We repeated hear in the media how “No one wants to take away your guns.

” How do we counter such

arguments? By simply pointing out that there are in fact people out there that want to disarm us
wholesale, and we do that by presenting them with something like this compilation of quotes from
notable public figures showing that this statement is not true.:

Fmr. President William J. Clinton does.

“And we should — then every community in the country could then start doing major weapon sweeps
and then destroying the weapons, not selling them.”

“When we got organized as a country and we wrote a fairly radical Constitution with a radical Bill of
Rights, giving a radical amount of individual freedom to Americans …And so a lot of people say there’s
too much personal freedom. When personal freedom’s being abused, you have to move to limit it. That’s
what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on the public housing projects, about how we’re
going to have weapon sweeps and more things like that to try to make people safer in their
communities.” – MTV’s “Enough is Enough!”, 22 March, 1994

“We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans…” – USA Today, 11
March, 1993, pg. 2A

“If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution inhibit the government’s ability to govern the
people, we should look to limit those guarantees.” – 12 August, 1993

“You know the one thing that’s wrong with this country? Everyone gets a chance to have their fair say.” –
From his speech in Philadelphia PA City Hall Courtyard, 28 May, 1993

“There is no reason for anyone in this country – anyone except a police officer or military person – to buy,
to own, to have, to use a handgun. The only way to control handgun use in this country is to prohibit the
guns.” – While signing The Brady Bill, 1993

“The purpose of government is to rein in the rights of the people.” – MTV, 1993

“I feel very strongly about it [the Brady Bill]. I think – I also associate myself with the other remarks of the
Attorney General. I think it’s the beginning. It’s not the end of the process by any means.” – 11 August,
1993

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D – CA) does.

“Banning guns addresses a fundamental right of all Americans to feel safe.” – Associated Press, 18
November, 1993.

“If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every
one of them; “Mr. and Mrs. America, turn ‘em all in,” I would have done it. I could not do that. The votes
weren’t here.” – 60 Minutes on CBS, 5 February, 1995.
“The National Guard fulfills the militia mentioned in the Second amendment. Citizens no longer need to
protect the states or themselves.”

Senator Frank Launtenberg (D – NJ) did.

“We have other legislation that all of you are aware that I have been so active on, with my colleagues
here, and that is to shut down the gun shows.”

He died in 2013.

Fmr. Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D – OH) did.

“No, we’re not looking at how to control criminals … we’re talking about banning the AK-47 and semi-
automatic guns.” – Constitution Subcommittee, 2 February, 1989

“I don’t care about crime, I just want to get the guns.”

“What good does it do to ban some guns. All guns should be banned.”

He died in 2008.

Fmr. Representative Charles Pashayan (R – CA) does.

“All of this has to be understood as part of a process leading ultimately to a treaty

that will give an international body power over our domestic laws.” – United Nations Small Arms
Conference, 2001

Fmr. Senator John Chafee (R – RI) did.

“I shortly will introduce legislation banning the sale, manufacture or possession of handguns (with
exceptions for law enforcement and licensed target clubs)… . It is time to act. We cannot go on like this.
Ban them!” – Minneapolis Star Tribune pg. 31A, 15 June, 1992

He died in 1999.

Then-Senator (now Vice President) Joe “Buckshot” Biden (D – DE) does.

“Banning guns is an idea whose time has come.” – Associated Press, 11 November, 1993

Representative Jan Schakowski (D – IL) does.

“I believe…..this is my final word……I believe that I’m supporting the Constitution of the United States
which does not give the right for any individual to own a handgun….” – Recorded 25 June, 2000 by Matt
Beauchamp

“We want everything on the table. This is a moment of opportunity. There’s no question about it…We’re
on a roll now, and I think we’ve got to take the–you know, we’re gonna push as hard as we can and as
far as we can.” – The Global Dispatch, 12 March, 2013.
http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/illinois-rep-jan-schakowsky-says-assault-rifle-ban-just-the-
beginning-moment-of-opportunity-and-seeks-to-ban-handguns-70067/

http://youtu.be/BVz2lHODQvs – Interview by Jason Mattera

Fmr. Representative Major Owens (D – NY) did.

“We have to start with a ban on the manufacturing and import of handguns. From there we register the
guns which are currently owned, and follow that with additional bans and acquisitions of handguns and
rifles with no sporting purpose.”

“Mr. Speaker, my bill prohibits the importation, exportation, manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer,
receipt, possession, or transportation of handguns and handgun ammunition. It establishes a 6-month
grace period for the turning in of handguns.” – Congressional Record, 10 November, 1993

He died in 2013.

Representative Bobby Rush (D – IL) does.

“My staff and I right now are working on a comprehensive gun-control bill. We don’t have all the details,
but for instance, regulating the sale and purchase of bullets. Ultimately, I would like to see the
manufacture and possession of handguns banned except for military and police use. But that’s the
endgame. And in the meantime, there are some specific things that we can do with legislation.”

Fmr. Representative Craig Anthony Washington (D – TX) does.

“This is not all we will have in future Congresses, but this is a crack in the door. There are too many
handguns in the hands of citizens. The right to keep and bear arms has nothing to do with the Brady Bill.”
– Mark-up hearing on The Brady Bill, 10 April, 1991

Fmr. Massachusetts State Governor and State House Representative Michael Dukakis (D) does.

“I do not believe in people owning guns. Guns should be owned only by [the] police and military. I am
going to do everything I can to disarm this state.”

Fmr. Representative Henry Waxman (D – CA) does.

“If someone is so fearful that they are going to start using their weapons to protect their rights, it makes
me very nervous that these people have weapons at all.”

Fmr. Representative William Lacy Clay, Sr. (D – MO) does.

“The Brady Bill is the minimum step Congress should take…we need much stricter gun control, and
eventually should bar the ownership of handguns, except in a few cases.” – St. Louis Dispatch, 6 May,
1991

Senator Charles Ellis Schumer (D – NY) does.

“We’re here to tell the NRA their nightmare is true! … We’re going to hammer guns on the anvil of
relentless legislative strategy. We’re going to beat guns into submission!” – NBC Nightly News, 30
November, 1993

Representative Shiela Jackson Lee (D – TX) does.

“I would personally just say to those who are listening, maybe you want to turn in your guns.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) does.

“I’m personally all for taxing guns to pay for health care coverage.”

Vermont State Senator Mary Ann Carlson (D) does.

“We must be able to arrest people before they commit crimes. By registering guns and knowing
who has them we can do that. If they have guns they are pretty likely to commit a crime.”

Colorado State Senator (and Majority Leader) John Morse (D) does.

“People who own guns are essentially a sickness in our souls who must be cleansed.”

New Jersey State Senators Loretta Weinberg, Sandra Cunningham, and Linda Greenstein all do.

“We needed a bill that was going to confiscate, confiscate, confiscate… They don’t care about the bad
guys. All they want to do is have their little guns and do whatever they want with them.”

http://www.examiner.com/article/open-mike-reveals-n-j-senators-contempt-for-gun-owners-
confiscation-goal

Fmr. California State Senator Leeland Yee (D) does.

“It is extremely important that individuals in the state of California do not own assault weapons. I mean
that is just so crystal clear, there is no debate, no discussion.” – CBS San Francisco, 20 May, 2012, before
he was arrested and charged with gun-trafficking, taking bribes, money laundering, and official
corruption on 24 March, 2014.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/05/20/cbs-5-story-inspires-new-legislation-to-ban-bullet-button/

http://www.sfgate.com/file/757/757-complaint_affidavit_14-70421-nc.pdf

United States Attorney General Eric B. Holder does.

“[We have to have] as part of the gun initiative, though, an informational campaign to really change the
hearts and minds of people in Washington, D.C., and in particular our young people. They are saturated
with guns in media and entertainment, [and] by the entertainment industry with violence, and I think too
many of our young people, in particular our young men are fascinated with violence and in particular
with guns. And what we need to do is change the way people think about guns, especially young people,
and make it something that’s not cool, that’s not acceptable, that’s not hip, to carry a gun anymore.
In the way we changed out attitudes about cigarettes, y’know, when I was growing up people smoked all
the time. I mean, both my parents did. But, over time we changed the way people thought about
smoking, and so now why have people who cower outside of buildings and kinda’ smoke in private and
don’t want to admit it. And I think that’s what we need to do with guns.

… One thing that I think is clear with young people, and with adults as well, is that we jut have to be
repetitive about this. It’s not enough to simply have a catchy ad on a Monday and then only do it every
Monday. We need to do this every day of the week, and really just brainwash people into thinking about
guns in a vastly different way.”

– C-SPAN2, 1995

Fmr. United States Attorney General Janet “Waco” Reno does.

“Gun registration is not enough.” – On ABC’s “Good Morning America”, 10 December, 1993

“Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the
goal.”

Fmr. Director of the ATF John Magaw does.

“The truth is, [handguns] are used to assassinate people, to kill people, because they are very easily
concealed, you can drop them in any pocket.” – When interviewed by ABC’s Day One correspondent
John McKenzie.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans does.

“Having long guns – rifles and shotguns – especially here in the city of Boston, I think we should have, as
the local authority, some say in the matter. For the most part, nobody in the city needs a shotgun.
Nobody needs a rifle.” – Boston Public Radio, 23 July, 2013

Fmr. Chief of Police for Los Angeles, California Bernard Parks does.

“We would get rid of assault weapons. There would not be an assault weapon in the United States,
whether it’s for show or someone having it in a collection.” – Reuters, 9 June, 2000

Fmr. New York City Police Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy did.

“We are at the point in time and terror where nothing short of a strong uniform policy of domestic
disarmament will alleviate the danger which is crystal clear and perilously present. Let us take the guns
away from the people. Exemptions should be limited to the military, the police, and those licensed for
good and sufficient reasons. And I would look forward to the day when it would not be necessary for the
policeman to carry a sidearm.” – Testimony before the National Association of Citizen Crime
Commissions.

He died in 2011.
Fmr. San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara does.

“My experience as a street cop suggests that most merchants should not have guns. But I feel even
stronger about the average person having them…most homeowners…simply have no need to own guns.”

East Palo Alto Police Detective Rod Tuason does.

“Sounds like you had someone practicing their 2nd amendment rights last night. Should’ve pulled the AR
out and prone them all out! And if one of them makes a furtive movement … 2 weeks off!!!”

He is currently being investigated for ethics violations.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/02/14/gun-rights-advocates-target-california-detective-following-
facebook-posts/

Branford, Connecticut Police Officer Joseph Peterson does.

“I [would] give my left nut to bang down your door and come for your gun.” Those are his exact words to
a long-time “friend” of his . . .

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/10/officer-reportedly-tells-citizen-i-give-my-left-n-to-bang-
down-your-door-and-come-for-your-gun/

Connecticut Superior Court Judge Robert C. Brunetti does.

“No one in this country should have guns. I never return guns.”

http://www.examiner.com/article/connecticut-judge-declares-no-one-should-have-guns

Connecticut Superior Court Judge Edward Mullarkey does, too.

“Those who support the Second Amendment should be ashamed.”

http://ctcarry.com/News/Release/631a41bd-55f3-4b63-9644-c79617bd54d9

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) does.

“Confiscation could be an option. Mandatory sale to the state could be an option. Permitting could be an
option — keep your gun but permit it.” – New York Times, 21 December, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/21/nyregion/cuomo-says-he-will-outline-gun-measures-next-
month.html?_r=0

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel does.

“We’re bending the law as far as we can to ban an entirely new class of guns.”

Fmr. Stockton, CA Mayor Barbara Fass does.

“I think you have to do it a step at a time and I think that is what the NRA is most concerned about. Is
that it will happen one very small step at a time so that by the time, um, people have woken up, quote,
to what’s happened, it’s gone farther than what they feel the consensus of American citizens would be.
But it does have to go one step at a time and the banning of semi-assault military weapons that are
military weapons, not household weapons, is the first step.”

Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Office of Government and Community Programs and the Community Violence
Prevention Project at the Harvard School of Public Health, does.

“My own view on gun control is simple: I hate guns and I cannot imagine why anybody would want to
own one. If I had my way, guns for sport would be registered, and all other guns would be banned.”

Chester M. Pierce, Fmr. Harvard psychiatrist, does.

“Every child in America entering school at the age of five is mentally ill because he comes to school with
certain allegiances to our founding fathers, toward our elected officials, toward his parents, toward a
belief in a supernatural being, and toward the sovereignty of this nation as a separate entity. It’s up to
you as teachers to make all these sick children well by creating the international child of the future.” –
Speaking as an “expert” in public education, 1973 International Education Seminar

Fmr. Chancellor of Boston University John Silber did.

“I don’t believe anybody has a right to own any kind of a firearm. I believe in order to obtain a permit to
own a firearm, that person should undergo an exhaustive criminal background check. In addition, an
applicant should give up his right to privacy and submit his medical records for review to see if the person
has ever had a problem with alcohol, drugs or mental illness . . . The Constitution doesn’t count!”

He died in 2012.

Sarah Brady, fmr. Chairman of Handgun Control Inc. (now The Brady Campaign) does.

“…I don’t believe gun owners have rights.” – Hearst Newspapers, October 1997

“The House passage of our bill is a victory for this country! Common sense wins out. I’m just so thrilled
and excited. The sale of guns must stop. Halfway measures are not enough.” – 1 July, 1988

“We must get rid of all the guns.” – Speaking on behalf of HCI, with Sheriff Jay Printz (of Printz v. U.S.
fame no less!), “The Phil Donahue Show”, September, 1994

“The only reason for guns in civilian hands is for sporting purposes.” – Tampa Tribune, 21 October, 1991

James Brady, husband of Sarah Brady, did.

“For target shooting, that’s okay. Get a license and go to the range. For defense of the home, that’s why
we have police departments.” – Parade Magazine, 26 June, 1994

He died in 2014.
Nelson T. “Pete” Shields, Sarah Brady’s predecessor at HCI, does.

“Our ultimate goal – total control of handguns in the United States – is going to take time…The first
problem is to slow down the increasing number of handguns being produced…The second problem is to
get handguns registered. And the final problem is to make the possession of handguns and all handgun
ammunition –except for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and
licensed gun collectors– totally illegal.” – The New Yorker Magazine, 26 July, 1976, pg. 53F

Josh Sugarmann, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center, does.

“Americans are ready to hate somebody, and it’s going to be the gun industry.” – Newsweek Magazine,
16 ay, 1994

“The word ‘hate’ is a very carefully chosen word. There’s got to be a real sense of revulsion and disgust.
People are looking for someone to blame, someone who’s the cause of their problems, and it should be
the gun industry. These guys are the living embodiment of the slogan, ‘Guns don’t kill people-people kill
people’. They’re complete mercenaries.” – The New American Magazine, 13 June, 1994

“A gun-control movement worthy of the name would insist that President Clinton move beyond his
proposals for controls … and immediately call on Congress to pass far-reaching industry regulation like
the Firearms Safety and Consumer Protection Act … [which] would give the Treasury Department health
and safety authority over the gun industry, and any rational regulator with that authority would ban
handguns.”

“We need to ratchet down the firepower in civilian hands. We need to get assault weapons off our
streets and off the gun store shelves … We should ban handguns.” – “NRA’s “really big problem”: Why
it’s dependent on a dwindling fringe”, Salon.com, 13 June, 2014.

http://www.salon.com/2014/06/13/nras_really_big_problem_why_its_dependent_on_a_dwindling_fri
nge/

Michael K. Beard, Fmr President of The Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, does.

“Our goal is to not allow anybody to buy a handgun. In the meantime, we think there ought to be strict
licensing and regulation.” – The Washington Times, 9 December, 1993

Shannon Watts, head of Moms Demand Action, does.

“I’ll be pretty clear on this. @MikeBloomberg and I want guns gone. Period. It doesn’t matter what it
takes.” – From Twitter, 10 June, 2014

“Banning assault weapons. If you ban the assault weapons listed in the (Sen. Dianne) Feinstein bill, you
would still have 2,000 firearms to choose from.”

Time Magazine does.

“As you probably know by now, Time’s editors, in the April 13 issue, took a strong position in support of
an outright ban on handguns for private use.” – Letter to the NRA, 24 April, 1981

The New York Times does.

“The only way to discourage the gun culture is to remove the guns from the hands and shoulders of
people who are not in the law enforcement business.” – Unsigned editorial, 24 September, 1975

The Washington Post does.

“The sale, manufacture, and possession of handguns ought to be banned…We do not believe the 2nd
Amendment guarantees an individual the right to keep them.” – “Legal Guns Kill Too”, 5 November,
1999

The Star-Ledger Editorial Board does.

“So do all the voluntary gun buybacks you want. But until they are mandatory, and our society can see
past its hysteria over “gun confiscation,” don’t expect it to make much difference.” – “What N.J. really
needs is mandatory gun buybacks: Editorial”, 19 September, 2014

Michael Gartner, Fmr. President of NBC News, does.

“There is no reason for anyone in this country, for anyone except a police officer or a military person, to
buy, to own, to have, to use, a handgun. The only way to control handgun use in this country is to
prohibit the guns. And the only way to do that is to change the Constitution.” – USA Today, “Glut of
Guns: What Can We Do About Them?”, 16 January, 1992

Charles Krauthammer, a nationally syndicated columnist, does.

“In fact, the assault weapons ban will have no significant effect either on the crime rate or on personal
security. Nonetheless, it is a good idea . . . . Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to
desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation.” –
From “Disarm the Citizenry. But Not Yet.”, The Washington Post, 5 April, 1996

“I have no problem in principle with gun control. Congress enacted (and I supported) an assault weapons
ban in 1994. The problem was: It didn’t work. (So concluded a University of Pennsylvania study
commissioned by the Justice Department.) The reason is simple. Unless you are prepared to confiscate all
existing firearms, disarm the citizenry and repeal the Second Amendment, it’s almost impossible to craft
a law that will be effective.” – From “The root of mass-murder.”, The Washington Post, 20 December,
2012

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-the-roots-of-mass-
murder/2012/12/20/e4d99594-4ae3-11e2-b709-667035ff9029_story.html

Molly Ivan, another nationally syndicated columnist, does.

“Ban the damn things. Ban them all. You want protection? Get a dog.” – 19 July, 1994
Gerald Ensely, of the Tallahassee Democrat, does.

“How is it that the supposed greatest nation on earth refuses to stop the unholy availability of guns? I’m
not talking about gun control. I’m not talking about waiting periods and background checks. I’m talking
about flat-out banning the possession of handguns and assault rifles by individual citizens. I’m talking
about repealing or amending the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Gun freaks say if you take
away their guns only outlaws will have guns. That’s a chance worth taking. Because if we ban guns,
eventually the tide will turn. It might take 10 years or 20 years. Hell, it might take 50 years. But if we
make it illegal to own a handgun, eventually there will be no handguns.

Those of us who think widespread handgun ownership is insane need to keep speaking up. We need to
teach our children handguns are wrong. We need to support any measure that limits their availability —
and work to repeal the Second Amendment. We need to keep marching forward until someday this
nation becomes civilized enough to ban guns. One of the frequent refrains of gun freaks about President
Obama is “He’s coming for our guns.” Obama never said such a thing. But I will:

We’re coming for your guns. And someday, we’ll take them.”

— In “Stop the insanity: Ban guns”, 23 Bovember, 2014

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/columnists/ensley/2014/11/22/stop-insanity-ban-
guns/19426029/

“Professor” Dean Morris, Director of the Law Enforcement Assistance Association does.

“I am one who believes that as a first step, the United States should move expeditiously to disarm the
civilian population, other than police and security officers, of all handguns, pistols, and revolvers…No one
should have the right to anonymous ownership or use of a gun.”

J. Elliot Corbett, Secretary of the National Council for Responsible Firearms Policy, does.

“We are now supporting the President’s bill which provides stringent restrictions on rifles and shotguns.
We shall also get behind the bill which provides for national registration and licensing. I personally
believe handguns should be outlawed.” – 17 June, 1968

“Handguns should be outlawed. Our organization will probably take this stand in time but we are not
anxious to rouse the opposition before we get the other legislation passed.” – Interviewed for the
Washington Evening Star, 19 September, 1969

Rosie O’Donnell does.

“I think there should be a law — and I know this is extreme — that no one can have a gun in the U.S. If
you have a gun, you go to jail. Only the police should have guns.” – Ottawa Sun, 29 April, 1999
“I don’t care if you want to hunt, I don’t care if you think it’s your right. I say, sorry, you are not allowed
to own a gun, and if you do own a gun I think you should go to prison.” – The Rosie O’Donnell Show, 19
April, 1999.

The American Civil “Liberties” Union does.

“We urge passage of federal legislation … to prohibit … the private ownership and possession of
handguns.” – National ACLU Policy #47, adopted by its Board of Directors in Semptember, 1976

The United Nations does.

“Tighten controls on the gun trade in the United States and other member nations.” – UN Disarmament
Commission

Poughkeepsie, NY Mayor John Tkayik (R) knows the truth.

“I’m no longer a member of MAIG. Why? It did not take long to realize that MAIG’s agenda was much
more than ridding felons of illegal guns; that under the guise of helping mayors facing a crime and drug
epidemic, MAIG intended to promote confiscation of guns from law-abiding citizens.”

He is currently running for New York State Senator, 41st District.

Sioux City, MO Mayor Bob Scott knows the truth, too.

“I was never an active member. They’re not just against illegal guns, they’re against all guns.”

So does Madeira Beach, FL Mayor Patricia Shontz.

“I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal
guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun
ownership. It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This
is gun control, not crime prevention.”

Nashua, NH Mayor Donnalee Lozeau knows.

“I simply cannot be part of an organization that chooses this course of action instead of cooperatively
working with those that have proven over a lifetime of work their true intentions.”

Edgewood, KY Mayor John D. Link found out.

“Sometime ago, I attended a meeting with many city officials from throughout the United States. At this
meeting there was a table with the title “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.” Not wanting illegal guns, I signed
the form not knowing what kind of spin would ensue. As it turned out, I was against the 2nd amendment,
etc. I have since been removed from the “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” movement. On our city website I
have a letter to all stating my position. I’m not against the NRA, guns, or hunting, and never will be.”

Oldmans Township, NJ Mayor Harry Moore knows better now.

“It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your [Michael Bloomberg’s] leadership, would call
for a repeal of the Shelby/Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives
of law enforcement officers, witnesses, and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to
law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law
enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is
repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated
rhetoric, deception, and falsehoods is disturbing.”