New Orleans Police Chief Says They Will Confiscate Again

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Story From WWL Tv

[line] Gun rights activists were up in arms Friday after New Orleans Police Chief Warren Riley said he would confiscate weapons again should disaster strike.

The chief’s comments came after a federal lawsuit forced the city to return hundreds of firearms that were seized in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In an interview with WWL Radio, Riley said his officers would seize guns from people on the streets if another storm was to hit New Orleans.

“During a circumstance like that, we cannot allow people to walk the street carrying guns…as law enforcement officers we will confiscate the weapon if a person is walking down the street and they may be arrested,” Riley said.

”It’s shocking, there's nothing about a police chief's opinion that gives them a super sized authority to throw the constitution out the window,” said NRA Executive Vice-President Wayne Lapierre.

But gun activists said the move robbed people of their right to protect themselves when chaos ruled the city.

''Your firearm in your home, was the only protection from the criminal element,” said State Representative Steve Scalise.

During Katrina, state law gave the chief the authority to take guns during an emergency. Since then lawmakers have re-written the law, making it a crime, one they said the chief was threatening to commit.

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Since state law has been changed, couldn't someone defend themselves against a cop who was trying to illegally steal their gun the same way they would defend themselves from any other thief?

Just something that police chiefs should think about before they go defying state laws.

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This ought to be interesting!

So, if another hurricane hits, the police chief will break the law and confiscate weapons from people defending their homes and businesses...

I sincerely HOPE, if this happens,that the people of LA recognize that their rights are being illegally violated, at the risk of their lives and property, and defend themselves with force from these jack-booted thugs!

I sure would! (I would win, too...)

molonlabetn

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Molonlabe,

I agree with the sentiments you express absolutely!

Problem being,and I am loosely following the argument put forth on PDO the other day,what would likely happen is the following:

Hurricane strikes,chaos ensues,cops begin gun confiscations.

Some gun owners give up their guns without resistance.

Other gun owners band together,and resist the cops.

National Guard called out,and kill resisting gun owners.

News tells of gun toting thugs being put down.

Families of deceased gun owners sue, and win.

New Orleans mayor and police chief ignore verdict, and carry on as before!

Much as it pains me to say it, I fear that the above, lifted from PDO, is an all too likely

scenario,unless BIG pressure is put on "Mayor Chocolate" and his new Chief!

Nonetheless, I like your spirit and your style, Sir!

TrueBrit.

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Sadly, I have to say something that our Founding Fathers knew all too well. Defending ourConstitutional andhuman rights may have to come down to blood shed in order for them to understand that we do not intend to back down. After all, that is exactly why they put the Second Amendment in the Constitution in the first place.

Hopefully the Mayor and his Chief of Police will see the light before anything escalates to the extreme.

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That is the problem with the no disaster confiscation bills, a lot of them have no penalty, which makes them little more than a statement of principles. We need to remember to go back next session and add penalties to really make localities think twice about confiscation.

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Thomas Jefferson put it best: "No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him."

...and our favorite, in context: "God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ... And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."

http://gunshowonthenet.com/Patriot/JeffersonQuotes.html

molonlabetn

In pace, ut sapiens, aptarit idonea bello

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molonlabetn wrote:

This ought to be interesting!
I sincerely HOPE, if this happens,that the people of LA recognize that their rights are being illegally violated, at the risk of their lives and property, and defend themselves with force from these jack-booted thugs!"
molonlabetn


TaosGlock wrote:
Would be interesting indeed to see what happened if even a handful of righteously pissed off patriots with M1A's, etc, started defending their turf against the hired thugs like Black Water. I'll bet the pay would not be worth it. I would predict if gun fights did erupt that some sort of a "National Emergency" would be declared. Perhaps the hired thugs should get a clue and limit their work to the inner city poor folks.

Click to expand...

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If such a thing occurred, I would be more than willing toload up and head for LA to assist our brothers in arms... Since I would hope that I would recieve such support, if that happened where I live!

Another good reason to carry a common LE caliber... easy to scavenge ammo off of the remains.

molonlabetn

In pace, ut sapiens, aptarit idonea bello

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molonlabetn wrote:

Another good reason to carry a common LE caliber... easy to scavenge ammo off of the remains.

Click to expand...

Or just have one gun in every caliber.

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TaosGlock wrote:

molonlabetn wrote:

This ought to be interesting!
I sincerely HOPE, if this happens,that the people of LA recognize that their rights are being illegally violated, at the risk of their lives and property, and defend themselves with force from these jack-booted thugs!"
molonlabetn


TaosGlock wrote:
Would be interesting indeed to see what happened if even a handful of righteously pissed off patriots with M1A's, etc, started defending their turf against the hired thugs like Black Water. I'll bet the pay would not be worth it. I would predict if gun fights did erupt that some sort of a "National Emergency" would be declared. Perhaps the hired thugs should get a clue and limit their work to the inner city poor folks.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I don't think Blackwater was doing the confiscations in NO. Rather it was local and out of state LEOs doing that. Blackwater doesn't need me to defend them, but the guys I met down there, well 'hired thug' doesn't fit them.

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Another confiscation ? I sure hope that if this happens, citizens fight both on the street and in the courts.

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Riley Backs Down on New Orleans Gun Grab After SAF Calls for Investigation

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=67014

BELLEVUE, Wash., June 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Within two hours of an announcement that the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) was calling for a Justice Department investigation of New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley's plan to confiscate guns again if a major storm hits the city this year, SAF learned that Riley has backed off.

"Somehow," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb, "I don't believe this is a coincidence. Earlier this year, as our attorneys were about to enter a motion for contempt against Riley and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin in federal court, the city finally admitted that it did have hundreds of seized firearms in its possession. That came after months of denial the city had taken guns from anybody.

"Now, days after Riley told a New Orleans radio station that he was planning another gun grab," Gottlieb continued, "we have him suddenly back pedaling almost immediately after we announce our complaint to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

"We know that since his announcement Friday on WWL-AM about the plans to confiscate firearms, the station has been getting a very negative public reaction toward the police chief," Gottlieb noted. "Whether his remarks on Friday were some sort of trial balloon just to gauge public sentiment, or whether he was serious, our decision to file a complaint with the Justice Department was equally serious, if not more so.

"For months, we and the National Rifle Association, who was our partner in the lawsuit against the city, were stonewalled, ignored and lied to about the post-Katrina gun confiscations," Gottlieb said. "After Riley's statement on Friday, SAF decided that enough was enough. Two weeks ago, we warned the city that we would be watching for this sort of thing. Our letter to the Attorney General stands, because we want Riley, and anybody else who considers gun grabs to be a good idea, to understand that we're simply not kidding around.

"We warned the city that we would adopt a zero tolerance policy about these illegal gun grabs," Gottlieb concluded, "and we meant it."

------

The Second Amendment Foundation (http://www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

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Gee, the only thing that comes to mind is the images of "Police Officers" looting right along with the criminal element. Thats why I'm glad I don't live in the city of
"chocolatly love" Try and take my gun Mayor Hershey!

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Speaking of Mayor Nagin's goal to make New Orleans a "chocolate" city again, it always amazes me how much implied racism the anti-gunners put out there and how willing people are to accept it.

Often, it is those who live in poorer neighborhoods who have the most need for self-defense, and who least have the ability to fight city hall when these rights are infringed upon. Yet the minority community never seems to take them to task on this. No left-leaning politician is willing to fight for this right for them.

I just don't understand.

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It's not about race; it's about control. As long as left-wing politicians can keep inner-city minorities afraid and dependent on the government, they can retain their grip on power. As soon as they realize they do not need to rely on the government to improve their life, the left wing loses control.