Quotes About Arms

Webster defined "keep" in part as: 1. To hold; to retain in one's power or possession; not to lose or parr with; as, to keep a house or a farm . . . . 2. To have in custody for security or preservation . . . . 3. To preserve; to retain.8 Webster's following further definition seems particularly apropos to the right to keep arms: "To have in the house

A tyrannical government supported by a standing army had sought to disarm a people through various artifices. It took these repressive measures against both citizens organized as militia and against citizens as individuals. The patriots then exercised their right to keep and bear arms to protect both this right and their many other rights.

The term "bear," according to Noah Webster, meant "to carry" or "to wear; to bear as a mark of authority or distinction; as, to bear a sword, a badge, a name; to bear arms in a coat.

Consistent with the meaning of "bear arms" as carrying weapons on the person, Webster defined "pistol" as "a small fire-arm, or the smallest fire-arm used . . . . Small pistols are carried in the pocket."18 An arms historian notes: "Among eighteenth-century civilians who traveled or lived in large cities, pistols were common weapons. Usually they were made to fit into pockets, and many of these small arms were also carried by military officers.

Dissenting, Justice Stevens argued that the Second Amendment extended only to the individual "right to use weapons for certain military purposes"8—a curious position, given that militia service is a compulsory duty, and no person has a "right" to bear or use arms as he chooses in a militia or even to be a member thereof. It is noteworthy that no Justice supported the now-discredited "collective rights" theory.

The above were key events that led the Founders to adopt the Second Amendment. A tyrannical government supported by a standing army had sought to disarm a people through various artifices. It took these repressive measures against both citizens organized as militia and against citizens as individuals. The patriots then exercised their right to keep and bear arms to protect both this right and their many other rights.

A general militia composed of all citizens capable of bearing arms was seen as superior to a select militia consisting of a selective group, which bordered on a standing army, the bane of liberty.

a Demoniac being left in a Room, in which were 18 loaded Muskets," shot three men and wounded another with a sword, "upon which the People present, without further Ceremony, shot him dead."151 For the Founders, the right of the subject to be armed for defense of self and the community was necessary to suppress such tragedies—they never imagined a world in which they would be disarmed for the supposed benefit of preventing access to weapons by madmen.

Unlike other peoples, the Americans were armed, and the resistance of the state governments would bar a federal tyranny. By contrast, the European monarchies were "afraid to trust the people with arms." In short, the keeping and bearing of arms by the citizens would preserve the republic and protect liberty. The authors of The Federalist Papers contended that an armed populace and state resistance, not paper guarantees, would prevent federal usurpation based on military force.

What "arms" could the people keep and bear? According to Webster, "arms" are "weapons of offense, or armor for defense and protection of the body."22 Citing Blackstone's Commentaries, Webster noted: "In law, arms are any thing which a man takes in his hand in anger, to strike or assault another.

A citizenry "trained up unto their arms, which they use not for the defense of slavery but of liberty," composes "the vastest body of a well-disciplined militia that is possible in nature.

If I have learned anything in my time among you, it is this: true honor lives not in the skill of weapons or the strength of arms, but in virtue. Skill fades and strength fails; virtue alone remains. Therefore, let us put off all that is false. Let us prefer instead the valor of virtue, and the glory of right.

Arms are the profession of exiles. (311)

With America's blessing, Manila under the Marcoses became a center for money-laundering, arms trafficking, narcotics, amphetamines, gambling, white slavery, and the world center for child prostitution.

Fortunately for Obiang, coup-prone African governments rolling in oil but lacking in arms and intelligence to defend their bounty had a discreet alternative to the Pentagon and the C.I.A. for defense support: Israel.

I said to my wife that if I had enough money I'd have my arms lengthened. Slightly longer arms would be great.

I don't like baggy clothes and looking like anything sloppy. The arms have to fit. The collar has to look perfect.

We can be just as safe with a smaller, more efficient nuclear arsenal at less cost.

Spirituality is a mixed-up, topsy-turvy, helter-skelter godliness that turns our lives into an upside-down toboggan ride of unexpected turns, surprise bumps and bone shattering crashes ... a life ruined by a Jesus who loves us right into his arms.

In the soft and gentle arms of a mother's love, children can come to know the voice of the Lord.

I love that sense of release as you throw yourself into the crowd as hundreds of arms are carrying you.

The reality of this wide-eyed caramel-coloured wonder was arresting. This was the future, alive and kicking in my arms.

The cast of 'The Big C' is such an amazing group of people. They're so joyful and just open their arms to you as an actor.

I don't think the federal government has any business keeping a list of law-abiding Americans who exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.