U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Waite: "The right of bearing arms for lawful purposes must be seen to by States, the constitution simply providing that Congress shall not infringe it . . . The only obligation of the United States is to see that the States do not deny the right.”

New Orleans Republican, Re: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Waite in U.S. v. Cruikshank et al, “The right of bearing arms for lawful purposes must be seen to by States, the constitution simply providing that Congress shall not infringe it; the sovereignty to protect lives and property lies exclusively in the States. The fourteenth amendment prohibits States from depriving any person of certain rights . . . The only obligation of the United States is to see that the States do not deny the right.”, March 27, 1876