2nd Amendment Quotes
Read this in light of the last article about the Well-Regulated Militia.
Whoever said that the founding fathers didn't think that all citizens
should have guns is living in their own little world.
The following quotes by the authors of the Second Amendment, their
contemporaries, various state and federal courts, and others should be
useful in the debate over whether that amendment protects a right of
individuals or only the military.
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The Second Amendment states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to
the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms
shall not be infringed."
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"On every question of construction (of the Constitution) let us carry
ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the
spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be
squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable
one in which it was passed." (Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson,
June 12, 1823, The Complete Jefferson, p. 322)
"The whole of the Bill (of Rights) is a declaration of the right of the
people at large or considered as individuals.... It establishes some rights
of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a
right to deprive them of." (Albert Gallatin of the New York Historical
Society, October 7, 1789)
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms has been recognized by the
General Government; but the best security of that right after all is, the
military spirit, that taste for martial exercises, which has always
distinguished the free citizens of these States....Such men form the best
barrier to the liberties of America" - (Gazette of the United States,
October 14, 1789.)
"No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." (Thomas Jefferson,
Proposal Virginia Constitution, 1 T. Jefferson Papers, 334,[C.J.Boyd, Ed.,
1950])
"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, I Annals of Congress 434 [June 8, 1789])
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves...and
include all men capable of bearing arms." (Richard Henry Lee, Additional
Letters from the Federal Farmer (1788) at 169)
"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, spoken during floor debate over the Second
Amendment [ I Annals of Congress at 750 {August 17, 1789}])
"...to disarm the people - that was the best and most effectual way to
enslave them." (George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 380)
"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the
citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the
people with arms." (James Madison, The Federalist Papers #46 at 243-244)
"the ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone," (James Madison,
author of the Bill of Rights, in Federalist Paper #46.)
"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are
in almost every kingdom of Europe. 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 bands of regular troops that
can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States" (Noah Webster in `An
Examination into the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution', 1787,
a pamphlet aimed at swaying Pennsylvania toward ratification, in Paul Ford,
ed., Pamphlets on the Constitution of the United States, at 56(New York,
1888))
"...if raised, whether they could subdue a Nation of freemen, who know how
to prize liberty, and who have arms in their hands?" (Delegate Sedgwick,
during the Massachusetts Convention, rhetorically asking if an oppressive
standing army could prevail, Johnathan Elliot, ed., Debates in the Several
State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, Vol.2 at 97
(2d ed., 1888))
"...but if circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form
an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the
liberties of the people, while there is a large body of citizens, little if
at all inferior to them in discipline and use of arms, who stand ready to
defend their rights..." (Alexander Hamilton speaking of standing armies in
Federalist 29.)
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the
people of almost every other nation. . . 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, author of the Bill of Rights, in
Federalist Paper No. 46.)
"As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people before them, may
attempt to tyrannize, and 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 in `Remarks on the
First Part of the Amendments to the Federal Constitution' under the
Pseudonym `A Pennsylvanian' in the Philadelphia Federal Gazette, June 18,
1789 at 2 col. 1)
"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, Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb.
20, 1788)
On Jun 10, 2013 2:12 PM, "Eric Roberts" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
> nope
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: LRS Scout [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Monday, June 10, 2013 1:51 PM
> To: cf-community
> Subject: RE: Americans Believe Welfare is Biggest Contributor to Continued
> Poverty
>
>
> Wrong it says arms because it means all of them and the founders spoke on
> that specifically.
> On Jun 10, 2013 12:47 PM, "Eric Roberts" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > No...because when they wrote it, they just had muskets and did not
> > foresee the arms we have today...nice try...
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: LRS Scout [mailto:[email protected]]
> > Sent: Monday, June 10, 2013 12:24 PM
> > To: cf-community
> > Subject: RE: Americans Believe Welfare is Biggest Contributor to
> > Continued Poverty
> >
> >
> > Arms is generic and standing armies are funded for two years at a time
> > as required by the constitution, nice try.
> >
> > Swing and a miss.
> >
> > Your entire ideology within the context of our republic is a lie and a
> > sham and people are now seriously talking about the possibility of
> violence.
> >
> > Oh goody.
> > On Jun 10, 2013 12:20 PM, "Eric Roberts"
> > <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Neither is a standing army, the ability to own a semi-automatic
> > > weapon, or a lot of things. The constitution is a living document
> > > and we are not limited to just what is contained in the document.
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: LRS Scout [mailto:[email protected]]
> > > Sent: Monday, June 10, 2013 11:51 AM
> > > To: cf-community
> > > Subject: Re: Americans Believe Welfare is Biggest Contributor to
> > > Continued Poverty
> > >
> > >
> > > Food stamps aren't it the constitution and anyone who takes the time
> > > to read understands the welfare clause better than that.
> > > On Jun 10, 2013 11:46 AM, "Zaphod Beeblebrox"
> > > <[email protected]
> > > >
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > But if we take away food stamp debit cards, only the criminals
> > > > will have food stamp debit cards.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 11:42 AM, Justin Scott
> > > > <[email protected]
> > > > >wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > Actually that is false...food stamps do not exist
> > > > > > anymore...they have switched over to using debit cards to
> > > > > > prevent the trading or selling of
> > > > > food
> > > > > > stamps.
> > > > >
> > > > > If you think that prevents them from selling the use of that
> > > > > food stamp debit card to friends and family members you're very
> > > > > much mistaken. It's not uncommon for the holder of that card to
> > > > > go into the store with a friend and use it to buy food for their
> > > > > friend in exchange for cash (often less than the food they just
> > > > > bought is worth)... so they still find ways to convert it to
> > > > > cash and often end up with less than they started with. In some
> > > > > cases they have other sources of food and don't actually need
> > > > > the card, but if they can get it and find a way to convert it to
> > > > > cash then they can use that cash for other needs (or "needs"
> > > > > depending on the person). In any case, it still goes on, it's
> > > > > just slightly more
> > difficult.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > -Justin
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
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