U.S. News & World Report: Katrina confiscation "to keep weapons away from looters"

[Creeping Incrementalism]

On Page 16 of the May 22 issue of U.S. News and World Report, in the Datebook section in a mention about the NRA's annual convention. The heading they give the section is "Shooting the Moon". The blurb says, in part, "Conversation topics will almost certainly include the gun confiscations that occured after Hurricane Katrina when police attempted to keep weapons away from looters..."

My question is, did the NOPD ever pretend to claim that the confiscations were to keep out of the weapons out of the hands of looters? I remember Compass simply saying that "no one will be allowed to have guns" or words very close to that, and it was very clearly directed at everyone who wasn't police, military, or certain private security.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060522/22datebook.htm

 

[Stickjockey]

...to keep weapons away from looters..."

My hairy Gaelic...posterior, they were. These people will say anything, I swear. Who do they think they're fooling?

 

[engineer151515]

I've heard that "keeping guns away from looters" defense before. One NOLA official said they were only taking unlawfully owned guns and guns found in abandoned homes.

This assertion falls apart with the "body slam grandma" video and the testimony of others.


Personally, if SWAT ran through my partially destroyed / abandoned house and found unsecured weapons lying around and locked them up (leaving a written receipt - informing me where to go to retrieve my property) I would not have an objection. But that is not what happened in all cases.

 

[Zedicus]

I remember Compass simply saying that "no one will be allowed to have guns" or words very close to that, and it was very clearly directed at everyone who wasn't police, military, or certain private security.

Here's the Clip with that in it for a reminder.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-368034430006732400

I've tried posting the one of the cops bodyslaming the old lady but google video is filtering it as "violence" :banghead:

 

[geekWithA.45]

The press has chosen sides.

(Hint: they're not on ours)

http://geekwitha45.blogspot.com/2004_12_05_geekwitha45_archive.html#110264926623591389

 

[the pistolero]

Katrina confiscation "to keep weapons away from looters"

And now, the obvious question. If the people who had their weapons confiscated, had those weapons loaded, and were willing to use those weapons on the looters -- which, I would wager, more than a few of them did and were -- just exactly how in the bloody **** were the looters going to get the guns any way other than bullets first???? I'm sure the police probably attempted to reassure the targets of the confiscations that they would be protected, that the police would take care of them, but even in that case, their mouths were obviously writing a check their outfit couldn't cash. Has any kind of jail time been mentioned as a possible penalty for the people who ordered and/or carried out the confiscations??

 

[Standing Wolf]

...to keep weapons away from looters...

In plain English, it's a lie.

 

[dmallind]

Now I get accused of being a statist commie every few days around here, and i ain't buying this one either. The cops and politicians flat out overreacted and didn't want "civilians" with guns (that term has always bugged me BTW - cops are civilians too. It's one of the cornerstones of most of the freer nations that this is so).

 

[MudPuppy]

Here's the quote:

"Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," says P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of police.

Now, the media reported it when he said it, so they obviously knew. The author should be required to get a $200 tax stamp prior to publishing any article.

 

[Leanwolf]

GEEKWITHA.45 - "The press has chosen sides.

(Hint: they're not on ours)"
________________________________________________________________



Geek, they never have been on our side.

L.W.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Take a look at ABC News... They had actual video of the confiscations and people like Patricia Konie (the grandma in the video above) being assaulted in her own home. They had Nagin saying in federal court that weapons were confiscated.

Yet when they sent former Handgun Control Inc. employee Jake Tapper to report on the NRAs recent challenge to city mayors and police chiefs, they didn't even bother to contest Nagin's claim that no confiscations occured.

Can anyone see them granting that same leeway to other political figures? If Bush claimed that there were no Americans in Iraq and that anti-war protesters were simply crazy and hateful would ABC just report his statement without mentioning all the video they had of Americans in Iraq?

A politician can borrow $20, pay back $10 and declare you're even because you both lost $10

 

[Creeping Incrementalism]

I've heard that "keeping guns away from looters" defense before. One NOLA official said they were only taking unlawfully owned guns and guns found in abandoned homes

I'd thought I'd heard everything about this, but I haven't heard that one. I thought the reporter was making it up in order to apologize. I suppose there's a small chance the reporter is just dumb, and not biased. I'm wondering how the reporter even found it and reported it that way--surely he must have also come across the "Only L.E. are allowed to have weapons" from Compass.

 

[Juna]

It sickens me watching the video of our U.S. soldiers (who've taken oaths to protect our nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic), becoming domestic enemies of the nation, and our police officers (who've vowed to serve and protect us) attacking and disarming us.

I understand that they're following orders from higher up the totem pole, but it sickens me to no end to watch it and to think what's sitting up the totem pole from them.

 

[Henry Bowman]

But there's no MSM bias...

 

[Spiphel Rike]

Sadly, a lot of people accept cop out excuses from politicians, officials or anyone else.

Who else thinks that the coppers should have occasional "refresher" lessons on the BOR?

 

[geekWithA.45]

Geek, they never have been on our side.

I'm not so sure about that.

The survey of Time magazine covers that I linked to reveals that there were no anti gun covers prior to 1968, the time of the GCA amendment to the 1934 NFA.

I'd say that the late 60's is when they commenced hostilities against us. Prior to the runup to that, I'd argue they at least weren't actively hostile.

I'd take objective neutrality from the press as a quantum leap improvement.

(hargh)

 

[YellowLab]

'Chocolate Town' is a write off.. a liberal waste land that even Mother Nature herself couldn't clean up.

Think about it... THE RETARDS IN NO VOTED NAGIN BACK AS MAYOR.

The Congress should cut off ALL FEMA funds and tell them to work it out themselves with the brain trust they have elected..... oh, wait, that makes to much sense... never happen.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Katrina confiscation "to keep weapons away from looters"

Yes, all good citizens of Oceania need to take any copies
of the Channel 2 video of Patricia Kronie being bodyslammed
and escorted to a truck, the ABC video of the folks handcuffed
in front of their homes as police took their guns, and
consign them to the nearest Memory Hole.

The Ministry of Truth has decreed that only illegal weapons were
taken from looters, or abandoned weapons were taken from
empty homes. To remember otherwise is Thought-Crime and
is DoublePlusUngood.

 

[AJAX22]

And the troops went along with it?

I guess this shows what people will do when ordered to violate the rights of americans.

no one had the balls to stand up and say, hey, this ain't right

 

[engineer151515]

Originally posted by: Creeping Incrementalism
I'd thought I'd heard everything about this, but I haven't heard that one. I thought the reporter was making it up in order to apologize.

I do apologize - I was just typing that statement from memory. Here's a link. There are several newspapers that carried the same story (and quotation). This particular statement came out at the time the NRA was asking Mayors and Police Chiefs to make a pledge....

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=84488&ntpid=3

After Katrina hit New Orleans, police and soldiers confiscated guns from some evacuees and removed them from homes. Police said they took only guns that had been stolen or found in abandoned homes.

The story references "Police said", but is not quoting a specific person.

 

[progunner1957]

Just because we can

U.S. News & World Report: Katrina confiscation "to keep weapons away from looters"

This is grade A "Steer Feces." USN&WR is blowing sunshine and Ganja smoke up everyone's bungholes, just like the socialist scumbags in New Orleans - Nagin and Compass - who ordered the gun confiscation.

The gun confiscation was about gun confiscation - period. It was a case of "Just because we can."

 

[mordechaianiliewicz]

And the troops went along with it?

I guess this shows what people will do when ordered to violate the rights of americans.

no one had the balls to stand up and say, hey, this ain't right

~ajax22

It seems to me that it is obvious, even though in the event of confiscation, the troops would have extremely low morale, most would go through with their orders despite their reservations.

Of course, my thought was that in NOLA, staying at your mansion was not an option. Despite that, anyone choosing to should have had a bunch of non-compliant troops saying "We ain't doin' it."

I guess American soldiers and officers are past the point where they will actually defend the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.