1829: U.S. District Attorney William Rawle, “In a people permitted and accustomed to bear arms, we have the rudiments of a militia, which properly consists of armed citizens..."

United States District Attorney for Pennsylvania, appointed by President George Washington, William Rawle, "In a people permitted and accustomed to bear arms, we have the rudiments of a militia, which properly consists of armed citizens . . . The corollary, from the first position, is, that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The prohibition is general. No clause in the Constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to give to congress a power to disarm the people....", 1829