The statement is sort of funny when you realize that in this country it is more difficult to purchase cold medicine at a retail store than a handgun in a private sale.  You know there was a time when you could buy Y. pestis (plague bacteria) from ATCC just for a small fee and an order form.  They didn't express any interest in knowing WHY you wanted it.  That has not been the procedure for many years in the USA.  Private citizens can own gold but plutonium. I am not allowed to place landmines on my private property. No one can own another person no matter how well written the contract or how freely it was entered into.  While liberty is great to have, it is necessarily limited when there are two or more people in a population.  You can beat these extreme libertarian arguments with reductio ad absurdum counter-arguments almost every time.