Posted on 01/02/2014 9:57:38 AM PST by jmaroneps37
Texas courts have ruled that because legally owned firearms represent a threat of physical violence to police, officers may ignore the 4th Amendment rights of Texas residents by treating ALL legally issued warrants as No Knock warrants, even if the issuing judge has made it clear that officers must knock on the door and announce their identity and purpose before attempting a forcible entry.
In August of 2006, police in Collin County, Texas obtained a warrant to search the home of John Quinn based on information that Quinns son might be keeping a controlled substance on the premises. Although the warrant did not authorize police to enter the residence without knocking and announcing their entry, the County SWAT Team broke through Quinns door unannounced, based solely on the suspicion that there were firearms in the Quinn household.
Not aware of who had broken into his home, the suddenly awakened Quinn was shot by officers as he grabbed a nearby gun for the purpose of defending his life, family and property. All firearms in the home were legally owned by Quinn. Police discovered less than 1 gm of cocaine on the premises.
When Quinn took the Collin County SWAT Team to court for ignoring the terms of the search warrant by turning it into a No Knock warrant, the court ruled that because police had information that guns were present at the residence, they were justified in making a forced and unannounced invasion into Quinns home.
In short, a judge decided John Quinn represented a criminal danger based upon the legal exercise of his 2nd amendment rights.
The Rutherford Institute has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the Quinn case, writing to the Court that:
in the absence of any evidence of actual danger to police,...
(Excerpt) Read more at coachisright.com ...
This happened in Texas.
Just wow.
What is going on?
“This happened in Texas.”
The 4th Amendment no longer applies in Texas, either.
Yet another reason to end the WOD.
Yet another reason to end the WOD.
What the hell is Happening to Texas? Has Austin been invaded by the Commies from Cali totally?
The “judge” or judges should be removed from office.
/johnny
This is going on everywhere...
It is time to begin the process of bringing the cops and courts to heel. they have apparently forgotten what their jobs are.
What are people doing to hide their guns and PMs that still allows for convenient retrieval?
A lot of cops could end up killed because of that. This is not a good thing in any way shape or form.
Pretty much. Austin bears little resemblance to the larger whole of how the rest of small town, rural Texas operates- Collin County LEOs notwithstanding.
1960 - "To protect and serve your community"
2014 - "To protect and serve ourselves"
The gubmint has militarized the police against the people.
“No knock” is illegal in NH.
One of the things they got right.
Sound byte I heard recently.
The military fights the enemies of the state.
The police serve and protect the people.
When the police become militarized, the people become the enemies of the state.
I would have thought that executing ‘no-knock’ warrants on homes with legally held firearms would have put police officers in MORE danger, not less. Not even most crims are stupid enough to try and shoot it out with the cops when presented with a warrant at the door, but if a law-abiding citizen is woken up to the sound of the door being stoved in and people yelling, especially in Texas (were violent Mexican drug cartels are presumably active), many are going to grab a gun and start blasting away at the whoever is breaking in before they know what is going on.
This reasoning is fallacious.
I would have thought that executing ‘no-knock’ warrants on homes with legally held firearms would have put police officers in MORE danger, not less. Not even most crims are stupid enough to try and shoot it out with the cops when presented with a warrant at the door, but if a law-abiding citizen is woken up to the sound of the door being stoved in and people yelling, especially in Texas (were violent Mexican drug cartels are presumably active), many are going to grab a gun and start blasting away at the whoever is breaking in before they know what is going on.
This reasoning is fallacious.
Yea...something ain't it?
Conservative bastion, Texas, receiving DHS grants for webs of cameras installed in urban areas, along roadways and intersections. ALPR’s (automatic lic plate readers) installed on patrol cars and soon to come highways, surveillance drones over our skies, no knock warrants, forced blood drawls/DNA swabbing of motorist, bio-metric database with national ID metrics.
Yea, my beloved Texas is becoming a freakin police state.
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