So the whole “Eternal vigilance” thing, I think, is interesting. Many of the pro-gun patriots use this, among other things, to support their cause. Harking back to Jefferson makes it sound pretty good. The only problem is, TJ never said this and no one is really sure who said it first. The earliest attribution is to Boston abolitionist Wendell Phillips and even that is displayed in quotation marks as if he were repeating it himself (among other problems).