Your Vote for the Best Pro-Gun Quote Ever

[Tommygunn]

I also have always liked this one;

Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve either one. - Benjamin Franklin

but since the abuses by the NSA, IRS and BATF under the Obama administration;

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -- Thomas Jefferson

Pretty sure it was Barry Goldwater who said this .....

 

[GEM]

Don't know who said it and it is an implied gun quote.

When seconds count, the police are minutes away.

 

[gwsut]

It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have one!

 

[Midwest]

If anyone is looking for a page of quotes, lot of pro-gun quotes and a few negative ones.

http://www.quotations.com/gun_control.htm

 

[jbrown50]

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Pennsylvania Assembly: Reply to the Governor, November 11, 1755

That quote is my all time favorite.

It deserves repeating:

They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

 

[Hometeached1]

When asked why he carried three handguns David Kenik replied "Because four would be ostentatious."

 

[barnbwt]

"Your boys may get me in a rush, but not before I make your head into a canoe"



"Pretty sure it was Barry Goldwater who said this ....."
Also pretty sure he wasn't talking about guns... (at least not intentionally)

TCB

 

[Poper]

"he NRA is a service organization for all firearms owners and users, and for anyone more concerned with Second Amendment rights than in spouting nonsense about them. It's available to everyone and can't possibly be considered an elitist or exclusive group except by the malicious, the ignorant, or the dimwitted."

- THR member Robert Hairless

 

[rgwalt]

Guns don't kill people; people kill people. Of course, people with guns kill more people. But that's only natural. It's hard. But it's fair.
Abbey's Road in In Defense of the Redneck (1979), p. 168.

The tank, the B-52, the fighter-bomber, the state-controlled police and military are the weapons of dictatorship. The rifle is the weapon of democracy. Not for nothing was the revolver called an "equalizer." Egalite implies liberte. And always will. Let us hope our weapons are never needed — but do not forget what the common people of this nation knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny.
Abbey's Road (1979)

I'm a big Edward Abbey fan. He was a radical environmentalist, but believed in individual liberty and responsibility.

 

[Bobson]

"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."

- James Madison

What else matters?

 

[LMLarsen]

"I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it." -- Clint Eastwood

 

[THe Dove]

I can't remember the quote exactly but I think it goes something like this: You just shot an un-armed man! Well, he should have armed himself!

The Dove

 

[dalek1967]

I can't remember the quote exactly but I think it goes something like this: You just shot an un-armed man! Well, he should have armed himself!

The Dove

That is from the movie Unforgiven.

Little Bill Daggett: Well, sir, you are a cowardly son of a b@#%h! You just shot an unarmed man!

Will Munny: Well, he should have armed himself if he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend.

I changed the obvious bad word. I seem to recall this forum doesn't allow that sort of language. I think.

 

[THe Dove]

^^^^^^

Thanks Dalek1967. That was a good movie!

The Dove

 

[Stevie-Ray]

The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.......Adolf Hitler

 

[ol' scratch]

Pretty sure it was Barry Goldwater who said this .....

Actually it was Gerald Ford. Scroll down to quotes misattributed to Thomas Jefferson. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson


A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -- Gerald Ford

Favorite quote that has become my generations "From my cold dead hands" is "Molon Labe." Often falsely attributed to Herodotus and On the War for Greek Freedom, it was actually in Laconic Apophthegms by Plutarch and reportedly the words of King Leonidas. While not specifically about firearms, it is the response screamed to an totalitarian regime in response to their demands that the Spartans lay down their arms. I have no delusions of grandeur, however. I am no Spartan.

 

[jamesjames]

Sorry to rein in on the parade

This kind of phony quote thing annoys me and doesn't help the cause...

“When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. 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.” - Thomas Jefferson

According to the Thomas Jefferson-Montcello website, Jefferson never said either of these statements that are so often (recently) attributed to him. Not found in his papers. They first appear in print in the 20th century.

Be careful about repeating unsubstantiated quotes from the internet. We look foolish and worse when we intentionally or unintentionally mis-quote or mis-attribute a quote to a founding father.

http://www.monticello.org/site/jeff...-retain-right-to-keep-and-bear-arms-quotation

http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/when-government-fears-people-there-libertyquotation

 

[Tommygunn]

Pretty sure it was Barry Goldwater who said this .....

Actually it was Gerald Ford. Scroll down to quotes misattributed to Thomas Jefferson. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson


A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -- Gerald Ford

Well, you see, Ford was QUOTING Barry Goldwater!

All these misattributed and incorrect quotes ... this would make a fascinating study.
Perhaps if we like the quote but can't establish provenance we should just attribute it to "anonymous."

I tend to agree with jamesjames that misquotes and misattributations hurt us rather than help us .... but only if the reader or hearer is sufficiently educated to know what the truth is.
That, unfortunatly, is not likely to be very many people in today's world.

 

[Cee Zee]

Be careful about repeating unsubstantiated quotes from the internet. We look foolish and worse when we intentionally or unintentionally mis-quote or mis-attribute a quote to a founding father.

I've seen just as many denials of quotes that weren't true as there are false quotes. You're getting your information from the net but you're warning us not to do it. Sounds a little off balance to me. I've spent my time digging through libraries proving people wrong who claimed quotes were false. That was back when libraries had actual reference materials to help you find such things though. Now most of them don't even remember what a card catalog was. I had one library staff type tell me he had worked at that library for decades and never remembered any card catalogs that helped you find quotes etc.. It was funny because I used those card catalogs many times.

You do realize who runs those foundations I assume. Have you never seen them deny the truth? Exaggeration has been a part of the American psyche since Parson Weems told us about Washington and the cherry tree. That was taught in American schools for a century. I don't trust the so called establishment to give you the real truth these days any more than I believe Weems. They have an agenda in case you haven't noticed. Even if Jefferson didn't say it the fact is it holds true. It's a great quote no matter who said it.

I strongly suggest you read the "Thomas Jefferson Papers" before you declare this comment unfounded. According to that scholarly work he did say these words and a lot more like them. For example:

"No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." (Thomas Jefferson, Proposal to Virginia Constitution, 1 T. Jefferson Papers, 334,[C.J. Boyd, Ed., 1950] )

"And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.... The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants." (Thomas Jefferson in a letter to William S. Smith in 1787. Taken from Jefferson, On Democracy 20, S. Padover ed., 1939)

"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 the constant companion of your walks. (Thomas Jefferson, Encyclopedia of T. Jefferson, 318 [Foley, Ed., reissued 1967]; Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, [Memorial Edition] Lipscomb and Bergh, editors)

"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 to James Madison, Dec. 20, 1787, in Papers of Jefferson, ed. Boyd et al.)

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...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.” (Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774-1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764)

“We established however some, although not all, its [self-government] important principles. The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves competent, (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved,) or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed…” (Thomas Jefferson to John Cartwright, 1824. Memorial Edition 16:45, Lipscomb and Bergh, editors)

Clearly even if Jefferson didn't utter the exact words in the quote I listed he certainly felt that way. Those intelligentsia based sites would have you believe otherwise. Read the quotes above and tell me again how wrong it is to assume Jefferson thought like my quote reads. Don't let them scare you into backing off the true history of this country. Jefferson is well known to have said we should have a rebellion on a regular basis. Were we supposed to use sharp sticks to achieve those rebellions? The spirit is right even if the quote isn't. And IMO the quote is right. There is a mountain of evidence to support the spirit of the quote yet it is called "spurious" and a "hoax". Here is a man that said, "God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion." Does that sound like the quote, even if it is not true, is spurious? Do you think the quote is a sham? Bogus? Deceitful? Those are all synonyms with "spurious". I think the spurious remarks are from those who would have us believe Jefferson didn't support the 2nd wholeheartedly. That is the false portrayal here. If Jefferson didn't say the quote I listed, he just didn't think of it. I KNOW he thought that way.

One more point. Just to show you how the academia world works they try to claim that Jefferson "never" said, "No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." Their reasoning goes like this. Because he wrote it as a possible point to be included in the Virginia Constitution the fact that the quote never made it into that document proves that Jefferson "didn't" say the words. How's that for preposterous? They lie friend. They do it on a regular basis. They admit that Jefferson wrote the text but deny it was an actual quote because it doesn't appear officially in the Virginia Constitution. I'm pretty sure none of things I've said here appear in that document either but I'm also pretty sure I said what I did. Want proof of how academia stretches the truth to deny the real truth? Read this web page. And yes that's the very same site you're using to prove that he didn't say the quote I listed. Funny how they color the truth to make you believe a lie. They make a mockery of actual history. It's like Obama swearing you'd get to keep your insurance. They just flat out lie. This is a sham if I ever saw one. How can you trust anything these liars say? Yet here you are quoting them as if they are the final word regarding the quote I listed. If you can't see how awful they treat the actual truth from this example I don't know what else can be said.

 

[*Kemosabe*]

"When the lootin' starts... The shootin' starts" - Chief Headly of the City of Miami Police Dept.

Said during the 1968 riots.

 

[jamesjames]

repeating a lie does not make it true

Cee Zee, you spilled a lot of bellicose prose up there but never proved your point. You attacked my authoritative source, which i provided, but did not provide an authoritative source of your own for the Jefferson mis-quote. You so fervently believe that you are right, that you are blinded by your desire to be right. Arguing louder and longer still does not make it right.

The Jefferson mis-quote is a flanking maneuver to use propaganda from the left's favorite founding father to win hearts and minds because we're afraid that the truth isn't good enough. Some of us think the truth needs a little extra help. When you go down that path you won't win. Don't invoke the Federalist Papers with broad grandiosity. Instead, just quote one accurately to prove your point. Quote Jefferson if you like, but don't use modern made-up quotes that embellish his words. You don't know what he thought, so don't insist that you do. It doesn't do us any good to stretch the truth. It just shows the other side that some of us don't take the high road. And that's not the message you want to send.

We have to prove that we are a disciplined, responsible lot. 99.9999% of lawfully armed citizens do that every day. But its the sensational, exceptional headline that can undo the good of so many law-abiding citizens. Just let this one go. .

 

[jamesjames]

repeating a lie does not make it true

Cee Zee, you spilled a lot of bellicose prose up there but never proved your point. You attacked my authoritative source, which i provided, but did not provide an authoritative source of your own for the Jefferson mis-quote. You so fervently believe that you are right, that you are blinded by your desire to be right. Arguing louder and longer still does not make it right.

The Jefferson mis-quote is a flanking maneuver to use propaganda from the left's favorite founding father to win hearts and minds because we're afraid that the truth isn't good enough. Some of us think the truth needs a little extra help. When you go down that path you won't win. Don't invoke the Federalist Papers with broad grandiosity. Instead, just quote one accurately to prove your point. Quote Jefferson if you like, but don't embellish his words. It doesn't do us any good to stretch the truth. It just shows the other side that some of us don't take the high road. And that's not the message you want to send.

We have to prove that we are a disciplined, responsible lot. 99.9999% of lawfully armed citizens do that every day. But its the sensational, exceptional headline that can undo the good of so many law-abiding citizens. Just let this one go. .

 

[Cee Zee]

but did not provide an authoritative source of your own for the Jefferson mis-quote

This is as far as I got in your post. If you aren't even going to read what I write why bother. I did provide you a source. I also proved that the source you cited is incredibly biased and has no problem distorting history. Jefferson clearly believed that guns were important. You can cite your proven to be biased site all you like. I'll rely on more legitimate sources. I proved to you that Monticello.org distorts the facts. But you go ahead and take their word for things. I won't. I will point out your tactics of going straight for the insult. Are you even a supporter of the second? Never mind answering. I already know you don't check your sources. Your methodology leaves a lot to be desired. Bellicose that. And you don't know what prose is obviously. It's hardly something special to use it here. Everyone does unless they write poetry.

Oh yeah. Goodbye.

 

[JohnBiltz]

I've always like this one.

Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.

Thomas Paine

 

[WestKentucky]

Admiral Yamamoto on the possibility of a Japanese invasion of mainland US-
"You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."
Supposedly this is a misquote but who cares.