Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician. Jeff Cooper More Quotes by Jeff Cooper More Quotes From 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. Jeff Cooper gunevilmen If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim. Jeff Cooper policejudgingdoe An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it. Jeff Cooper gunmilitarymen Political correctness is neither political nor is it correct. It amounts to social censorship, and the sooner we spit it out, the better. Jeff Cooper censorshippoliticalsocial Fight back! Whenever you are offered violence, fight back! The aggressor does not fear the law, so he must be taught to fear you. Whatever the risk, and at whatever the cost, fight back! Jeff Cooper riskfightinglaw One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that 'violence begets violence.' I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure - and in some cases I have - that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy. Jeff Cooper gunheartmen Blessed are those who, in the face of death, think only about the front sight. Jeff Cooper blessedsightthinking 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. Jeff Cooper policefamilygun It appears that the murder rate inside prisons is ten times higher than that outside prisons. It must be due to all those Kalashnikov rifles that are issued to prisoners upon their incarceration. Jeff Cooper riflesmurderprison If you don't understand weapons you don't understand fighting. If you don't understand fighting you don't understand war. If you don't understand war you don't understand history. And if you don't understand history you might as well live with your head in a sack. Jeff Cooper fightingmightwar According to Herodotus, the ancient Persians felt that what was necessary in the background of a young man entering adulthood was his ability to ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth. Perhaps we should now grant our college degrees to young men who measure up to that standard. Jeff Cooper guncollegemen One correspondent, who is into psychology, notes that in his experience people who are hoplophobes are nearly always nutty in other ways, too. Hoplophobia [fear of guns], of course, is not simply an attitude but rather an aberration in which the sufferer clings to an idea which he himself knows to be unsound, such as the idea that inanimate instruments have a will of their own or that lawbreakers abide by the law. Jeff Cooper gunlawattitude That is why our masters in Washington are so anxious to disarm us. They are not afraid of criminals. They are afraid of a populace which cannot be subdued by tyrants. Jeff Cooper tyrantscriminalsgun The consensus is that no more than five to ten people in a hundred who die by gunfire in Los Angeles are any loss to society. These people fight small wars amongst themselves. It would seem a valid social service to keep them well-supplied with ammunition. Jeff Cooper fightinglosswar Observe your cat. It is difficult to surprise him. Why? Naturally his superior hearing is part of the answer, but not all of it. He moves well, using his senses fully. He is not preoccupied with irrelevancies. He's not thinking about his job or his image or his income tax. He is putting first things first, principally his physical security. Do likewise. Jeff Cooper catjobsmoving Weapons compound man's power to achieve; they amplify the capabilities of both the good man and the bad, and to exactly the same degree, having no will of their own. Thus we must regard them as servants, not masters - and good servants to good men. Without them, man is diminished, and his opportunities to fulfill his destiny are lessened. An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it. Jeff Cooper destinyopportunitymen One of the notable aspects of the democratic process is that one need not know anything about a subject in order to pass laws about it. Jeff Cooper laworderneeds The essential thing is to bear always in mind that trouble can appear at any time. Jeff Cooper essentialsbearsmind A smart man only believes half of what he hears, a wise man knows which half. Jeff Cooper smartwisdomwise The only acceptable response to the threat of lethal violence is immediate and savage counterattack. If you resist, you just may get killed. If you don't resist you almost certainly will get killed. It is a tough choice, but there is only one right answer. Jeff Cooper savageschoicesanswers
