"Any unarmed people are slaves, or are subject to slavery at any given moment. If the guns are taken out of the hands of the people and only the pigs have guns, then it's off to the concentration camps, the gas chambers, or whatever the fascists in America come up with. One of the democratic rights of the United States, the Second Amendment to the Constitution, gives the people the right to bear arms. However, there is a greater right; the right of human dignity that gives all men the right to defend themselves."
by:
Huey P. Newton
(1942-1989) Founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
Rating:
Categories:
 
Bookmark and Share  
Reader comments about this quote:
 -- Anonymous      
Did he mean the police or politicians when he said pigs? Unfortunately America is more divided than the government would have you believe - there is the right wing Christian fundamentalists, the fascists, the national wrack jobs, and so on and so on - or are they what he meant by Pigs. There are so many factions in America that the enemy may come from many fronts so perhaps the right to bear arms may have a point.
 -- Robert, Sarasota     
  •  
    Even considering the source, the sentiment is correct.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
  • 1
  •  
    His only error is implying the United States is a democracy, instead of a Republic!
     -- Joe, Rochester, MIl     
  •  
    While I agree with Robert's assessment of the state of the many wacko groups within America today... I can not see any value to personal ownership of Glocks & automatic weapons & rocket launchers (etc). It hasn't helped in Iraq or Afganistan, and it hasn't helped in America since our own rebelion in the mid-1700s either. We established methods to control those problems when we organized our country... now we just have to use them rather than letting them rot & fester (as Florida and Ohio let them be taken over by power mad wacko control groups such as the GOP).
     -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US     
  • 1
  •  
    Huey had a head full of half truths and he spread a lot of hate and deceit against any authority which limited Huey. Had he turned his energy toward building and encouraging, he could have been a protege of Dr. M.L. King
     -- Anonymous     
  • 1
  •  
    Nice sentiment Huey, but robbing banks is not a Second Amendment right
     -- Bob, Eugene, OR     
  • 1
  •  
    While people complain about Huey's tactics, it ought to be remembered that when a class of people are oppressed by government and without any recourse within 'the system', one can expect an armed uprising. It is for that reason that many attempt to disarm the populace.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
  •  
    Reston, Virginia, has it right.
     -- Dick, Fort Worth     
  •  
    We hire men to protect us with their guns. If we are willing to have dangerous criminals shot for us by armed men, then we should be willing to shoot them ourselves.
     -- David L Rosenthal     
  • 1
  •  
    He was right on the ball here! I read his words and wonder WHY others don't see this? P.S. E Archer, NYC... not all "white" people are so deluded and closed-minded. The problem is not my race, it's OUR country... We seem to have forgotten that WE are the government (or that was the theory). If the voice of our people is not being heard, then perhaps we need to speak louder.
     -- Savan Deval, Blaine, MN     
  • 1
  •  
    I think he is absolutley right. All human beings have a right to defend themselves and will naturally defend themselves when they are oppressed, and being treated less then what the feel they deserve. Human diginity is a powerful thing and those who truley honour life are willing to fight back whatever the cost.
     -- Manai, London     
  • 1
  •  
    Second Amendment rights are not granted, they are enshrined and gauranteed. Any law negating the right to defend yourself is an unjust law and therefore an irrelevant law,
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
  •  
    Anonymous, Reston, VA US; Iraq has almost completely ridden itself of occupation troops and once it kills the rest Iraqis will have a real shot at liberty..... same goes for Afghanistan and Afghans.
     -- anon, somewhere     
  •  
    Right On Heuy!
     -- Al, DC     
  •  
    Yes, the UN and our Government wants to not only disarm us, strip our defense system and shrink the military, but do away with borders! Why would any Government go along with that? Wake up America! Why do you vote for people who are nothing but ACTORS who are NOT who you think they are- who only say anything you want to hear but DO the Opposite!
     -- Sandy, Huntington Beach     
  •  
    Let's see...the facts around the Aurora Theater shooting don't add up. The facts around the Sandy Hook shooting don't add up. The facts around the fast and Furious gun scandal don't add up. As heart breaking as these events truly are...I'm starting to see a pattern here. I think it's an odd coincidence that the fathers pf both the Sandy Hook and Aurora shootings were both scheduled to testify in the Libor Scandal (banking scandal) trial. That's just weird...
    In any event if the gun grabbers are successful...we do have all those FEMA camps out there...waiting...
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
  •  
    The 'A' from Reston, how has it not helped Iraq or Afghanistan ? Have you noticed that foreign dictators arm the populace to throw off their current government. Then after being armed the USSR, USA, and other imperialist expanding despots can't keep a real hold on the area.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
  •  
     
    Rate this quote!
    How many stars?
    0
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5

     
    What do YOU think?
    Your name:
    Your town:
        CLICK JUST ONCE!

    More Quotations
    Get a Quote-A-Day! Free!
    Liberty Quotes sent to your mail box.
    RSS Subscribe
    Quotes & Quotations - Send This Quote to a Friend

    © 1998-2024 Liberty-Tree.ca