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NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civilians"; NRA Conspicuously Silent

by Last Night in Little Rock

The NY Times reports today that the NOLA Police have begun seizing guns from civilians as also noted below.

Local police officers began confiscating weapons from civilians in preparation for a forced evacuation of the last holdouts still living here, as President Bush steeled the nation for the grisly scenes of recovering the dead that will unfold in coming days.

Police officers and federal law enforcement agents scoured the city carrying assault rifles seeking residents who have holed up to avoid forcible eviction, as well as those who are still considering evacuating voluntarily to escape the city's putrid waters.

"Individuals are at risk of dying," said P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of the New Orleans police. "There's nothing more important than the preservation of human life."

The NRA, however, conspicuously remains silent on the Second Amendment implications that they always attempt to make up to justify arming every man, woman, and child in America with heavy assault rifles and large caliber handguns.

Is it because it is their President authorizing the disarming of New Orleans? Isn't this scenario exactly what they have been telling us for decades was the reason for the Second Amendment? To keep the government's hands of our guns?

Days after Columbine, in Denver, no less, Charleton Heston can still defiantly say "from my cold dead hand," but where is he now?

And more civil liberties slip away.

"Liberty--the freedom from unwarranted intrusion by government--is as easily lost through insistent nibbles by government officials who seek to do their jobs too well as by those whose purpose it is to oppress; the piranha can be as deadly as the shark." United States v. $124,570 U.S. Currency, 873 F.2d 1240, 1246 (9th Cir. 1989) (Judge Alex Kozinski, appointed by Reagan).

And so it goes.

Update 9/10: After this was posted, the NRA issued it statement on September 9th here.

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    My guess is they will not be taking the guns away from the Blackwater mercenaries. Aren't they also civilians? If the excuse is that they have licenses to carry guns, what about the NO residents who also have licenses?

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#2)
    by krazycory on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:34 PM EST
    i've been racking my brain trying to figure out why they are sooooooooo intent on removing EVERYONE. some of the places have dried out and the people that are there want to stay in thier homes. WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO COVER-UP?IF THE PEOPLE WANT TO STAY LET THEM STAY

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#3)
    by chemoelectric on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:34 PM EST
    i've been racking my brain trying to figure out why they are sooooooooo intent on removing EVERYONE. some of the places have dried out and the people that are there want to stay in thier homes. I don't know, do you think it might have anything to do with the non-functional infrastructure (including police and firefighting), the likely to come clouds of chlorine and whatnot from non-functional chemical factories, or the blitzkrieg of disease-laden mosquitoes?

    I agree, Chemo. Perhaps the NRA is simply having an attack of common sense, for once.

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#5)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:34 PM EST
    Perhaps the NRA is simply having an attack of common sense, for once.
    Adept, have you considered that the NRA isn't protesting because they are taking away guns from the poor and/or black folks, and letting rich folks and their minions keep theirs? Just asking.

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#6)
    by Andreas on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:35 PM EST
    The appalling incompetence and negligence that characterized the government’s response at the outset of the human tragedy unleashed by Hurricane Katrina have now given way to ruthlessly efficient methods of military occupation and repression in the ravaged city of New Orleans. For four critical days, Washington proved incapable of mounting any credible effort to rescue the tens of thousands of largely poor and working class New Orleaneans who were left to their fate in the city’s flooded streets, many of them losing their lives not to the surging waters, but to the lack of food, water or medicine. Now the city has been inundated with troops, federal agents and cops of all descriptions, turning it into one of the most heavily armed camps on the face of the globe. Combat-equipped soldiers and police wearing helmets and flak jackets are going door to door in the city to enforce a mandatory evacuation at the point of a gun.
    New Orleans: the specter of military dictatorship Statement of the World Socialist Web Site Editorial Board, 10 September 2005

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#7)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:36 PM EST
    Things like this storm and the aftermath are a fascist's wet dream. I bet it's fairly quiet up Cor'du Lean, Idaho (?sp) with hunting season on and all.

    As a life member of the NRA, I have sent them an email demanding action and an explanation in this case, as the actions of local law enforcement are clearly in violation of the Louisiana state constituion. I don't know yet why the NRA is sitting on the sidelines here, but it is not a racist organisation. I find that explanation difficult to accept. I will update when I receive their response.

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#9)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:36 PM EST
    from PW:
    Actually the NRA has commented on it here and here, the same day TalkLeft posted the initial thread discussing the confiscation. I know, more fun to run down the NRA as racist apartheid supporting thugs. And so it goes.
    PW's comment is from the no longer extant post: Still Nothing from NRA. Apparently Second Amendment Only Applies to Whites by Last Night in Little Rock Pig-A dishonest use of hyperbole here. The two links are to the same article. Your friends at the NRA sound a bit apologetic here:
    Of course, the entire situation in New Orleans is constantly in flux.
    To make matters worse the link is not available on the NRA hompage anymore. But they do have this:
    Police officers have begun confiscating firearms from civilians in preparation for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here. P. Edwin Compass, III, the superintendent of police, said: "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.
    link to NYT article It seems that the position of the NRA is reflected in this paragraph which they link to.
    But that order apparently does not apply to hundreds of security guards hired by businesses and some wealthy individuals to protect property. The guards, employees of private security companies like Blackwater, openly carry M-16's and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said that he was aware of the private guards, but that the police had no plans to make them give up their weapons.


    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#10)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:36 PM EST
    Squeaky-
    “Pig-A dishonest use of hyperbole here. The two links are to the same article.”
    I didn’t mean for the links to look as if they represented two different comments, although the post does look that way. I linked to the comment and to the homepage which contained the kicker and comment link. I linked the homepage because LNLR had an incorrect link which purported to be the homepage, but was in fact the press release page (which had no comment on the confiscations).
    “Your friends at the NRA sound a bit apologetic here:”
    Actually, it’s your editing. For completeness … “But rest assured NRA is monitoring this situation very closely and will address any activity by the government that unduly infringes upon the rights of lawful gun owners at the appropriate time.”
    “It seems that the position of the NRA is reflected in this paragraph which they link to.”
    I think it is unfair to extend the bias of any given news story to someone simply linking the article as a source. The NRA’s position is clearly stated on their website.
    “that when police are unable to control the criminal element, people turn to the one freedom that protects all others--the Second Amendment. … At these times, lawful gun ownership is paramount to personal safety.”
    Would I like the NRA to make a much stronger rhetorical stand? Certainly. But the response hardly warrants the accusations of complicit apartheid and selectively defending the rights of white Americans (I think evidenced by the vanishing post).

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#11)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:36 PM EST
    PW-How do you explain the facts that your links are no longer available on the NRA home page and extended homepage. I guess that the link to the Times Article is their last word here and they are no longer monitoring the situation. The message from the NRA is loud and clear: Ditch the gun toting poor black democrats. Support the rich gun buyers and law enforcement who all voted for Bush. It seems like a good business decision. Hypocrites; they could care less about the constitution, it is $$$ that they really care about.

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#12)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:36 PM EST
    “How do you explain the facts that your links are no longer available on the NRA home page and extended homepage.”
    You are confusing the NRA and NRA-ILA. The ILA is their legislative action arm. If you want to get from the NRA.org homepage simply select politics and legislation. Alternately, my links do still work. They are the same pages they displayed yesterday, the same pages I linked to today, you can't wish them away.
    “The message from the NRA is loud and clear: Ditch the gun toting poor black democrats. Support the rich gun buyers and law enforcement who all voted for Bush.”
    And so it goes …

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#13)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:38 PM EST
    pw-I never said that your links did not work. I said that those links are gone from the politics and legislation section of the NRA's homepage. They have stopped "monitoring the situation".

    Re: NY Times: "Police Begin Seizing Guns of Civili (none / 0) (#14)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:38 PM EST
    They have links on NRA.org, also on their legislative site, and on their dedicated news site (under breaking news). Just admit it, your prejudice didn’t pan.

    Charleton Heston has Alzheimers. Maybe that explains his absence?