50 2nd Amendment Quotes for Hot Topics
Published May 27, 2023
However you feel about guns, take a moment to check out our 2nd Amendment quotes to learn more.
We have some of the most insightful and historically relevant Second Amendment quotes to help you better understand both sides of the debate.
You may also enjoy reading these related articles:
What is the 2nd Amendment?
The Second Amendment is a provision that protects an individual to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
Many people have interpreted this provision differently, so the Second Amendment has varying meanings depending on who you ask.
Check out these Second Amendment facts below:
- The Second Amendment was part of the Bill of Rights.
- There is no historical record of the signing of the Second Amendment.
- The Second Amendment remains a controversial subject in politics and law.
Why was the Second Amendment created?
The Second Amendment prevents the need for the United States to have a professional standing army.
When the Second Amendment passed, the country was in different conditions than today.
The Second Amendment wasn’t intended to grant a right for private individuals to keep weapons for self-defense.
However, the right to bear arms generally refers to a person’s right to possess weapons.
As a result, the Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitutional right to bear arms as an individual self-defense right over the years.
Do people interpret the Second Amendment differently?
Some people believe the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to carry arms.
Other people believe the Second Amendment preserves the right to bear arms within the context of a well-regulated militia.
The interpretation of the Amendment has spawned national debate for centuries.
People in favor of gun rights suggest that the Second Amendment is a necessary safeguard against government tyranny.
Gun control activists disagree.
They suggest the Second Amendment is outdated.
They don’t believe it accounts for modern violence concerns.
To learn more, check out our Second Amendment quotes below.
Short 2nd Amendment quotes about the right to bear arms
These quotes remind us why some people are so passionate about maintaining the integrity of the Second Amendment.
1. “There is more hooey spread about the Second Amendment.” — Molly Ivins
2. “The Second Amendment is an integral part of the Bill of Rights.” — Ted Cruz
3. “The Second Amendment is, of course, very much part of the American fabric.” — Peter Bergen
4. “The Second Amendment says we have the right to bear arms, not to bear artillery.” — Robin Williams
5. “The Second Amendment is just as important as all the other Amendments.” — John Kennedy
6. “A gun saved my life. That’s why I won’t let my Second Amendment right be taken away from me.” — Stacey Dash
7. “You know why there’s a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one.” — Rush Limbaugh
8. “We also cannot allow Wall Street banks to rewrite the Second Amendment just because they’re too big to fail.” — John Kennedy
9. “The Second Amendment does protect the right to people to possess weapons for self-defense in the home.” — Laurence Tribe
10. “The Second Amendment, like the First Amendment, was never written to apply to the states themselves but to Congress.” — Ryan McMaken
Famous quotes about gun control
Below are some Second Amendment quotes from some well-known individuals.
11. “I don’t hate the government. I don’t think the Second Amendment is being infringed upon.” — Henry Rollins
12. “But the guns are there, the Second Amendment is there, to make sure all of the rest of the amendments are followed.” — Louie Gohmert
13. “The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed.” — Justice Alex Kozinski, US 9th Circuit Court
14. “The final line in the Second Amendment says, ‘The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.’ That means not by the president, not by Congress.” — Chuck Norris
15. “As an ardent defender of the Second Amendment, I will work aggressively with my House and Senate colleagues to make sure no attack on gun rights becomes law.” — Ronny Jackson
The top Second Amendment quotes about the freedom to bare arms
These pro-Second Amendment quotes are all about freedom and the law of the land.
16. “The Second Amendment is not just words on parchment.” — Wayne LaPierre
17. “There’s another group that just hates the Second Amendment.” — John Kennedy
18. “Thankfully, the Second Amendment and the American people will not stand for it.” — Katie Pavlich
19. “We need to get some rationality on the Second Amendment. This is crazy what we allow ourselves.” — George Takei
20. “I will not sign a piece of legislation that has anything to do with imposing limitations on our Second Amendment.” — Glenn Youngkin
21. “If the U.N. gun-ban treaty is ever signed and ratified into law, we may never get a second chance to save the Second Amendment.” — Wayne LaPierre
22. “If you’re too dangerous to buy an airplane ticket, you’re too dangerous to buy an assault weapon. And when we talk about the Second Amendment.” — Jim Gray
23. “There is a group of people that I think in good faith honestly believe that further curtailing our Second Amendment rights will enhance public safety.” — John Kennedy
24. “I’m not representing any organization. I represent the people of Ohio, and a lot of people in Ohio feel very strongly about their Second Amendment rights.” — Rob Portman
25. “What a lot the media, and especially Fox News, has messed up with me is they’ve made it seem like I’m trying to take away people’s guns – that I’m against the Second Amendment.” — David Hogg
More gun control quotes about the 2nd Amendment
Here are a few additional gun control quotes and perspectives.
26. “I don’t think you should infringe on the type of weapon somebody should buy or the number of rounds in a high-capacity magazine.” — Gabriel E. Gomez
27. “For me personally, I’m anti-gun and always have been and always will be. But I’m definitely not someone who is looking to abolish the Second Amendment.” — Justin Tranter Stevens
28. “For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation.” — John Paul
29. “What I don’t want to do is restrict law-abiding citizens from their Second Amendment rights, which are focused on freedom. I point out all the time. Remember, bad guys aren’t stupid; they’re just bad.” — Jim Jordan
30. “How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual… as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of.” — Dr. Suzanna Gratia Hupp
2nd Amendment gun quotes by the founding fathers
The founding fathers wrote the Second Amendment into law to protect gun rights.
Here are some of their most memorable quotes.
31. “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, January 30, 1787
32. “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” — Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
33. “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined.”— George Washington, First Annual Address to Congress, January 8, 1790
34. “I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers.” — George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788
35. “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!” — Benjamin Franklin
36. “That no man should scruple, or hesitate a moment, to use arms in defense of so valuable a blessing, on which all the good and evil of life depends, is clearly my opinion.” — George Washington, letter to George Mason April 5, 1769
More quotes from the founding fathers
Here are some additional quotes to hear what the founding fathers thought.
37. “The Constitution of most of our states assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Cartwright, June 5, 1824
38. “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country.” — James Madison, Annals of Congress 434, June 8, 1789
39. “A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent on others for essential, particularly for military, supplies.” — John Adams, speech to US Congress January 8, 1790
40. “On every occasion, let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, [instead let us] conform to the probable one in which it was passed.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823
The best Second Amendment rights quotes about preserving liberty
Supporters of the Second Amendment often cite a desire to preserve their freedom as the basis of their passion; these quotes remind us why.
41. “I am a strong supporter and proponent of the Second Amendment. Always have been.” — Lucy McBath
42. “The authors of the Second Amendment had a more sophisticated vision of gun ownership than is often assumed.” — Ryan McMaken
43. “I support the Second Amendment – but the Second Amendment was created and designed to prevent tyranny and not to encourage terror.” — Jim Gray
44. “I strongly believe that the Second Amendment creates an individual right to possess and use guns for purposes of both hunting and self-defense.” — Cass Sunstein
45. “The enemies of freedom are waging an all-out assault on the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which we have sworn to protect and defend.” — Jeff Duncan
More quotes about preserving liberty in America
Here are a few additional quotes about liberty and the importance of protecting it.
46. “Our fight isn’t just about the Second Amendment, it’s about preserving all our liberties – saving our constitutional heritage and protections for the future.” — Wayne LaPierre
47. “The Second Amendment is a constitutional right. I didn’t make it up; the Republican Party didn’t make it up. It’s in the Constitution. I think it’s just as important as any of the other rights in our constitution.” — Marco Rubio
48. “We are a country that believes in free speech and the open debate of ideas. We’re a country that also believes in the Second Amendment and our ability to have guns. But we’ve got to figure out a way to keep America safe.” — Valerie Jarrett
49. “I support gun safety measures, and I’ll tell you, I grew up in a family of gun owners and hunters, and I went hunting with my dad as a kid, and you know, I have deep respect for the Second Amendment and the culture of our country.” — Eric Swalwell
50. “It is often, therefore, just assumed that the writers of the Second Amendment were naïve and incapable of seeing the vast asymmetries that would develop between military weaponry and the sort of weaponry the average person was likely to use.” — Ryan McMaken
Why is the 2nd Amendment so controversial?
Debates regarding the Second Amendment continue to rage.
Therefore, you have people on both sides who do not seem to be able to agree with an interpretation of the provision in a way that makes sense for each side.
There is an adage that says there is nothing new under the sun.
Whether private citizens should bear arms or if this right belongs to militias or the military was not raised until long after the Bill of Rights was adopted.
The United States was founded by those who feared what would occur if governments used soldiers to oppress people.
They were fresh from under the thumb of the British Royal Crown and wanted to protect themselves from tyranny.
It is understandable why they would enact measures to protect themselves from repeating the hardships from their previous conditions.
So today, people argue that since the United States has a strong, professional standing army, there is no need for an armed public.
However, gun rights advocate point to crime, violence, and a need to protect their families as reasons to keep their guns.
Where do you stand on the 2nd Amendment conversation?
Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
