More Quotes From The Founders On Firearms

BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 4 months ago

From a Reddit/Firearms post.

“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” – Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776

“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, Massachusetts Ratifying Convention, 1788

“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, Philadelphia Federal Gazette, June 18, 1789

“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.” – Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, December 20, 1787

“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, Speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 5, 1778

“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, Commonplace Book (quoting 18th century criminologist Cesare Beccaria), 1774-1776

“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, letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785.

“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, letter to to John Cartwright, 5 June 1824

“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, letter to Giovanni Fabbroni, June 8, 1778

“To disarm the people…is the most effectual way to enslave them.” – George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adooption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788

“I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers.” – George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in 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 band of regular troops.” – Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, October 10, 1787.

“A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves…and include, according to the past and general usuage of the states, all men capable of bearing arms…  “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, Federal Farmer No. 18, January 25, 1788

“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, Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England, 1803.

History is on our side.  More important, God is on our side, which means the truth is on our side.


Comments

  1. On July 13, 2022 at 4:53 am, Susan D Harms said:

    “God is on our side” It is more important that we are on God’s side.

  2. On July 13, 2022 at 12:27 pm, MTHead said:

    All good! Something else that needs to be brought up is this silly notion that congresses power over interstate commerce, and taxation powers, lord over the 2A.
    I thought the 2A is an amendment? Doesn’t that amend any proceeding provisions that effect it?
    To me this is something that has to be gotten out of the way. As the communists will just rise taxes and restrict commerce in arms to a point beyond absurdity.
    A simple test is to apply the same standards to other rights mentioned in the bill of rights.
    One has a right to free speech, but the government can tax your words as much as they like?
    And tax it so much you don’t dare speak to your friends across state lines?

  3. On July 13, 2022 at 2:21 pm, Fred said:

    Jefferson obviously hated football and basketball and thinks shooting is superior. He was right.

  4. On July 13, 2022 at 4:09 pm, X said:

    Yeah, but the Founders were transphobic cishet slave owning white males, so everything they did and said was wrong. Nazi-tier evil, in fact.

    When all the guns are confiscated and we have our first pansexual genderqueer president of color and fossil fuels are outlawed, then we’ll be truly free…

  5. On July 13, 2022 at 4:33 pm, Fred said:

    Wait, what was Obama?

  6. On July 13, 2022 at 9:08 pm, X said:

    Yeah, I guess he was kinda queer, now that you mention it… good catch.

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This article is filed under the category(s) Second Amendment and was published July 12th, 2022 by Herschel Smith.

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