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• 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.
  -- The Constitution of the United States of America Amendment 2, 1791...
• Such are a well regulated militia, composed of the freeholders, citizen and husbandman, who take up arms to preserve their property, as individuals, and their rights as freemen.
  -- "M.T. Cicero", in a newspaper letter of 1788 touching the "militia" referred to in the Second Amendment to the Constitution....
• By calling attention to 'a well regulated militia'
  he 'security' of the nation, and the right of each citizen 'to keep and bear arms', our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy....
• Whenever, therefore, the profession of arms becomes a distinct order in the state.
  ...the end of the social compact is defeated... No free government was ever founded, or ever preserved its liberty without uniting the characters of the citizen and soldier in those destined for the defense of the state....
• Are we at last brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defence?
  Where is the difference between having our arms in our own possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress?...
• Militias, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves and include all men capable of bearing arms.
  [...] 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....
• The danger (where there is any) from armed citizens, is only to the *government*, not to *society*
  and as long as they have nothing to revenge in the government (which they cannot have while it is in their own hands) there are many advantages in their being accustomed to the use of arms, and no possible disadvantage....
• Are we at last brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense?
  Where is the difference between having our arms in our own possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress?...
• No free man shall ever be de-barred the use of arms.
  The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in government....