What is "from my cold, dead hands"

phr. (context idiomatic English) A statement that one will not allow something (most often a firearm or other weapon) to be taken away from one's possession until after one's death. A variant, ''from my cold dead fingers'', is most often used in the US by gun rights advocates.

"I'll give you my gun when you pry (or take) it from my cold, dead hands" is a slogan popularized by the National Rifle Association (NRA) on a series of bumper stickers. It is a variation of a slogan mentioned in a 1976 report from the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency: "I Will Give Up My Gun When They Peel My Cold Dead Fingers From Around It." The original version did not originate with the NRA, but with another gun rights group, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, based in Bellevue, Washington. It, along with "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns", is a slogan that is often used by gun owners and their supporters in discussions of gun control in the United States.