"Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
- James Madison 1788
The framers knew that the way militias were destroyed by tyrants in the past was not by passing a law against militias, but by taking away the people's weapons.
- Antonin Scalia 2008