Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Second Amendment WHY WE HAVE IT

Thomas Jefferson said, "No man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government" Thench Coxe, assistant secretary of the treasury (1789), said, "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."

Noah Webster said, "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."

In Federalist Paper No.46, James Madison said the Constitution "preserves the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition"

"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, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.)

"The great object is that every man be armed ... Everyone who is able may have a gun."
(Patrick Henry, in the Virginia Convention on the ratification of the Constitution.)

"The advantage of being armed ... the Americans possess over the people of all other nations ... 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 his Federalist Paper No. 26.)

"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."
(Second Amendment to the Constitution.)

Numerous sentiments like these were expressed during the constitutional debates. Here's my question to you: which one of those statements sounds like the Framers had deer-and duck-hunting in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment? The Framers gave us the Second Amendment so we could have at least a last-ditch fighting chance against government encroachment on our liberties.

Who are the people who desperately want to disarm law-abiding Americans? The answer doesn't require rocket science to figure that one out. The strongest advocates of gun control are the very people who seek greater and greater control over our lives. They're the people who want to take away our rights to property freedom of speech and religion, and other liberties. They're cowards and want to feel safe doing so. They figure if we're first disarmed they can trample over our liberties with impunity.

Great post TLee, and while you're preaching to the choir, it needs to be said again and again, it arms us for intellectual debate for when we cross swords with the unenlightened. 1ak

Thanks, TLee. They are all familiar to me, but it is great to be able to read them all on one page, along with the 2nd Amendment. Really shows the lie of the left that the 2nd was for duck hunting. I am sick and tired of hearing polititions idiotically complaining that this or that firearm is not for hunting ducks, and therefore should be outlawed. This just shows us how little they understand about the government we elected thim to represent us in.

I have copied your post and plan to use these in discussion of the Bill of Rights in my gov't class today - Thank You

Good for you Sir, we need more like you and less like the seeming majority out there.