[El Gato]

"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - Thomas Jefferson "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the people's liberty teeth (and) keystone... the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable... more than 99% of them [guns] by their silence indicate that they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference [crime]. When firearms go, all goes, we need them every hour." - George Washington

These last two are proved as bogus quotes. The supposed "Washington" quote is part of a larger one that mentions things that had not yet come on the scence, and that 99% thing sounds like an Ivory Soap commerical, not GW. The Jefferson "quote" does sound like Jefferson, but no one has been able to find it in any of the various "collected works" of TJ, I've looked in two collections myself, with no joy.

[Filo]

These last two are proved as bogus quotes. The supposed "Washington" quote is part of a larger one that mentions things that had not yet come on the scence, and that 99% thing sounds like an Ivory Soap commerical, not GW. The Jefferson "quote" does sound like Jefferson, but no one has been able to find it in any of the various "collected works" of TJ, I've looked in two collections myself, with no joy.

Bummer. You just can't trust the internet today! :D.

Still, the fact that those particular quotes are bogus does nothing to dispell the reality that the founding fathers were unabashed armed populous advocates.