons. The better strategy would be to let the whole system collapse of its own weight. That’s the inevitable outcome of unsustainable debt, malfeasance, and cannibalistic politics. I tend to be a bit cynical but am encouraged by those like yourself who see workable solutions in economic and monetary policy. I’m more Hobbesian than Von Mises; not by choice but by nature.
Typically the cost of war to politicians is insignificant compared to the cost to those who follow them.
In the long run I'm optimistic because healthy structures are (tautologically) the only ones that are sustainable. No matter how bad things get, we know that destructive structures eventually collapse on their own. In the (very) long run good will triumph over evil because evil will always destroy itself.
You said "No matter how bad things get, we know that destructive structures eventually collapse on their own." It reminded me of this quote by Étienne de La Boétie
"Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break in pieces."
"Typically the cost of war to politicians is insignificant compared to the cost to those who follow them."
Now that's quotable! Should be emblazoned over the door of every recruiting station.
Great quote!
Regarding costs to politicians and their followers, I must recommend this book and video at every opportunity, as I found them both quite thought provoking: https://steemit.com/book/@troglodactyl/book-recommendation-the-dictator-s-handbook
I think "Typically the cost of war to politicians is insignificant compared to the cost to those who follow them." is likely a paraphrase of something in that book.
Nice post and very interesting to read those quotes. From an outsiders perspective here in Australia I can see the importance of the 2nd Amendment however so many people let their media-driven opinions get in the way of reason, logic and opinions. The sheeple jump on the anti-gun bandwagon and soap-box their “opinions” inciting the same (often uninformed) opinion on other weak-minded sheeple.
We get the same here in Australia as well.
Thanks mate. Spread this to your mates in AUS and get Liberty rolling there again! As the ancient Chinese proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today." My favorite tree is the Tree of Liberty, of which Jefferson stated:
"the people can not be all, & always, well informed. the part which is wrong [. . .] will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. if they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. we have had 13. states independant 11. years. there has been one rebellion. that comes to one rebellion in a century & a half for each state. what country before ever existed a century & half without a rebellion? & what country can preserve it’s 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 & 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 & tyrants. it is it’s natural manure."
Extract from Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith - Paris Nov. 13. 1787.
Will do @dennyducet. Nice proverb...So true.
Great quotes. There are many people who deign to minimize the truth of the Second Amendment. It is an individual right, as the Bill of Rights were all intended to be. The idea that it was a "national guard" bill is ludicrous to me.
Inspiration Daily is meant to curate authors who have not received the attention they deserve. Are those videos your own? If so, you need to bring that massive Youtube following over to Steemit. Also, steemit has a version called DTube that is still in its infancy. It has room for improvement.
I have read several of your posts (this is not a bot...). My favorite was the one about the powder horn you made. Impressive. Although I am inclined to agree with the quotes above and enjoyed the videos.
Today's inspiration comes from Socrates:
Good luck at Steemit. You can help support the Inspiration Daily project. You can follow the account and upvote the daily inspiration to help power up the account so the vote is worth more. More importantly, you can assist in curation by dropping a link into the comments section with any author you think could use a boost. Thanks for sharing.
Yes the videos are all my content and creation. I tried. Dtube is so broken that there is no way I will sit and attempt to bring videos over again. I tried. The system needs work. I tried for hours to upload and put any form of content onto Dtube with no success.
Hopefully DTube will get there eventually. They have a ways to go. As an avid shooter, I like the videos. You have great following there.
Thanks for these awesome quotes! I know how you feel about sharing the importance of the 2A. I'm resteeming and bookmarking this.
Thank you! I have also written several other pieces on here about the second amendment if you choose to give them a read as well.
I like the one where Jefferson advises a young man to avoid ball sports and instead to just carry a gun on long walks as exercise.
Exactly. Carrying a gun, to hunt or otherwise is a good exercise!
I always think about that one whenever I am trudging through the woods with a gun.
If you trudge through woods with guns than I am required to follow you back!
lol
I have absolutely no doubt that a "horrid mischief" would ensue should we ever be disarmed (we but not me, like many others) as Paine suggests. If anyone doubts this just take a look at the horrid mischief inflicted upon us by our so called representatives while we have been armed. There are many quotes here that I had not seen before. Their width and breadth of meaning is boundless; so much so that it is almost too much for my poor old head. But, in the end I always feel better for having read their words. Thank you for taking the time to provide them here...
Most welcome! I agree. Look at what they have inflicted upon us while armed, now imagine the severity of their mischief had we been unarmed!? I would be working in a salt mine, being whipped while I starved.
Well we can't have that, so we are all just going to make sure that doesn't happen, for you, or anyone else...
What this post and the quotes it contains makes perfectly clear is that Liberty and Freedom are profoundly and irrefutably incompatible with a disarmed citizenry. Any person that favors gun-control, ie. tyranny, is an enemy of both Freedom and Liberty. Whatever they may say or do is irrelevant. When they profess a desire for the empowerment of the State and the dis-empowerment of the people, they make themselves enemies of the people.
Hi @dennyducet I love the idea behind your post and I love the passion for our rights, especially that of bearing arms. Unfortunately most of your quotes here aren't correct and some of them aren't even real. That's problematic when we're trying to educate people. If somebody tries to debate using these as evidence, a gun control proponent could point this out and undermine the whole argument.
For example, I know that both the Washington quotes are spurious. Your first quote, from Jefferson, is only legitimate in its first sentence and the rest is made up. The second Patrick Henry quote, about the spark that ignited the American revolution, is also fake. The first Henry quote is actually 3 separate quotations pulled from 2 different days at the Virginia Federal Convention. There are problems with some of the others as well. If you're interested, let me know and I will try to get you the proper versions for some of these.
For sure! Send the more accurate ones.
Here are some of the corrected ones:
No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms. - Thomas Jefferson, before June 1776.
And what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. [...] 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 it’s natural manure. - Thomas Jefferson, November 13, 1787.
"The constitutions of most of our 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; that they are entitled to freedom of person; freedom of religion; freedom of property; and freedom of the press." - Thomas Jefferson, June 5, 1824.
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined." - Patrick Henry, June 5, 1788.
"The great object is, that every man be armed." - Patrick Henry, June 14, 1788.
"Every one Who is able may have a gun." - Patrick Henry, June 14, 1788.
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprizes of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of. Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." - James Madison, January 29, 1788.
"The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside. And while a single nation refuses to lay them down, it is proper that all should keep them up. Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them; for while avarice and ambition have a place in the heart of man, the weak will become a prey to the strong." - Thomas Paine, July 1775.
Awesome thanks!
Also, here's a couple pretty good ones you left out:
"I am thus far a Quaker, that I would gladly agree with all the world to lay aside the use of arms, and settle matters by negotiation; but unless the whole will, the matter ends, and I take up my musket and thank heaven he has put it in my power." - Thomas Paine, July 1775.
"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, June 8, 1778.
"As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprize, and independance 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 the constant companion of your walks." - Thomas Jefferson, August 19, 1785.
"[O]ne loves to possess arms tho’ they hope never to have occasion for them." - Thomas Jefferson, June 19, 1796.
added all of it.