Jeff Cooper

“The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.”

“The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory.”

“Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician.”

“Remember the first rule of gunfighting... 'have a gun.'”

“Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.”

“You better be looking for another pitcher.”

“We continue to be exasperated by the view, apparently gaining momentum in certain circles, that armed robbery is okay as long as nobody gets hurt! The proper solution to armed robbery is a dead robber, on the scene.”

“Pick up a rifle and you change instantly from a subject to a citizen.”

“The will to survive is not as important as the will to prevail... the answer to criminal aggression is retaliation.”

“A smart man only believes half of what he hears, a wise man knows which half.”