[Tactician]

The high court ruled in Presser v. Illinois, 116 U.S. 252 (1886)

"It is undoubtedly true that all citizens capable of bearing arms constitute the reserved military force or reserve militia of the United States as well as of the states, and, in view of this prerogative of the general government, as well as of its general powers, the states cannot, even laying the constitutional provision in question out of view, prohibit the people from keeping and bearing arms, so as to deprive the United States of their rightful resource for maintaining the public security, and disable the people from performing their duty to the general government..."

 

[Tactician]

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, April 1960; along those same lines

"By calling attention to 'a well regulated militia,' the '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. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.

 

[LibertyGal]

Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation. . .

Boy, was Kennedy ever wrong about that.

LibertyGal

 

[BigJon]

In my older age, things have become more simple to me (perhaps because my mind has become more simple?) To me, the statement that sums it all up is that without the 2nd Amendment, the rest of the Bill of Rights would survive only as long as the government allowed it to.

 

[Old Chief]

An armed society is a polite and secure society.

 

[ssssthesnake]

kinda ironic that jfk made that statement and after he was killed is when the government and sheepl started bleeting about gun control