Free Republic editorial assistance is requested, and will be welcomed:
Dear xxxx:
I was utterly astonished to see news footage of police and National Guard personnel disarming law-abiding citizens in their own homes in New Orleans.
This order, according to various news reports, was given by New Orleans Superintendent of Police P. Edwin Compass.
Legal scholar and gun rights expert David Kopel has indicated that his research shows that this order may be illegal under Louisiana state laws, and the break-ins and confiscations may violate one or more articles of the Bill of Rights.
Furthermore, there may also be the issue of whether any personnel who acted under color of law to enforce this order may violated the constitutional rights of these citizens under federal law.
I am writing to request your assistance in persuading the United States Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation of these actions and, if a finding is made that any such violations of citizens' civil or constitutional rights did occur, that the individuals involved in the issuance of this order and those who carried it out be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Sincerely,
Okay, here's the final draft of my letter.
Dear Senator
I was shocked to read news articles reporting that the superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department issued an order, ostensibly at the direction of the mayor of the City of New Orleans, to confiscate firearms from law-abiding citizens who were peacefully residing in their own homes.
It was even more shocking to see television and cable channel footage of what appeared to be state, local and federal law enforcement officials and some units of the National Guard carrying out this order.
I believe that both the issuance of this blatantly illegal order and the actions taken to carry it out constituted violations of 18 USC 241 “Conspiracy against rights” and 18 USC 242 “Deprivation of rights under color of law”. It is also possible that other laws of which I am unaware were violated by these actions.
I am requesting your assistance in persuading the United States Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into this matter to determine if, as I believe, the rights of citizens were unlawfully violated by these actions, and, if such a determination is made, to prosecute all involved to the fullest extent of the law.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,