A Quote by Don Kates

The Second Amendment's language and historical and philosophical background demonstrated that it was designed to guarantee individuals the possession of certain kinds of arms for three purposes: (1) crime prevention or what we would today describe as self-defense; (2) national defense; and (3) preservation of individual liberty.

Don Kates

Quote Topics

Amendment Arms Background Certain Crime Defense Describe Designed Guarantee Historical Individual Individual Liberty Individuals Kinds Language Liberty National National Defense Philosophical Possession Preservation Prevention Purposes Second Second Amendment Self Self-Defense Three Today Would

Quote Author

Don Kates
American - Scientist
1941 - November 1, 2016

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

The Second Amendment is, of course, very much part of the American fabric. But the intent of the founders was that the amendment protected the rights of citizens to bear arms in a militia for their collective self-defense.

Peter Bergen

We have this tradition of the Second Amendment and people's rights to self-defense and a certain suspicion that the government can't be trusted.

John Hickenlooper

The object of defense is preservation; and since it is easier to hold ground than to take it, defense is easier than attack. But defense has a passive purpose: preservation; and attack a positive one: conquest.... If defense is the stronger form of war, yet has a negative object, it follows that it should be used only so long as weakness compels, and be abandoned as soon as we are strong enough to pursue a positive object.

Carl von Clausewitz

Bottom line: A market approach to national defense would give us a lousy national defense.

Timothy Noah

I used to be someone who would not even tread on an ant. But this is a war for honor and self-defense. A 100 percent elimination policy (by Ankara of the Kurds) has forced me to defense and it has become a glorious defense of a people.

Abdullah Ocalan

I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and believe that law-abiding Americans have the right to self-defense.

Donald Trump

Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?

Patrick Henry

As the name of the agency suggests, 'Department of Defense,' the defense refers to the United States of America - not the defense of South Korea, not the defense of Ukraine, not the defense of Syria or Germany.

Ann Coulter

Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion... in private self-defense.

John Adams

The Second Amendment does protect the right to people to possess weapons for self-defense in the home. That's what the Supreme Court said.

Laurence Tribe

I represent what I think is a traditional Republican... a limited government, fiscal responsibility, strong national defense, individual freedom and liberty.

Olympia Snowe

Our most important job in Congress is to provide for our national defense, and therefore, every year, Congress allocates funds and determines defense priorities in a bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA.

Elise Stefanik

My mental approach is totally different. My coach predicated everything on defense. He always talked about defense, defense, defense. I took it to heart that if you play defense, you can take the heart from an offensive player.

Eric Williams

Just as the First and Fourth Amendment secure individual rights of speech and security respectively, the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. This view of the text comports with the all but unanimous understanding of the Founding Fathers.