Pennsylvania doesn’t even have a “red flag” law. What possible legal basis is there for the police to search this man’s home, much less seize his property? Unless the “relatives” own the home, they certainly have no ability to “authorize” the police to enter?
The legal basis is that police are allowed to enter homes to check that the person inside is not incapacitated or in difficulties.
It becomes rather problematic when considering suicide. Ordinarily, the police would just knock on the door and ask if the person were feeling ok. If no answer, they would enter to find out what is going on.
But there was a case in Wisconsin, where a Psychologist misinterpreted a patients statements, and asked the police to check on her as suicidal.
The patient called the Psycologist, who then called the police and said she had made a mistake, the patient was *not* suicidal.
The police showed up at the house. The patient told them she was fine and refused to allow them in.
They forced entry and confiscated her self defense gun.
She was/is a Second Amendment activist (I suspect she was targeted for this reason).
She sued the police.
The courts held against her, saying the police acted in good faith.
She eventually got her gun back.
Obviously it happened. Why and how it happened probably could be fought over in court. In any event, the old man is screwed. The best he can hope for is that pipe bomb charge will be dropped and he will be allowed to return home. Once the police have his guns, unless he has a lot of political pull and a lot of money to spend, he is not going to get his guns and other things back. And if he had the political pull, he probably would not have gotten raided.