Doc Holliday

Just because you have a legally owned firearm in an emergency situation doesn't mean that the GOVT. can't take it away and trample on your civil rights.

Straight from Yahoo news:

New Orleans Police to Return Seized Guns
By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer Wed Apr 19, 9:23 PM ET

NEW ORLEANS - Under pressure from the National Rifle Association, police this week began returning guns confiscated after Hurricane Katrina.

The police department is making the guns available three days a week. At the close of the second day Wednesday, police said only 17 of about 700 weapons had been returned.

Police and soldiers removed guns from houses after the storm flooded the city, and they confiscated guns from some evacuees.

The NRA and other groups sued the city, saying it took away people's means of protection amid the lawlessness that gripped New Orleans.

"Natural disasters may destroy great cities, but they do not destroy civil rights," said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, which joined the NRA in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was dropped after the city agreed to return the guns.

Some owners complained it was difficult to get them back. Gun owners must bring a bill of sale or an affidavit with the weapon's serial number. Police also are running criminal background checks on those claiming weapons.

Some gun owners found the weapons were evidence in a crime and not eligible for release. Others did not have the proper paperwork.

Percy Taplet, 73, said the National Guard and state police confiscated his shotgun when they arrived to tell him to leave his house. When he tried to get his gun back this week, police told him he would have to contact state police.

"I won't ever see that gun again, believe me," Taplet said. "It's gone like everything else in that storm."

Police Superintendent Warren Riley said police had legitimate reasons for confiscating weapons.

"We took guns that were stolen that were stashed in alleyways. If we went into an abandoned house and a gun was there, absolutely we took the weapons," he said. "Obviously there were looters out there. We didn't want some burglar or looter to have an opportunity to arm themselves."

O.K. it makes sense to take them from alleyways, but from evacuees?

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Give Doc the shotgun.
They'll be less apt to get nervous if he's on the street howitzer.

Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave.

I have two guns, one for each of ya.

rstickle

So, these AHs figured out a way to keep people from getting their guns back.

Most of these people lost their house and everything else...... You know they have their bill of sale handy! What a crock!

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Rick

EOD - Initial success or total failure

P95Carry

Still pretty much a lose-lose situation. As Rick says - how many folks have all their paperwork now!

Maybe we should all have some distinguishing mark on each gun - so at least by description we could make a valid claim in such circumstances. Sure ain't gonna memorize every serial #.

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Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

Nick

The whole New Orleans situation has been shameful. Government overreaching is one reason why the founding fathers wrote the 2nd Amendment into the Bill of Rights.

Let's hope the situation activates the call from citizens to hold the mayor and other responsible parties accountable come next election.

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"To disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave them."
George Mason


"Gun control is a job-safety program for criminals."
John R. Lott

srfl

Poor folks get victimized by the storm....then by the gov't....and finally (again) by the gov't.

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USAF: Loving Our Obscene Amenities Since 1947

yoshi

Proper procedure on the police departments part should lead to evidence lists as well as incident reports on every single confiscation. It "shouldn't" be hard to track down the "official" paper work - that being the paper work from the police describing when the gun was illegally taken from the owner. Of course this depends on them not being negligent in documenting all that in the first place.

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Live Free or Die

Miggy

Lemme see if I get this right. They forced people out of the house. Now the house is "abandoned" so they can pretty much ignore the Bill of Rights and do as they please?

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You have to make the shot when fire is smoking, people are screaming, dogs are barking, kids are crying and sirens are coming.
Randy Cain.

GunFreeZone.net

madmike

Each and every citizen who had a gun stolen from them by the local government or their representatives, should file a lawsuit against them.

Any citizen who's firearm was returned to them in any condition less than it was before it was taken, should also file a lawsuit.

In fact, I'd like to see the affect people FLOOD the system with lawsuits! Give those currently "under-employed" shysters something constructive to do! Let one of them see just how many different grounds they can find to bring suits and hopefully criminal charges against the officials involved.

Under these circumstances, I could even get to like lawyers!

mm

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Political Correctness has now "evolved" into Political Cowardice.

srfl

....I agree with MM.

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USAF: Loving Our Obscene Amenities Since 1947

AirForceShooter

they going to have to submit to background checks too?
I'm waiting for the first gun to be returned.

AFS

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Gun control is hitting what you aim at