Come and Take It.

"Come and take it" was a slogan used in the Texas Revolution in 1835. At the minor skirmish known as the Battle of Gonzales, a small group of Texans successfully resisted the Mexican forces who had orders to sieze their cannon. As a symbol of defiance, the Texans had fashioned a flag containing the phrase along with a black star and an image of the cannon. A slogan is a memorable phrase used in political or commercial context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. ... The Texas Revolution was a war fought from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836 between Mexico and the Tejas portion of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. ... 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Battle of Gonzales was a skirmish that took place on October 2, 1835, in the Texas town of Gonzales between the Texian settlers and a detachment of Mexican army. ... This article is actively undergoing a major edit for 30 minutes to format the entire page. ... A small cast-iron cannon on a carriage A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ... A flag is a piece of cloth flown from a pole or mast, usually intended for signaling or identification. ...

In modern times, the "Come and take it" flag has been modified and used as a symbol of gun rights advocates. The modified version replaces the cannon with an assault rifle. The degree to which firearms can or should be regulated has long been debated in the United States, although no federal gun control of any form existed for the first 158 years of the countrys history. ... M16A2 (American) Assault rifles (translated from the German Sturmgewehr) have been defined various ways, but they are generally understood to be selective fire rifles or carbines (depending on the particular firearms size), using intermediate-powered ammunition. ...

See also: Molon labe, a similar sentiment uttered by the Spartan King Leonidas at the Battle of Thermopylae. Molon Labe! means Come and take them! It was the response King Leonidas I of Sparta (a Greek nation-state) gave to Xerxes of Persia at the onset of the Battle of Thermopylae. ... Sparta (Grk. ... Leonidas at Thermopylae, by Jacques-Louis David (1814) Leonidas (Λεωνίδας) was a king of Sparta, the seventeenth of the Agiad line. ... The Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC set an alliance of Greek city-states against an invading Persian army. ...

Detail from monument in Gonzales, Texas commemorating the battle.