"The danger, where there is any, from armed citizens, is only to the government, not to the society"

   "In some towns they have a practise at Christmas of shooting geese for wagers; and on many other occasions the diversion of firing at marks is very common, and has an excellent effect in forming young men to a dexterous use of arms."[Pg. 104]

   "Another of these operations is making every citizen a soldier, and every soldier a citizen; not only permitting every man to arm, but obliging him to arm. This fact, told in Europe previous to the revolution, would have gained little credit; or at least it would have been regarded as a mark of an uncivilized people, extremely dangerous to a well-ordered society. Men who build systems on an inversion of nature, are obliged to invert every thing that is to make part of that system. It is because the people are civilized, that they are with safety armed. It is an effect of their conscious dignity, as citizens enjoying equal rights, that they wish not to invade the rights of others. The danger, where there is any, from armed citizens, is only to the government, not to the society; and as long as they nothing to revenge in the government (which they cannot have while it is in their hands) there are many advantages in their being accustomed to the use of arms, and no possible disadvantage." [Pg. 280]--Present Situation of the United States of America, Grand Divisions of the United States. Vol. II. (Front cover is missing, so the actual title of the volume is unknown. It can be found online using the search term "Description of America", or here on Google Books.