evidence: MountVernon.org, the association that manages Washington's estate, confirmed on its website that the quote about mistrusting citizens with guns and the government having "evil plans" was indeed fake. The website said the quote may have come from an apparently recent publication named, "The American Wisdom Series presents Pamphlet #230, 'President George Washington's Thoughts on Firearms.'" No citation was given for the quote, as it was not genuine. [...] In sum, no, Washington did not say that a nation mistrusting its citizens with guns means that its government has "evil plans." We previously published fact checks about two other quotes that did not originate with the first president of the United States. One misleading quote meme showed an illustration of Washington with the words, "When government takes away citizens' right to bear arms, it becomes citizens' duty to take away government's right to govern." Another misleading quote meme, which also showed an illustration of Washington, read, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself."