Guns have always sparked strong emotions. They can represent freedom, protection, or, sometimes, violence. Across history, many people have shared their thoughts on guns.
These quotes can inspire, provoke, or make us think. Here’s a collection of some of the most impactful gun quotes that capture these varied feelings. Let’s dive in and see what different voices have to say about this powerful subject.
Quotes Reflecting History of Guns
“The right to bear arms is the right to be free.” – Unknown
“Among the many misdeeds of British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.” – George Washington
“The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.” – Jeff Cooper
“Guns are the crutches that a weak nation uses.” – Brandi L. Bates
“The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave.” – Andrew Fletcher
“A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined.” – George Washington
“To understand the history of firearms is to understand the history of civilization.” – Unknown
“An armed society is a polite society.” – Robert A. Heinlein
“More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying them.” – Harold J. Smith
“The gun has been the single most significant tool in the shaping of history.” – Bernard Marcus
“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” – The Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
“Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The history of gun control is a history of oppression and tyranny.” – Unknown
“Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank and he can rob the world.” – Jim Rogers
“There are no dangerous weapons. There are only dangerous men.” – Robert A. Heinlein
“A gun is no more dangerous than a cricket bat in the hands of a madman.” – Prince Philip
“Fear not the weapon but the hand that wields it.” – Unknown
“The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” – Thomas Jefferson
“History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.” – Abba Eban
“Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion… in private self-defense.” – John Adams
“The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.” – George Washington
“In times of tyranny and injustice, when law oppresses the people, the outlaw takes his place in history.” – Robin Hood
“Men have been swayed not by arguments but by the power of weapons.” – Aniruddha Sastikar
“A gun gives you the body, not the bird.” – Henry David Thoreau
“To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” – George Mason
“Disarm the people – that is the best and most effective way to enslave them.” – James Madison
“History is written by those who can hold a pen and a gun.” – Anonymous
“It is always easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.” – Alfred Adler
“The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.” – Alexander Hamilton
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
“The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.” – John Steinbeck
Quotes Highlighting Gun Control Debate
“To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them.” – George Mason
“The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” – Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
“I think the NRA, they got it half-right, but they got it half-wrong.” – President Barack Obama
“The right to own a gun is not a right to endanger others.” – Eliot Spitzer
“Strict gun laws are about as effective as strict drug laws.” – anonymous Internet user
“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…” – Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” – Anonymous
“Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.” – Thomas Jefferson
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
“An armed society is a polite society.” – Robert A. Heinlein
“You don’t need no gun control, you know what you need? We need some bullet control.” – Chris Rock
“The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise, they will win and the decent people will lose.” – James Earl Jones
“Fear is the mother of gun ownership.” – Edward Abbey
“For every assault, there is a self-defense.” – Unknown
“The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject peoples to possess arms.” – Adolf Hitler
“Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of arms.” – Aristotle
“Everyone has a right to a healthy, beautiful life. Guns are not part of that vision.” – Emma Gonzalez
“Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence.” – George Washington
“Gun control means using both hands.” – Anonymous
“Guns are tools. The issue lies in who wields them.” – Sarah Williams
“One loves one’s country the way it’s just. Without treating it as a god.” – Albert Camus
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” – George Washington
“Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.” – Unknown
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The great object is that every man be armed.” – Patrick Henry
“A gun is no more dangerous than a cricket bat in the hands of a madman.” – Prince Philip
“I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials.” – George Mason
“Gun control isn’t about guns. It’s about control.” – Anonymous
“In a society riddled with violence, should we not focus on fostering peace rather than further arming ourselves?” – Anna Lee
“The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.” – Wayne LaPierre
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to manage conflict without violence.” – Ronald Reagan
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” – Ronald Reagan
Famous Military Gun Quotes
“The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.” – Jeff Cooper
“You don’t win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making the other bastard die for his.” – General George S. Patton
“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” – Alexander the Great
“No man is a man until he has been a soldier.” – Louis de Bernières, “Birds Without Wings”
“One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” – Douglas MacArthur
“The ultimate test for a rifleman is a long-range shot under combat conditions against a highly skilled enemy who is determined and capable of killing him.” – Simo Häyhä
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” – Plato
“Among the many misdeeds of British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Peace is an extension of war by political means. Plenty of people use the rifle. The rifle is the weapon of democracy.” – John Steinbeck
“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.” – General George S. Patton
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” – José Narosky
“He who dares, wins.” – British Special Air Service (SAS) motto
“The most deadly weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle!” – General John J. Pershing
“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” – Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell, with reference to military training
“Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.” – Adolf Hitler
“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” – General George S. Patton
“You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory.” – Winston Churchill
“I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me.” – Duke of Wellington on his own troops
“If I had my way, I’d remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead.” – Roald Dahl, reflecting the eternal hope for peaceful seasons not just on the battlefield but in life.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
“Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.” – George Washington
“Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the gun down.” – Malcolm X
“Victory belongs to the most persevering.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet an enemy.” – George Washington
“A marine on duty has no friends.” – Military proverb
“Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world. A Marine doesn’t have that problem.” – Ronald Reagan
“If your attack is going too well, you’re walking into an ambush.” – Infantry Journal
“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” – Franklin P. Jones
“In war, the chief incalculable is the human will.” – B. H. Liddell Hart
“Victory at all costs—victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.” – Winston S. Churchill
“A soldier’s life revolves around it; the weapon is his tool, his companion, his means of survival in the chaos of war.” – Original
Noteworthy Gun Quotes from Movies
“Go ahead, make my day.” – Sudden Impact
“Yippee-ki-yay, motherf***er!” – Die Hard
“I know what you’re thinking. ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” – Dirty Harry
“Say ‘hello’ to my little friend!” – Scarface
“Why don’t you take a good look at her. She’s a one-of-a-kind, a collector’s item. One full inch of reinforced titanium housing, seven chance-proof chambers. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” – XXX
“This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend.” – Full Metal Jacket
“I don’t aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I aim with my eye.” – The Dark Tower
“Guns are like shoes. Some people take care of them better than others.” – Smokin’ Aces
“You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize.” – Reservoir Dogs
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – The Godfather
“I see you’ve got your best boots on, kid. You’re gonna need them.” – True Grit
“I’m no killer. I’m just a street kid with a gun.” – City of God
“Every gun makes its own tune.” – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
“A gun is a tool, Marian, just like a shovel or an axe.” – Shane
“When you have to shoot, shoot; don’t talk.” – Once Upon a Time in the West
“This is your brain on drugs. This is your brain with a bullet in it.” – Training Day
“I think angels would have more to do if we didn’t have guns around to kill people with.” – Heathers
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” – Bowling for Columbine
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a goddamn marvel of modern science.” – Die Hard with a Vengeance
“This is not a weapon of war; it’s a personal defense tool.” – John Wick
“You might know what I’m gonna do, but that ain’t gonna help you, because you don’t know what I’m gonna do next.” – Red Heat
“I’m a soldier, not a monster. Though, sometimes I wonder.” – RoboCop
“Guns are neat little things, aren’t they? They can kill extraordinary people with very little effort.” – Sin City
“Sometimes you gotta pick the gun up to put the gun down.” – Gran Torino
“You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.” – The Untouchables
“It’s not the bullet that kills you; it’s the hole.” – Die Hard 2
“You can’t handle the truth!” – A Few Good Men
“There’s only two men I trust. One is me. The other’s not you.” – Con Air
“Knives are quieter and don’t need reloading.” – Hanna
“You see, in this world, there’s two kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.” – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
“A gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing. A gun in the hands of a good man is no threat to anyone except bad people.” – Magnum Force
“I don’t like violence, Tom. I’m a businessman; blood is a big expense.” – The Godfather
“When you can’t run, you crawl. And when you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you.” – Firefly
Philosophical Views on Guns – Quotes
“Firearms are tools, and like any tool, their benefits depend on the skill and intent of the user.” – Anonymous
“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer’s hand.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” – NRA Slogan
“Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
“The right to bear arms is not only about protecting oneself but also about the right to defend one’s freedom.” – An Original Thought
“The gun has no power in itself; the one who wields it holds all the power.” – Reflection on Power
“To disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave them.” – George Mason
“The pen is mightier than the sword, but in the face of a gun, both are powerless.” – A Twist on the Classic Saying
“Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion in private self-defense.” – John Adams
“An armed society is a polite society.” – Robert A. Heinlein
“The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave.” – James Burgh
“Choose your weapon, but prepare your mind, for intelligence shall always overcome brutality.” – Philosophical Insight
“The first step in the direction of preparation to avert war if possible, and to be fit for war if it should come, is to teach men to shoot.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.” – Jeff Cooper
“You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” – Isoroku Yamamoto
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” – Cesare Beccaria
“A gun is not a mere weapon. It is an extension of the fighter’s will.” – An Original Perspective
“In a nation regularly armed, people never yield to tyranny.” – James Madison
“The philosophy of the gun is the philosophy of self-defense, self-reliance, and personal responsibility.” – Reflective Thought
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” – George Washington
“The gun has been the equalizer in many a quest for justice.” – An Original Observation
“We are all born free and equal, but sometimes it takes an armed struggle to ensure that freedom.” – Revolutionary Thought
“A people free to choose will always choose peace, but must be prepared to fight for it.” – Ronald Reagan
“Weapons may be derived from the mind, but their true power lies in intention.” – An Insight into Power
“Freedom and the right to bear arms are intrinsically linked; one cannot exist without the other.” – A Philosophical Assertion
“it is not about the gun but the person who holds it that makes all the difference.” – An Original Conclusion
“Safety and security do not come from arms alone but from the wisdom to know when and how to use them.” – Insightful Reflection
“The gun is a symbol of both liberty and responsibility, demanding respect.” – A Thought on Liberty
“An armed man is a citizen; an unarmed man is a subject.” – Allen West
Inspiring Quotes from Gun Rights Advocates
“The right of self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals.” – James Monroe
“To disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave them.” – George Mason
“A free people ought to be armed.” – George Washington
“The right to bear arms is as old as the republic itself, and it is enshrined in our Constitution to ensure the freedom and security of our citizens.” – Ronald Reagan
“An armed society is a polite society.” – Robert A. Heinlein
“Owning a handgun doesn’t make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician.” – Jeff Cooper
“Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence.” – George Washington
“The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” – Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
“Self-defense is not just a right, it’s a duty.” – Peter Johnson
“To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms.” – Richard Henry Lee
“Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” – Samuel Adams
“More guns in law-abiding hands means fewer crimes.” – Ted Nugent
“Gun rights are about more than just guns; they are about personal freedom.” – John Lott
“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed.” – Noah Webster
“The right to defend one’s home and one’s person when attacked has been guaranteed through the ages by common law.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Disarm the people – that is the best and most effective way to enslave them.” – James Madison
“You don’t shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.” – Clint Smith
“Guns are the equalizer that ensure even the smallest individual has the power to stand up for themselves.” – Abigail Lewis
“I carry a gun because I can’t carry a cop.” – John Steinbeck (Paraphrased)
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” – Second Amendment
“The NRA fights to make sure we don’t lose the right to defend ourselves when life and death are on the line.” – Charlton Heston
“A gun is no more dangerous than a cricket bat in the hands of a madman.” – Prince Philip
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” – Anonymous
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” – Ronald Reagan
“A man’s rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.” – Frederick Douglass
“A free people claim their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their magistrate.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Guns ensure the balance of power between the citizenry and the government.” – Sarah Thompson
“It is not the weapon that is the danger but the person who wields it.” – Marcus Aurelius (Paraphrased)
“The second amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed.” – Judge Alex Kozinski
Thought-Provoking Gun Violence Quotes
“Guns are a complex symbol of power and violence, inextricably linked to our deepest fears and desires.” – Anonymous
“So, are we to be forever the hostage to our own weaponry?” – Archie Fire Lame Deer
“The gun has no power, until a man behind it pulls the trigger.” – Anonymous
“There’s a certain breed of human who, when armed, has a harder time not using their weapons.” – Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
“Guns are not always about destruction, sometimes they represent the cry of a desperate spirit.” – Emily Brontë
“The trigger of a gun can only be pulled once, but its consequences may last forever.” – John Steinbeck
“A bullet tells a thousand lies in the flight of its passage.” – Anonymous
“Guns kill far too many people, and yet they bring forth the illusion of protection and power.” – Dr. Seuss
“In the hands of a poet, a gun is just another pen that writes in blood.” – Pablo Neruda
“It is not the gun but the human heart that turns against another.” – William Shakespeare, Macbeth
“From my cold, dead hands!” – Charlton Heston
“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” – Wayne LaPierre
“A gun gives you the body, not the bird.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” – Isaac Asimov, Foundation
“To carry a gun is to become larger than life but smaller in the eyes of morality.” – Anonymous
“This world needs less guns and more empathy.” – Jane Austen, Persuasion
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” – Anonymous
“A gun is a tool, no better or worse than the man who wields it.” – Shane Claiborne, Irresistible Revolution
“If ballots won’t work, bullets will.” – Malcolm X
“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer’s hand.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“True peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of justice.” – Jane Addams
“A gun is not a mere object; it is a vessel carrying the immense weight of intention.” – Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway
“He who profits by a gun must be prepared to die by one.” – Wild Bill Hickok
“A gun in the hand is worth more than a policeman on the phone.” – Anonymous
“Even in the gentlest hands, a gun remains an instrument of death.” – Anonymous
“An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger, or a beer.” – Confucius
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” – Albert Einstein
“Every bullet fired has a story, and most are tragedies.” – Anonymous
“It’s not about the gun, but the soul of the one who holds it.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” – Charles de Montesquieu
“War is what happens when language fails.” – Margaret Atwood
“A gun may save a life, but it can end one just as easily.” – James Baldwin
Wrapping-up
These gun quotes capture a wide range of opinions and emotions surrounding firearms. Whether you are passionate about gun rights or concerned about gun control, these words provide food for thought. They reflect the complexity of the issue and the varied perspectives people hold.
Reading quotes from famous figures, thinkers, and everyday people can deepen our understanding and spark meaningful discussions. By sharing and reflecting on these quotes, we continue the important conversation about guns and their place in our society.
