Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·287 of 348
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
They never said that.
What people say
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
What was actually said
"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." James Madison — Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1791)
Why it stuck
The militia clause is often cut. Whether that clause is constitutive of the right or merely preambular has been a legal debate since the 19th century.
District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) read the preamble as non-restrictive; dissents disagreed.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.