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Page Number: 89.0

22 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA v. HELLER 

STEVENS, J., dissenting 

Schwartz  932–933;  see  The  Complete  Bill  of  Rights  182–
183 (N. Cogan ed. 1997) (hereinafter Cogan).

New  York  produced  a  proposal  with  nearly  identical 

language.  It read: 

“That  the  people  have  a  right  to  keep  and  bear 
Arms;  that  a  well  regulated  Militia,  including  the 
body  of  the  People  capable  of  bearing  Arms,  is  the
proper,  natural,  and  safe  defence  of  a  free  State. . . .
That standing Armies, in time of Peace, are dangerous 
to  Liberty,  and  ought  not  to  be  kept  up,  except  in
Cases of necessity; and that at all times, the Military 
should be kept under strict Subordination to the civil 
Power.”  2 Schwartz 912. 

Notably,  each  of  these  proposals  used  the  phrase  “keep 

and  bear  arms,”  which  was  eventually  adopted  by  Madi­
son.  And  each  proposal  embedded  the  phrase  within 
a  group  of  principles  that  are  distinctly  military  in 
meaning.21 

By  contrast,  New  Hampshire’s  proposal,  although  it 
followed  another  proposed  amendment  that  echoed  the 
familiar  concern  about  standing  armies,22  described  the 
protection  involved  in  more  clearly  personal  terms.    Its 
—————— 

21 In addition to the cautionary references to standing armies and to
the importance of civil authority over the military, each of the proposals
contained  a  guarantee  that  closely  resembled  the  language  of  what 
later became the Third Amendment.  The 18th proposal  from Virginia
and North Carolina read “That no soldier in time of peace ought to be
quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, and in time of
war  in  such  manner  only  as  the  law  directs.”    Elliott  659.      And  New 
York’s  language  read:  “That  in  time  of  Peace  no  Soldier  ought  to  be 
quartered in any House without the consent of the Owner, and in time
of  War  only  by  the  Civil  Magistrate  in  such  manner  as  the  Laws  may 
direct.”  2 Schwartz 912.  

22 “Tenth,  That  no  standing  Army  shall  be  Kept  up  in  time  of  Peace
unless with the consent of three fourths of the Members of each branch 
of  Congress,  nor  shall  Soldiers  in  Time  of  Peace  be  quartered  upon 
private Houses with out the consent of the Owners.”