“An Unarmed Man May Be Attacked with Greater Confidence than an Armed Man”

Thomas Jefferson

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms … disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes… Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” — Cesare Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishment, quoted by Thomas Jefferson in Commonplace Book.

Cesare Bonesana Marchese Beccaria

Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria-Bonesana (March 11, 1738 – November 28, 1794) was an Italian jurist, philosopher and politician best known for his treatise On Crimes and Punishments, which condemned torture and the death penalty, and was a founding work in the field of penology.