10 Essential Founding Fathers’ Quotes On The Second Amendment

We’ve all heard it before: the second amendment never meant for citizens to have the sort of guns available today – it was just for hunting! By that same logic the first amendment doesn’t apply to the internet (which didn’t exist at the time) so kiss your free speech rights online goodbye!

Then there’s the “it was only implied for a militia” argument.

There’s a certain level of irony in liberals claiming that the second amendment was only implied for a militia. Any time a militia group does spring up they’re quickly denounced by the left, such as we just saw in Oregon.

I’m not going to offer any more of my opinion on those arguments – I’ll let the founding fathers do the talking.

1. “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
2. “…arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. 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… Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them….” – Thomas Paine
3. “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
4. “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 that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.” – Noah Webster
5. “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.” – George Washington
6. “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
7. “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
8. “I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers.” – George Mason
9. “A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves …” – Richard Henry Lee
10. “The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full possession of them.”- Zachariah Johnson

That should be enough to keep your liberal friends quiet.

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