LET THEM TAKE ARMS.

 What Some Old Dead White Guys REALLY Thought About The Second Amendment

This is never what they envisioned, never what they imagined blah blah blah. Yeah, ok, here's their own words.

"to disarm the people; that it was the best and most effectual way to enslave them . . . by totally disusing and neglecting the militia."

    -- George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 380

 "Who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers."
    -- George Mason in Debates in Virginia Convention on Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed."   -- Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers at 184-188

 "[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 Federalist Papers, No. 46 

 "Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American...[T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." 
   --Tenche Coxe, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.

 "Whereas, 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; nor does it follow from this, that all promiscuously must go into actual service on every occasion. The mind that aims at a select militia, must be influenced by a truly anti-republican principle; and when we see many men disposed to practice upon it, whenever they can prevail, no wonder true republicans are for carefully guarding against it."   --Richard Henry Lee, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788. 

"What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms."
   -- Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 1787. ME 6:373, Papers 12:356  

 "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 

"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

 "The great object is, that every man be armed ... Every one who is able may have a gun."
   -- Patrick Henry, Elliot, p.3:386 

" ... most attractive to Americans, the possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave, it being the ultimate means by which freedom was to be preserved."
   -- James Burgh, 18th century English Libertarian writer, Shalhope, The Ideological Origins of the Second Amendment, p.604 

"To suppose arms in the hands of citizens, to be used at individual discretion, except in private self-defense, or by partial orders of towns, countries or districts of a state, is to demolish every constitution, and lay the laws prostrate, so that liberty can be enjoyed by no man; it is a dissolution of the government. The fundamental law of the militia is, that it be created, directed and commanded by the laws, and ever for the support of the laws."
   --John Adams, A Defense of the Constitutions of the United States 475 (1787-1788)


"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing."
   -- Adolph Hitler, Hitler's Secret Conversations 403 (Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens trans., 1961)

It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.

-- Thomas Paine

(most of the quotes from here)

By the way, there is an excellent book out there on this very subject: The Founders Second Amendment. Recommended reading for every Patriot, should be on every gun owner's book shelf and required reading for every anti-gunner out there.

That is all.

for now. . .