Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: RoadKingLarry on December 14, 2012, 09:21:05 PM

Title: Thoughts to remember during these trying times
Post by: RoadKingLarry on December 14, 2012, 09:21:05 PM

Quote

A principal source of errors and injustice are false ideas of utility. For example: that legislator has false ideas of utility who considers particular more than general conveniencies, who had rather command the sentiments of mankind than excite them, and dares say to reason, `Be thou a slave'; who would sacrifice a thousand real advantages to the fear of an imaginary or trifling inconvenience; who would deprive men of the use of fire for fear of their being burnt, and of water for fear of their being drowned; and who knows of no means of preventing evil but by destroying it.

The laws of this nature are those which forbid to wear arms, disarming those only who are not disposed to commit the crime which the laws mean to prevent. Can it be supposed, that those who have the courage to violate the most sacred laws of humanity, and the most important of the code, will respect the less considerable and arbitrary injunctions, the violation of which is so easy, and of so little comparative importance? Does not the execution of this law deprive the subject of that personal liberty, so dear to mankind and to the wise legislator? and does it not subject the innocent to all the disagreeable circumstances that should only fall on the guilty? It certainly makes the situation of the assaulted worse, and of the assailants better, and rather encourages than prevents murder, as it requires less courage to attack unarmed than armed persons.

Cesare Beccaria

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/guncontrol/a/beccaria_arms.htm (http://civilliberty.about.com/od/guncontrol/a/beccaria_arms.htm)

Title: Re: Thoughts to remember during these trying times
Post by: Ron on December 15, 2012, 09:39:28 AM

Vanity of vanities, there is nothing new under the sun.