James Burgh Quote

"No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another, must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms. But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion."

by:	James Burgh (1714-1775) was an English Whig politician
Source:	"Political Disquisitions: Or, an Enquiry into Public Errors, Defects, and Abuses" (London, 1774-1775)
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Categories:	Arms, Defense, Dependence, Free Thought, Property, Security, Self-Reliance, Sovereignty
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Very accurate, self explanatory, and timeless.  -- Mike, Norwalk
A healthy attitude towards arms is a good thing, unfortunately some on both sides of the private arms issue are sick.  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
This quote should be read daily to the "Brady Bunch". Waffler, please describe a "healthy attitude"and tell me who on the side of the 2nd amendment are "sick". Your comment is essentially meaningless, as usual.  -- jim k, austin
There's a big difference between an Uzi and pitch forks.  -- RobertSRQ
don't worry Waffler you are not the sick one...  -- RobertSRQ
"The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave." Simple enough. Either you have the right or you don't. Either you exercise it or you don't have it. The point is not the guns, it is someone else telling you that you may not have more power than your bare hands while the government (who are simply other people) does. The trend is towards more and more militarization of domestic security forces and the disarmament of citizens. SWAT teams are used by tax collectors, child services, and at public demonstrations. The principle is wrong, and leads ultimately to the idea that any and all rights are subject to arbitrary rule. This is the road to all totalitarian governments -- it is not a trail we should follow.  -- E Archer, NYC
The distinction between a freeman and a slave is arms - give me a break - tell that to MLK. How absurd can you be. Power is not in bare hands or down the end of a barrel. Archer, I couldn't agree with you more, your reasoning is sound and I believe echoed by most on this blog - we just have a difference of opinion on how to deal with it - and that is true weaponry.  -- RobertSRQ
-- T Williams, Vidor, TX
By the arguments of this quote we should all own our own thermo nuclear and biological weapons, and by failing to do so we are all slaves... believe it or not, the most powerful weapon in the world is the human brain... proper use of it eliminates the need for individuals to own pop-guns ment for nothing more than killing other individuals.  -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US
Jim I really appreciate your interest in my opinion especially since you think they are usually meaningless. RobertSRQ and Anonymous from Reston are on the right track. An unhealthy attitude towards guns is that of the city dweller who thinks killing deer is some type of crime and that those who do it are animals. On the gun lovers side it is those who believe guns are to protect yourself from law enforcement. Have you never heard of Ruby Ridge? Is y'alls logic about taking on the government any different to that guy (now deceased) who blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City? I think not and that is what I mean by sick. Many I know gave up their memberships in the NRA after life times of membership because the NRA is sick. There are good organizations like The North American Hunting Club, Ducks's Unlimited that promote hunting and gunning with a healthy attitude. Any thought that guns are to attack our government is sick. Robert is correct, we have a government by discussion (democracy), words are more powerful than the sword. Some on here speak of natural law or natural rights, when folks speak up for the truth like MLK did or Ghandi did they get results because they have truth and conviction, no guns are necessary. Jim I have six hand guns, and a deer slug rifle. I play with a little bit of hunting but I am not accomplished. The mentally healthy hnuters I know never talk about taking on the government or that they should be allowed to have nukes. The guy from Reston is right about this. Ideologues like Archer are destroying this country.  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
You mean you guys don't have nukes? Bunch of lightweights. The thing about MLK and Ghandi is that their slave masters weren't willing to kill them. That is the only reason their non-violent tactics succeeded. If you happen to have a slave master like Stalin, Mao, or lately Mugabe, then a gun would surely come in handy don't you think? I'm sure the Tutsis in Rwanda would have thought a gun would have been a very useful tool when the Hutus were hacky them apart with machetes. If you think something like that can never happen here in this more civilized part of the world, just remember, people are very alike the world over. Our civilization is just a thin, fragile veneer that covers our natural savagery and given enough stress on society, the sharp, pointy objects come out. I intend to have the sharpest.  -- Ken, Allyn, WA
Isn't it weird that Obama and Lugar are trying to lock down loose nukes and some of these guys want us to have an individual right to them You are right Ken we must be ever vigilant to keep our society on the right track. Ethnicity is handled here better than in many places and now with a rock star like Obama the world sees our magnanamous nature on this issue. I assume you don't believe in the jargon of "America last hope of mankind".  -- Anonymous
Gun ownership is our last line of defense against criminals, and aggressors foreign and domestic. That includes tyrants of all stripes. Disarmament is a prelude (usually) to genocide and registration is a tool of confiscation. Gun control isn't about guns at all...its about control.  -- J Carlton, Calgary

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